Note Taking & Summarizing Strategies

It is no lie- students do not enjoy taking notes. At all. It’s boring, they can’t follow along and they are hard to study from. Is there any other way for our students to still ‘take notes’ but in a fun and creative way? Or course there is! Start using creative mind map lessons! […]

Mind mapping taps into your critical thinking skills for problem solving and idea exploration. It mimics the way your brain works to make connections for a deeper, more meaningful approach to your own understanding of topics. You also can use it as an educational approach to learning a new subject, or help with study skills in school and the workplace. This article explores what mind mapping is and how to apply it to your everyday life. #mindmappingskills #criticalthinking...

Do your students struggle to take notes? Want to teach them how to use the mind mapping note-taking strategy effectively? Find out how to teach your middle and high school students how to mind map.

Anchor chart for implementing the SWBST stratgey in the classroom.

Bring Halloween magic and spooky fun to your classroom with these 5 Figurative Language Worksheets! Perfect for October lessons, these eerie stories—like haunted houses, creaky floors, and vampire lairs—let students identify and analyze similes, metaphors, personification, idioms, hyperbole, oxymorons, allusions, and onomatopoeia. Ideal for grades 6-10 ELA, these hands-on highlighting and annotation activities add just the right dose of Halloween chills and festive seasonal learning. Great...

Make teaching figurative language fun and engaging with these print-and-go Figurative Language Stories! Students highlight and analyze similes, metaphors, personification, idioms, hyperbole, oxymorons, paradox, and allusions right in the text—perfect for ELA centers, sub plans, and seasonal lessons. Includes color-coded highlighting keys, themed passages (Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.), and built-in analysis practice to boost reading comprehension and literary device skills. Great for grades...

Check Out This Blog Post on the RACES Strategy! This post breaks down the RACES writing strategy, explains the rationale behind using it, and shows how it helps students build stronger, evidence-based responses. It also provides clear examples across multiple content areas—ELA, science, social studies, and math—so you can see how RACES can be applied in your own classroom. If you’re looking for practical, ready-to-use strategies that make student writing more structured and focused, this...

Somebody/ Wanted/ But/ So/ Then #summary #retell #mainevent #solution #yourversion #middleschoolteacher #specialeducationteacher #anchorchart #visualprompt #visuallearning

Mind mapping

Here's the complete guide on how to mind map for beginners. Bonus: Download a free accompanying mind map that walks you through the fundamentals.

Mind mapping is a straightforward and colorful way of diagramming a central idea or theme. People use it help with time management, learn something new or to brainstorm new ideas. Here are a few inspiring mind mapping methods that will help with your personal and professional life.

RACES writing strategy made simple! Discover teacher tips, examples, and resources to help students use text evidence effectively in their responses. Perfect for all content area classrooms.

Make story summaries simple and fun with the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then method! This easy framework helps students identify the main character, their goal, the problem, rising action, and resolution—all in just a few sentences. Perfect for picture books, short stories, or even novels, SWBST gives readers a clear way to show their comprehension while keeping summaries short and focused. Great for teachers who want a ready-to-use strategy in the classroom!

Struggling to get your students to summarize without retelling everything? ✨ This blog post shows how the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then method makes summarizing clear, fun, and stress-free. With examples from picture books, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and even nonfiction texts, you’ll see how this strategy works across grade levels and content areas. Perfect for middle school ELA teachers looking for practical tips, classroom activities, and printable tools to help students build confidence in...

Don’t spend hours creating exit tickets from scratch! 🎉 These Canva templates are designed for busy educators—ready to edit, print, or assign digitally. Use the base, tweak for your class, and save time while still making it your own. Perfect for quick checks for understanding, reflections, or daily wrap-ups.