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Post your teaching gains!

Bennett Sherry


Somehow, it’s already the end of September! That means we want to hear about your teaching gains—what are the biggest wins and the best stories from your classroom so far this year? The days are getting shorter, the grading is getting longer, and we’re all looking for some uplifting news!

For me, I’m excited about the new graphic biographies sprinkled around OER Project: World History, the dozens of new maps and geography activities we made, and a ton of cool new videos we’ve been working on.

What about you? Have any of your students made breakthroughs? Do you have a new activity that hooked your class? Some fun new reading or ideas that got you up and moving? Or maybe some weekday meal prep secrets to make our lives easier?

Post your gains below!

Parents

  • We are right in the middle of our midterm assessments in AP World, and so far, so good! Most students are "in the green"—which any AP teacher knows is a huge win, especially when it comes to the essay questions.

    On the other hand, my standard World History class really struggled throughout the first month of school. As a group, they were very frustrated that I didn’t lecture with fill-in-the-blank notes or gamify every lesson. Some students even resorted to pretty intense avoidance behaviors whenever it was time to read or write.

    However, I’m happy to report that something completely shifted this week! Every time I looked around the room, the vast majority of students were engaged and on task. Reading time has become a focused, quiet time, and I can already see their attention spans lengthening and their writing improving. At the risk of sounding like a paid advertisement, I genuinely don’t know what I would do without the OER Project. My students are going to be better readers, thinkers, and writers because of these resources!

  • in reply to April Williams

    That's amazing to hear,  ! Do you know what finally got the class to click with the reading and writing exercises? I'm sure you're not the only one who had to struggle through start-of-year reluctance! 

  • in reply to Bennett Sherry

    In short: persistence and consistency. I know that answer gives total Survivor vibes—Outwit, Outplay, Outlast—but it worked. 

    Every day, I kept showing up to explain the Three-Step Reading strategy, walk through selecting the appropriate Lexile level, and model the process using think-alouds—occasionally bribing students to share their responses with a Starburst!

    The solution wasn't quick or overly creative, but we teach to make a difference, and they are definitely growing as readers, writers, and thinkers. 

Reply
  • in reply to Bennett Sherry

    In short: persistence and consistency. I know that answer gives total Survivor vibes—Outwit, Outplay, Outlast—but it worked. 

    Every day, I kept showing up to explain the Three-Step Reading strategy, walk through selecting the appropriate Lexile level, and model the process using think-alouds—occasionally bribing students to share their responses with a Starburst!

    The solution wasn't quick or overly creative, but we teach to make a difference, and they are definitely growing as readers, writers, and thinkers. 

Children