Back to School

Resources

Resources to help you get back in the teaching groove

Summertime is beginning its eclipse. The first school bell or virtual classroom notification will begin soon.

This is the time to prepare for teaching again.

We hope you’ve spent some of the summer to learn more about online teaching and pursuing professional development opportunities. If not, we’ve curated some resources to help you adapt to the current pandemic environment and build your skills. Whether you’re teaching in-class or from your keyboard.

Bonus: if you want to introduce a new type of resilience curriculum to students, learn about The Unbroken Curriculum (TM) – a curriculum that chronicles the incredible life of Louis Zamperini, a troubled youth turned U.S. Olympic runner, World War II bombardier, and POW survivor. The curriculum’s immersive teaching methods are designed to bring every student into the conversation, to participate in a learning environment that models hope, resilience, belonging, and purpose.

Online Teaching

An Online Instructor's Guide: How to Approach Group Work

Group projects are often met by groans of frustration and irritation among students. This is understandable; when students work independently, they are able to control

Teaching Online: Giving Effective Assignments

Online Instructor Guides: Giving Effective Assignments

Online instructors face a set of unique challenges. Because students don’t have the benefit of verbal explanations or clarification when assignments are given, online coursework

Online Courses: Useful Discussion Boards

An Online Instructor's Guide to Better Discussion Boards

Online courses can be an isolating experience for teachers and students alike. The Internet wall makes it more difficult for students to get to know

Female online student chewing her pencil looking at laptop

Creating Better Online Students: A Guide for Teachers

It’s been said before: Students today cannot properly correspond in academic environments. As a writing instructor who teaches some of my classes online, I have

Students collaborating with devices at a table

4 Collaborative Tools for Students

With smartphones, tablets, Kindles and convertible laptops, students of every age are more connected than ever. Advances in cloud computing have contributed to the rise

Time to Shake Up Parent-Teacher Conferences & Back-To-School Night

Picture it: Hoards of parents line the hallway, waiting for their five precious minutes with you, their child’s teacher. Inside the classrooms, you go over

Teacher talking to kid standing in front of class

Back-to-School Icebreakers for Every Grade

We have all experienced it. Those first day jitters. That first day of a new job, the first day of a new program or club

Back to school words written on a chalkboard

Your Ultimate Classroom Prep Checklist for the New School Year

The new school year is rapidly approaching, so it’s time to get your classroom ready! Due to the pandemic, returning to the classroom will look

Teaching standing in front of a diverse classroom.

Cultivating Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

Cultivating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education Environments Racial and cultural diversity are hallmarks of our society. To celebrate this diversity, and cultivate harmony and

Two kid students using a tablet inside a differentiated classroom.

What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom

Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, every student has an individual learning style. Chances are, not all of your students grasp a subject in

Summative Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know

Weeks or months of study in a classroom generally culminate in a summative assessment. This refers to a test that evaluates a student’s comprehension of

What is Your Teaching Style? 5 Effective Teaching Methods for Your Classroom

Every teacher has her or his own style of teaching. And as traditional teaching styles evolve with the advent of differentiated instruction, more and more

Which is Best: Teacher-Centered or Student-Centered Education?

This post has been updated as of March 2020. As a teacher considering how you want to approach your means of instruction, you (of course)

Should Educators Use the Socratic Method of Teaching?

Students and teachers have been debating the best methods of instruction since the rise of the city state but few scholars have made an impact

Chemistry Project Ideas That Reinforce STEAM Learning

The science of chemistry is much more than observing reactions when combining two or more different types of chemicals. Our understanding of the universe, our

A student working on a STEAM project with a hot glue gun

STEAM Projects Using Basic, Cheap Supplies

We all want to create engaging, memorable STEAM projects for our students, but finding the time and resources to do so can be a challenge.

STEM Projects That Tackle Real-World Problems

STEM learning is largely about designing creative solutions for real-world problems. When students learn within the context of authentic, problem-based STEM design, they can more

STEAM Teaching Resources

STEAM Education Teaching Resources It’s hard to remember a time when STEM fields – that’s science, technology, engineering, and math – weren’t the top priority

Teacher HACKS: Fast & Safe Teaching Tips and Strategies

Teachers these days have a tough job (was it ever easy??). So we reached out to dozens of teachers and asked them for their favorite

Teaching Strategies: Motivating Students to Read is Crucial

“Reading is fundamental.” This was a slogan heard during a television advertisement meant to help improve child literacy in the 1970s and early ’80s. This

Toolkits

Special: If you’re going to be virtual teaching from home during the next school year, you might be interested in this guide from The Simple Dollar. It features tips for making online teaching engaging plus tax benefits you might be able to claim.

Students using education technology in the classroom

Integrating Technology in the Classroom

Decision-Making Tips and Guidance for: Integrating Technology in the Classroom Technology in the classroom is becoming more essential. Primary, secondary, and college students are incredibly

$A middle school student doing math problems on a chalkboard$

Math Teaching Resources

Math Teaching Resources Math shapes everything around us — the objects and utilities we use, the way we solve problems in our daily lives, even the

Resources for the Teaching of Reading

How to Teach Reading Comprehension Over 33 million adults living in the U.S. cannot read or write. Children of parents who are functionally illiterate are

Teacher Resources for Social-Emotional Development in Children

Social-Emotional Development in Children Children will spend the majority of their time at school. It’s where they’re likely to learn about creating social connections, develop

Resources for Teaching Language Arts

Teaching Language Arts: Resources for Educators Introduction The ability to read and write plays a major role in a student’s ability to succeed in the

Resources for Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education: Resources, Theories, and Fundamentals Introduction Early childhood education (ECE) involves more than just teaching children basic skills and making sure they’re prepared

Teachers: How to Find Cheap Books for Classrooms

Finding cheap books for classrooms can be a challenge. Sure, the school provides the standard texts, but if you want to introduce a new module, teach a new novel or stock a reading library in your classroom, you’ll usually have to find the necessary books and classroom material yourself. If you’re looking for affordable, quality…[]

Shopping For The School Year? These Retailers Offer Discounts for Teachers

School supplies, classroom crafts, poster boards — all necessary items for a fun and educational school year. But costs can add up quickly, and teachers are already spending an average of $500 out of their own pocket for school supplies each year. We know you’re not required to spend your own…[]

Finding Free or Low-Cost School Supplies for Your Class

Getting the right supplies for the start of school isn’t just a challenge for parents and students, but increasingly for teachers, too. Teachers, especially those who work in underserved communities, must find ways to provide academic necessities like pencils, paper, and books for their students, often without funding from their school…[]

2021 Discounts for Teachers

Whether you’ll be teaching in a classroom, online, or in a hybrid format this year, here’s a curated list of free supplies, resources, and tools that will make your teaching job easier.

Free Shoe Fridays

KURU Footwear will randomly select five people from the pool of potential winners every Friday and automatically deposit $120 worth of KURU Cash in their online account.

Resilient Habits

Long days and free time provide a great opportunity to incorporate self-wellness into your lifestyle. Explore these strategies to fortify your mind and body. Discover more teacher wellbeing activities.