Teacher Spring Cleaning: Texts and Topics [S5 E143]

Listen to the full episode below:

Last week, inside episode 142, we talked about spring cleaning our instructional practices and strategies. This week, the spring cleaning continues! This time around, we’re moving on to texts and topics. Specifically, we’re looking at what we’re planning to purge and what we’re going to give new life to.

As teachers, we often become so connected to the things we’re teaching, whether that’s books, materials, or topics. A lot of times it’s because we’re designed a curriculum about something that we are super passionate about. However, that doesn’t always serve our students during certain times of the year.

That’s why we are encouraging you to take some inventory of where you are. Meaning, what do you need to refine or revisit at this point in the year? What have your students mastered, and where are they still struggling? That might require you to take your texts a bit more off-center and be really careful in choosing what texts and topics you want to give students in order to show their learning.

If you are thinking of some texts and topics that you’d like to purge or refresh, leave us a voice message. We’d love to hear from you! Click here to leave your message!

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

  • Why you need to ditch what isn’t working within each season

  • Amanda’s spring purge: long, heavy novels

  • Marie’s spring purge: anything that requires lots of hand-holding in order to access it

  • An argument for why Shakespeare is the perfect solution for this time of year

  • Ensuring that you’re giving students space and time to explore and practice all the skills they’ve been learning throughout the year 

  • Utilizing children’s books and plays to breathe new life into your curriculum

Resources Mentioned:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

Tune in on your favorite podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

lesson planningAmanda Cardenasinspiration, planning, strategiesComment