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- 5 min
Turning Test Anxiety into Excitement
The Atlantic recently did an article about the similar arousal emotions that are experienced by people with symptoms of both anxiety and excitement. Researchers have found evidence that with many cases of anxiety, simply having people tell themselves that they are excited about an event instead of anxious can change their experience dramatically. While there are obviously serious cases of anxiety when the answer isn't quite so simple, many of our students who are approaching
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- 6 min
ELA Escape Room
Today my students participated in our first-ever escape room. It. was. amazing. I think it's always a good sign when students are on their feet reading, leaning over a passage, and verbally thinking through text based questions. Not only did the students have a blast, they learned more about close reading and multiple choice than I could have ever taught them in a traditional lecture-style lesson. In an escape room, students are truly doing the work of learning. They are unp
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- 5 min
The No Test Prep Guide to Test Prep
As a New York State educator, my students' exams are just around the corner. At the end of March, my seventh grade ELA students will spend three days reading and answering multiple choice questions, writing constructed response answers, and planning and writing two extended response essays. In my first few years of preparing kids for state exams, I did a lot more direct test preparation the month leading into the exam. Now, I do no more than two weeks of review. This year,
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