Better Together: Fun in the Classroom

Good Monday morning!  It's time for my second-ever Better Together link-up.  I think October is a tough time for lots of teachers-- the honeymoon period is over, and it's a long month with really no breaks.  To get us through it, this month's focus is on fun in the classroom.  Please link up with me to share ideas for making the classroom more fun (for the students and for us)!

One of my favorite fun lesson plans is something I do every year: I have my students re-write the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet with a twist . . . and then perform them!  My students never fail to put together fantastic skits with lots of humor and cheek.  I've had so many fun versions:

• Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
• a kitten and a puppy (Wherefore art meow?)
• Jersey Shore
• Duck Dynasty
• Honey Boo-Boo
• "band geeks" from opposing bands (My heart beats faster than a metronome for you!)
• two teachers from our county (who really are married, and the parents of one of my students)

I love this lesson plan, not only because it guarantees lots of laughs and an entertaining class period or two, but also because it forces the kids to look more closely at that scene than they otherwise ever would.

Please share!  Link up below through next Monday and share your favorite fun lesson plan.  I look forward to seeing them all!  Remember- we are better together.

Better Together Linky Party: September 2013

I'm hosting my first ever linky!  I'm pretty excited about this, because I desperately need your help could use a few new ideas. 

Confession time: I am struggling with a class this year.  I don't like to admit it, but I have a group that is a challenge for me.  It's my biggest class, and has a large percentage of IEPs and 504 plans-- lots of accommodations to remember and implement.  This class has a wide variety of ability levels-- which I know, every class has, but this one is a doozy.  There are kids who I can't believe made it out of elementary school, and there are kids who I know should be in Advanced English instead.  On top of all of that, there are 3-4 kids who are blurters or noise-makers.  

My challenges right now (in this class) are these:  
1. How do I teach a high school English class in which many of the students can't write a coherent sentence or read beyond a 4th-grade level?  Shakespeare and research papers are coming all too soon, y'all.

2. What do I do with the kids who can do all of the above and are rapidly becoming super bored with the repetition?

3. How do I manage the behavior of all those attention-starved kids who just can't stop shouting out irrelevant comments or making strange noises?  I have known for a long time how to deal with these kids one at a time, or even two at a time, but there are so many of them in this group.

4. This challenge is a positive challenge.  I'm working with a special education co-teacher for the first time ever in this class, and while she's fantastic and we're working well together, I'd still love some tips on collaborative teaching.

So now to the real point-- I've decided to host a monthly linky party, which I'm calling Better Together.  I  have written so many times about the importance of collaboration in education.  It's time to start widening my network of teacher-friend-mentors.  

Please share your best tips and lesson plans, and link up with me!  Because I totally need advice right now, our focus for September's party will be on behavior management, co-teaching, and working with a wide variety of ability levels.  We're all in this together, so please feel free to share your ideas for any grade level, or even homeschooling.  I think we'll be amazed at what we can learn from one another.

Linky Rules

1. Grab my button from the top and link back to M*Print.

2. Link up your post on a classroom-related tip or lesson idea, not your entire blog.

3. Explore!  Visit some other link-ups and learn something yourself.

Link up any time between now and next Saturday.  I'll feature my favorite post when the link-up closes next week.  Happy linking!