The 50 Teacher Tips Blog
Practical reads for new teachers.
I Do, We Do, You Do: Planning Three Versions of One Hard Task
Students are often asked to work independently before they have seen or practiced the thinking. Tip 19 in Crush It from the Start describes gradual release as a clear move from modeling to supported practice to independence. This post shows how to plan it as three versions of one complex task: a short model, a similar example done with support, and one that students complete alone.
Get More From Mentor Meetings: Bring One Problem, Some Evidence, and a Rehearsal
A mentor meeting that starts with "How's it going?" often ends with general advice and no change on Monday. Building on Tips 29 and 38 in Crush It from the Start, the free Mentor Meeting Planner on the site offers a better structure: one narrow problem of practice, a little evidence, a request to rehearse, and one next step you will try and revisit.
The Halfway Check: Formative Assessment You Can Use Tomorrow
Formative assessment does not have to mean more grading. The Tip 32 page on 50teachertips.com suggests one all-student check halfway through a lesson, plus a decision made in advance about what each response pattern means: reteach, continue, or scaffold. This post shows how to plan that check and the three moves that follow it.
Make Your Planning Time Count: Start With One Outcome and One Piece of Evidence
Planning time disappears fast when it has no clear job. The Tip 23 page on 50teachertips.com offers a simple fix: open each planning block by naming one student-learning outcome and one piece of evidence, then build only what you need to teach toward it. This post shows how to run a 30-minute block that ends with a decision, not a pile of half-finished materials.
Teach Routines Like Content: A Five-Day Plan for a Calmer Classroom
Calm classrooms are not built on reminders. They are built on a few routines that are taught, rehearsed, and kept the same long enough to become predictable. This post expands Tip 8 from Crush It from the Start, using the site's free Classroom Routines Starter Pack, and shows how to pick one messy transition, teach it with one cue, and practice it for five school days.
Do Fewer Things Well: A Not-to-Do List for Your First Year
Your first year will hand you more responsibilities than any person can do well at once. Tips 1 and 6 in Crush It from the Start offer a simple answer: pick the few things that most affect relationships and instruction, give them a system, and write down what you will stop doing. This post walks through how to build that list, then how to turn it into a plan with a free ten-minute tool.