Latest News
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Transform Learning with Hexagonal Thinking: A Powerful SEL Strategy
If you’ve explored hexagonal thinking before, you already know its power to deepen academic discussion and spark rich connections. But there’s an overlooked benefit worth spotlighting — its ability to build empathy and strengthen social-emotional learning (SEL). When students link ideas through a hexagonal thinking template, they aren’t just organising information — they’re navigating perspectives,…
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Breakthrough Classroom Culture: Movement Activities That Energize and Unite Students
Creating a strong classroom culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built with intention, consistency, and connection. One of the most powerful tools to establish this foundation in the first few weeks is movement. As I’ve shared in previous posts like From Chaos to Connection and Make It Count, I believe classroom movement activities belong at the…
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Assessment Strategies for Hexagonal Thinking Templates: How to Grade the Web
Hexagonal thinking templates are one of those teaching tools that students love and teachers instantly see the value in. It sparks deep conversations, invites unexpected connections, and gets even the quieter students involved. But once students have built a web full of brilliant thinking… what now? How do you assess it? Grading hexagonal thinking can…
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Stress-Free Early Finisher Ideas Teachers Actually Love
Early finishers are a constant in every classroom, and managing their time meaningfully can make or break your lesson flow. Too often, early finisher ideas become glorified busy work—crossword puzzles, colouring pages, or mindless apps that kill time rather than deepen learning. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This post shares smart, time-saving…
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Back to School Novel Studies That Inspire Powerful Classroom communities
Forget silent reading and surface-level comprehension questions—what if your back-to-school novel studies could launch a classroom reading community where students genuinely care about stories, each other, and big ideas? Back to school is the perfect time to set the tone for how reading will feel in your classroom. You’re not just teaching texts—you’re building a…
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Breakthrough Novel Study Activities That Actually Work for Week One
The first week of school can feel like a high-speed balancing act—new names, fresh expectations, classroom routines, and all the nerves (yours and theirs). You want students engaged, connected, and learning—but not burned out by Day 3 and groaning about novel study activities. Enter: novel study activities that hit all the right notes. They get…
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The Ultimate Time-Saving Plan: How to Map a Term of Novel Study Activities in One Afternoon
Let’s be honest—planning a novel unit and finding all the right novel study activities often feels like a mountain of work. There’s the reading schedule, comprehension tasks, vocabulary lists, assessments, and a million sticky notes filled with great ideas you might use… if you ever find the time. But here’s the thing: you don’t need…
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How I made one simple change to dramatically improve critical thinking in my classroom
At the start of the year, my reading program focused on structure—and for good reason. Many of my students lacked the foundational skills to engage deeply with a novel. They weren’t confident answering comprehension questions or supporting their ideas with evidence. They needed explicit modeling, guided practice, and tightly scaffolded tasks. And it worked.But by…
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Novel Study Ideas for Mid-Year: How to Choose the Right Text for Deeper Thinking
By mid-year, your class likely feels very different from those first few weeks back. Routines are established, relationships are built, and your students are ready to think more deeply and work more independently. It’s the perfect time to shift from foundational novel study ideas and reading work into texts that challenge students intellectually and emotionally.…
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Back to School Books That Spark Real Thinking: Powerful Reads for Grades 6–8
Choosing the right novel to kick off the school year in Grades 6–8 is about more than finding back to school books students will enjoy — it’s about setting a tone for thinking, discussion, and connection. Middle school readers are navigating big changes in identity, independence, and how they see the world. The stories you…
