tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14248552990393724222024-02-07T07:20:14.899-05:00Eat. Write. Teach.Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-17205042557789434572020-05-24T14:47:00.000-04:002020-05-24T14:47:46.693-04:00I'm Moving!After spending the last eight years hosting Eat.Write.Teach. on Blogger, I am moving to a new location! I've got some upcoming plans for Eat.Write.Teach., and these plans mean I need something just a little more robust for the Eat.Write.Teach. website. It won't be long until www.eatwriteteach.com will take you to the new website, but if you want to head over there now, I'd love for you to drop byStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-57696814357661095532020-05-13T09:30:00.001-04:002020-05-13T09:30:09.055-04:00Experiment: Leveled ChallengesBeing a #quaranteacher for the last six weeks resulted in many different classroom experiments, each with it's own goal. Today I want to share with you one very successful experiment from our emergency online learning: offering students a choice of difficulty level for learning activities.Experiment Rating 1-5 (5 being Ultimate Teacher Happiness)Ease of Implementation: 3/5 (moderately easy to Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-14834862390794518372019-07-21T13:03:00.001-04:002019-07-21T13:04:07.243-04:00Experiment: Distribute Badges with Google Classroom
One of my classroom experiments last year that was very successful was using Google Classroom to distribute digital badges to my students. Here's the run-down of this classroom experiment and how you can easily distribute badges with Google Classroom.
Experiment Rating 1-5 (5 being Ultimate Teacher Happiness)
Ease of Implementation: 4/5 (very easy to do)Cost: 5/5 (free!)Tech Rating: 3/5 (Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-1616704747435405592019-03-03T07:48:00.001-05:002019-03-03T07:48:53.533-05:00Game Changer: 3 Quick Questions
Two years ago, I started asking my students to voluntarily fill out a course evaluation Google Form at the end of each semester. I allowed the students anonymity, if that was their preference, to encourage honesty. I was terrified of to do this, but I'm also a big believer in being a reflective teacher. To be our best teaching selves, we must look back at the work we've done, find the strong Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-31221096900060844112019-02-24T09:00:00.000-05:002019-02-24T09:00:08.159-05:00Making Choice Seating Work for You (Plus a Free Guide to Help You Get Started!)
When I applied for a teaching position with my current school, I knew they placed a lot of value on creativity and out-of-the-box thinking from their teachers, so when they asked me during my interview what completely crazy thing I would love to do, I didn't hesitate.
"I want to create a classroom that feels like a coffee shop combined with the work space of library. I want a room where Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-70648819236551095452019-02-10T16:07:00.000-05:002019-02-10T16:07:34.137-05:008 Sweet Free Tech Tools You Can Start Using TomorrowI had the privilege of attending the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando at the end of January and let me tell you, as a tech conference newb, my mind was blown! I dissected a dolphin using zSpace. I made a margarita by pedaling a stationary bike. I was the fastest and most accurate typist of the day at the Learning Without Tears booth. I learned about Novel Engineering onStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-10507270416535452192019-01-26T10:11:00.000-05:002019-01-29T09:37:12.042-05:004 Simple Tech Tools I Love Right NowI am a lover of using technology in the classroom. While I do not believe that technology is the answer to all of our problems, I do believe in the power of technology to help us transform our classrooms and make our learning even stickier. When using a technology tool in the classroom, I like to ask myself two questions. The first is, "How will this tool support the already-planned objectives?" Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-34128038413022078912019-01-19T08:18:00.000-05:002019-01-19T08:18:39.610-05:005 Simple Ways to Offer Student Choice
I think a lot of teachers who aren't familiar with the concept believe that offering student choice is a recipe for disaster. It might seem like "lazy teaching." I would expect that teachers who subscribe to this idea would be less than impressed when they walk into my classroom on a typical day. They might see stations activities set up, with kids sitting in groups, and they are Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-2828068635985773412019-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:002019-01-12T09:00:04.023-05:00Simplifying Class Novel Study
This past fall, my 7th graders "participated" in the 2018 Global Read-Aloud. I use the word "participated" very loosely, because due to many factors out of my control, we did not keep up with the schedule and did not take part in any meaningful discussions with other classes. What we did do, however, was read Refugee by Alan Gratz, using the absolutely lovely Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-16912778559799224442019-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:002019-01-05T09:00:05.600-05:004 Things I'm Doing to Minimize Decision FatigueLike most teachers, I rolled into the Winter Break 2018 station with an empty tank. I had to get out and push the car the last half block, if you know what I mean. Let me be clear, it wasn't my teacher soul that was tired. My move to a new school has done a world of good for my teacher soul and I've been riding that RCA high since the end of November! But I was Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-71141200978061599012018-12-30T09:00:00.000-05:002018-12-30T09:00:00.590-05:00Goal for 2019: Simpler TeachingThe teaching profession is in a dark place right now. Teachers across the United States often use terms such as "stifling," "overwhelming," "panic-inducing," and even "soul-crushing" to describe the teaching life. I, too, have had my fair share of negative feelings from time to time. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, I decided my teaching life had gotten completely out of control and it Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-20713793100049712852018-12-23T09:41:00.000-05:002018-12-23T09:41:33.959-05:00A Letter to Experienced TeachersNearly six years ago, I wrote a letter to first-year teachers. At the time, I was two-and-a-half years into my teaching career, so the pains of being a new teacher were still quite fresh in my mind. I also had come up against enough challenges to offer some survival advice. You can read that letter here.
Now, I am enjoying the winter break of my ninth year of teaching. A lot has changed since Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-14308962141082033492018-12-14T21:31:00.000-05:002018-12-14T21:31:21.086-05:005 Misconceptions About the Ron Clark Academy (and the 5 Things I Found to be True)
This time two weeks ago, I was in a car with three of my new coworkers making the drive home from Atlanta, Georgia. We had just experienced what was promised to be the professional development of a lifetime (five words I never thought I'd string together), and even four hours into our drive we were still riding this incredible teacher high (at least I was!). If you've ever heard of The Ron Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-71101103719617829192017-08-20T14:26:00.000-04:002017-08-20T14:26:05.105-04:00Classroom Tour 2017
It's that time again! I'd like to share a look into my classroom in the hopes that it might inspire. We've already been in school two weeks, so the room isn't as pristine as it was the first day of school. I guess you get to see my classroom as the mostly-functional space it is meant to be.
Want to see how my classroom has evolved over the years? You can check out my previous classroom Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-80110170442148012222017-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:002017-08-05T09:00:21.359-04:005 Classroom Non-Essentials That I Can't Live Without
Back in July of 2013, I wrote a blog post called Classroom Must-Haves for the First-Year Teacher. It has been one of my most popular posts to date. As I've been preparing my classroom this week for the 2017-2018 school year, I've noticed that the things I suggested as must-haves back then are still must-haves now (though I would probably add the Classroom Operations Binder as a must-have now)Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-1666622372286460342017-07-29T12:12:00.001-04:002017-07-29T12:12:39.592-04:00Seven Tips for Building Strong Relationships with High School Students
Dr. Rita Pierson is one of my personal teacher heroes. In
her May 2013 TED Talk, Dr. Pierson asserted that “every child deserves a
champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of
connection, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” Her talk
was one that gifted me with a worldview shift. I spent my college years in my
education classes learningStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-87814744524463425312017-07-13T13:07:00.001-04:002017-07-25T18:56:14.551-04:00Classroom Operations Binder Pages Now Available!
New goodies are now available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Classroom Operations Binder Pages
Remember this post and this post where I talked about how useful this binder was during the second semester of the year? These pages are now available to you!
This customizable Word document has been designed to help you create your own How-To Guide for operating your classroom.
This documentStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-69058332657821851282017-06-26T12:48:00.000-04:002017-06-26T12:48:07.277-04:005 Nifty Google Tricks for Your Classroom
I recently completed my Google Educator Level 1
certification. Our English department received a shared Chromebook cart last
fall, and I am dedicating a large part of my summer to learning how to better
use these fantastic tools that are now at our fingertips. Over the last year I’ve
learned some pretty cool little Google tools tricks that I’d like to share with
you. These are all tricksStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-14051685088432524632017-06-14T08:19:00.000-04:002017-06-19T10:52:02.507-04:00Disrupting Thinking Book Review and Giveaway!
I received a copy of this book for free from Scholastic in exchange for sharing it with my readers. The opinions presented here are purely my own.
My son is two and a half and a voracious "reader." He isn't truly reading yet, but he already has an intense love of books. We read four or five books every night before bed. He requests things like "a hippopotamus book" or "a book about cows" or "Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-37509200847635475272017-06-11T09:00:00.000-04:002017-06-11T09:00:32.210-04:002017-2018 Calendars Are Now Available
Hi Everyone!
Just a quick little post to let you know the 2017-2018 Sanity Saver calendars are available for your planning needs!
**UPDATE THIS YEAR: Since so many school corporations now either start in July or have professional development in July, the calendars are now set up for July 2017 - June 2018. I have also updated the Important Dates pages to reflect this change.
As always, theStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-22201769389560455542017-06-06T23:03:00.001-04:002017-06-06T23:03:06.625-04:00Problematic Literature Part 2: Exploring Problematic Literature in the Classroom
Before you continue reading, have you read Part I yet?
Again, I would like to forewarn you that there are spoilers ahead for the Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why.
After I finished watching Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix and had a few days to process my thoughts, I had a conversation with one of my freshmen classes about the show. I hadn’t planned on having the conversation, but they hadStephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-59719975250992143832017-06-03T14:14:00.000-04:002017-06-06T23:06:54.069-04:00Problematic Literature Part 1: The Value of Thirteen Reasons Why
If you take a look at my classroom bookshelf, one of the
first things you’re bound to notice is my set of fifteen copies of Thirteen Reason Why by Jay Asher, front
and center. They held up pretty well over the course of the year, considering
that the set was handled by forty or fifty students this past school year. Thirteen Reasons Why sits on my shelves
along with multiple copies of The
Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-39784895327708636672017-05-31T15:41:00.002-04:002017-05-31T15:41:53.650-04:002016-2017: What Worked and What Didn't
185 days, 140 students, 80 final projects, 60 student podcasts, 45 lunch duties, 13 audiences for 5 theatrical productions, and 1 Chromebook lying in the bottom of the elevator shaft** later, here we are. My first official day of "summer break." Now is the time to do all of the teacher stuff I don't have time for during the year (like getting my Google Educator certification and starting my Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-84814599025114398932017-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:002017-01-15T09:00:05.862-05:00Classroom Operations Manual and an UPDATED Absent Binder
Last October, at the height of DEVOLSON craziness, I noticed
an ongoing organization problem in my classroom that I deemed “The Ungodly
Stack of Miscellaneous Paper Piling Up on My Printer and I Don’t Know What the
Fuck To Do With It” (hereinafter referred to as The Stack). These were all the
papers that didn’t have another home somewhere else in my room because I only
had to keep them for a Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424855299039372422.post-72536406666948464982016-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:002016-09-02T08:00:11.770-04:00Classroom Tour 2016
My room tour this year is coming a little later than planned. We've been back in the classroom for four weeks now, and I have yet to hit my stride. That's okay... you guys get to see what my classroom looks like after four weeks of wear and tear. This is the real Eat.Write.Teach. classroom. ;)
If you would like to see my classroom setup from years past, you can find those here!
2012, Stephanie Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16708666058008296472noreply@blogger.com