Category: Wide Open Learning

A blog by international teacher Megan Kelly

Taking Small Steps to Build Research Skills

Research is a muscle Megan Kelly’s 6th grade social studies students are still building, and just like muscles, their skills get stronger with repetition. The goal is to make sure that the repetition isn’t tedious. Here are some ways she’s improving students’ research savvy.

6 Ways to Help Students Soak Up Difficult Texts

To make sure social studies content reading is accessible to all of her students, no matter their level of reading when they arrive, Megan Kelly has added strategies to her literacy toolbox to create entry points for everyone. See the six activities she’s developed so far.

Prepping Our Classes for Substitute Success

Extended teacher absences are more frequent than ever. Recently teacher Megan Kelly had to be away. Here she shares how she tweaks class organization and systems to make sure her middle schoolers thrive in her absence and her substitutes succeed in their important role.

Rubrics: 5 Go-to Ways to Engage Students

The more students interact with the rubric, the more ownership they take over it, writes Megan Kelly. Once they feel empowered by the rubric, they can use it as a tool to accomplish their goals rather than a means of judgment, putting them on the same team as the teacher.