6 "Get to Know You" Activities & Icebreakers In the Classroom
The beginning of a new school year is always an exciting yet anxious time, and getting your students started on a positive note is important. Your first impression should be...
Lesson Planning Blog
At Learning-Focused we have the same vision as you do: to make sure every student has the benefit of having highly effective teachers. This starts with ensuring all teachers are trained on the foundation of an effective lesson plan framework. Check back often as we continue to update our high-impact Lesson Plan tips and resources for teachers, educators, and leaders.
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Word Wall Ideas - Ready for an Interactive Classroom Word Wall Makeover?
What is a Word Wall? Word Walls are organized collections of words placed on a wall or other surface in the classroom. They are excellent tools for building word consciousness...
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Effective Teaching Strategies Start With Teacher Mindset
Schools and teachers around the country are discussing the importance of relationships. As a priority among educators, the national conversation has grown to include numerous studies, articles, and speeches, each...
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Engage Students With Exemplary Essential Questions
Why Is A Lesson Essential Question More Effective Than An Objective? Chances are that if you have been in education long enough, you have been asked at least one time...
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A Focus on the Framework
Why does the Learning-Focused Instructional Framework work so well? The highest achieving schools in the nation all use a proven framework for instruction based learning. An exemplary instructional framework, such...
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Facilitating Learning With a Graphic Organizer Instructional Strategy
A lesson without a graphic organizer is never as effective as a lesson with one. Strong statement? Yes. True? Also yes. When we teach, we want students to understand new...
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Accelerate Learning by Tackling the Word Gap with Effective Vocabulary Instruction
How many unknown vocabulary words in a text can a student skip over before comprehension is affected? Read this altered text and try to construct its meaning: The fribble has...
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Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom – A Guide for Elementary Teachers
A lot of the buzz around education today is around engagement, academics, and catching kids up. While everyone would love if a switch existed for kids to be engaged, that’s...
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners Requires a Balanced Approach to Instruction
Now more than ever we must look at the whole child in education. It is so much more than just being proficient. During this pandemic educators often hear, “Maslow before...
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4 Strategies for Engaging Students Online
Being an online teacher has its challenges; however, it also affords us the opportunity to rejuvenate our practice while engaging students online. Whether you are activating your lesson, having students...
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Teaching Vocabulary: Effective PreK Vocabulary Instruction in the Classroom
A child’s educational career is like a marathon, but many students start school only prepared to run a mile and others a 5K. There’s a monumental difference in children’s word...
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What is Symphonic Planning?
Using a single research-based strategy or a single exemplary practice effectively in a lesson will yield positive results for learning for most students. And depending on the strategy or practice,...
