Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

The end of the school year can be so exciting and give us ideas for great teaching. Jillian DuBois talks about her end of the school year and from the conversation we have twelve inspiring ideas for classrooms everywhere including: how to use the element of surprise in learning vocabulary building ideas watching bald eagles and teaching ideas about them how eagles fly higher on turbulent winds how to know children in even a very large class and more. Show notes and transcript:  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e783   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with  Advancement Courses  and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared  10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your c...

Awesome teachers connect with their students. KeKe Powell teaches second grade and has lots of ideas for ending the year and also just connecting with kids. She also shares some of her story of deciding to share what she does with a wider audience as she is becoming an education influencer. If you’re considering if you want to share or if you just want great teaching ideas, this is a great listen for you. Scroll down for the show notes and transcript. Notes and Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e782   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with Advancement Courses and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared 10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your current needs should impact your pro...

School leadership is more challenging than ever. Assistant superintendent Chris Chappotin shares ideas for making yourself available, the importance of taking things off teachers' plates (and not adding to them), and questions you can ask when encouraging leaders. Practical, encouraging ideas are shared throughout this show for principals, administrators, and anyone working to encourage school leaders. Transcript and Resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e781 Sponsor: Readlee is an amazing literacy tool that enables teachers to go from collecting reading data a couple times a year to getting data each week (or day!) in just 5-10 minutes. Developed in collaboration with researchers at the Harvard School of Education, students read aloud and the tool collects data on fluency and accountability (think words correct per minute and total time read, among others) and a recording and transcript of their reading . You can provide feedback to your students on any text (print or di...

Did you know you can use a live translator app in PTA meetings, parent teacher conferences, and presentations -- that actually works? Did you know there is a tool that will translate your parent newsletters? How about one that parents can use to translate homework so they can help their children? Well, all of these exist! You'll learn about these and more on a special extended episode of the podcast with Teresa Magpayo Castro and Ricardo Recinos. You'll learn to empathize with students who struggle with English as a second language as Teresa and Ricardo tell their own stories. If you have students in your school who do not have English as their primary language, this is a must-listen-to episode. (Or read the transcript at the end of this post.) Help every student become included in learning and become empowered. We can do this! Transcript and Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e780 Sponsor: Readlee is an amazing literacy tool that enables teachers to go from collect...

Years ago when I discussed strategy with a Disney Cruise leader, they told me that people tend to remember how an experience starts and how it ends. Therefore, they designed events with intentionality, particularly on the first day and the last night. So, I adopted this approach in my own classroom and so has today's guest fourth-grade teacher, Alana Stanton. Over the last seventeen years, Alana has created some traditions in her classroom and today she shares them. Get ready to end the school year in a memorable and fun way for your students (and you!) Transcript and Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e779   Advancement Courses - Show Sponsor Advancement Courses is who I chose for my professional development. I love their courses because they are flexible with up to 6 months to complete and you can receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners or continuing education units that meet your state requirements. I recently shared ...

Do you realize just how important you are as a teacher? Sometimes people say, “Thank you for all you do” but do they really understand just what I do? I heard this story several years a go from someone dear to me that completely transformed my life and understanding about how remarkable we teachers truly are. My name is Vicki Davis . I am best known for blogging at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog and for my sharing on Twitter where I have 136,741 Twitter as of the day I released this show. I previously hosted the show Every Classroom Matters. In this first episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Show , I’m sharing a story that gets to the heart of who we teachers are. I’ll also share my vision for this show and what you can expect to find every day. This story is a precious one to me. Show notes and transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/sue-and-mrs-scruggs/   Check out this episode!