The new school year is, first and foremost, an opportunity for a new start. If you're among the fortunate ones who had a vacation and time to reflect this summer, you've surely considered ways to be more effective in the classroom and make life easier at home this year. There are many ideas and activities that fit the bill, but there's one that…

This article discusses how math skills, teamwork and higher-level thinking come together when students create strategic board games. In this article, the authors provide a glimpse of what it was like to be part of "To the Sun!," a game designed by students in the fifth-grade class at Olive Martin School in Lake Villa, IL. Students combined a math…

This brief article describes one teacher's experience moving to a new school and the lessons learned from that experience. It touches upon: finding a sense of belonging as a new, yet experienced teacher; creating a balance; and the moment of breakthrough.

In Hilliard, OH, administrators, teachers, kids and parents make a school a "community." Visualize, if you will, a symphony orchestra. The violins play as one, led by the concertmaster in the first violin section, who is first among equals. As the music builds, the cellos add their glorious tone while the woodwinds may introduce the theme.…

In the days before computers, passing on information to substitutes was difficult. Now teachers can individualize their lesson plans to guarantee that substitute teachers and the students will both have a good day. This article provides some plan-ahead procedures that have worked for the author.

Emphasizes the importance of teachers making a year-long plan of what they want to accomplish during the school year, as well making sure that their classroom schedule allows for large blocks of reading and writing time for the students. (MDM)

Describes an innovative, interdisciplinary science program at the Middle School of the Kennebunks, Kennebunk, Maine, which involves students gathering and analyzing data on the ecosystem of a nearby island and the surrounding ocean, as well as the Kennebunk River. Projects have combined scientific study with local history and town planning. (MDM)

Discusses ideas to help teachers ease the anger and fear of children confronted with a new school situation. Suggests that transition from preschool to kindergarten can be difficult, as many students face for the first time limits to their activities. Also discusses another problem for students, the change from self-contained classroom to one with…

Details nine tips for teachers assigned to take over a classroom in the middle of school year: be flexible; remember nervousness is natural; achieve effective classroom management; be prepared for paperwork; do not alter a lesson plan to fit that of the previous teacher; expect the unexpected; make friends on the staff; and keep a sense of humor.…