Flipping Vocabulary for More Input (and Less Stress)
This year, I’ve revamped how I teach vocabulary—blending storytelling, grammar, and vocabulary lists with a flipped classroom approach. Students complete Gimkit homework before taking weekly quizzes, freeing up class time for more input-rich activities. It’s worked so well, I’m now using it with my 8th graders, too.

When teaching in multiple classrooms and multiple schools it can be a challenge to stay organized. In this post I discuss how I am keeping my students’ materials organized in my different classrooms.

Grading student work is one of those tasks that always seems to pile up, doesn't it? I often find myself putting it off, only to end up with a mountain of assignments to tackle. I'd much rather spend my time creating new materials and activities for my students. Over the years, I've found some strategies that have helped me simplify and speed up the grading process. Here are five tips that might help you streamline your grading too.

Assessing doesn’t have to mean hours of grading! These five quick, no-prep formative assessments—like Listen & Draw, 2 Truths & a Lie, and Read & Translate—give you instant insight into student understanding while keeping class fun and low-stress.

“But, I don’t know French!”

I used to hear this from students ALL. THE. TIME. especially during a test. I felt so frustrated because that was what all of the flashcards and worksheets were supposed to be adding up to - actually getting to use the language. This is where Acquisition-Driven Instruction, Comprehensible Input, and aligning my assessments to my goals for students came into the picture. Today, my assessments are task-based and reflect how I teach and how I want my students to be able to use the language.

I always struggle with how to get my novice learners reading with texts they can comprehend. Here are my top three reading strategies that I use with my Novice Elementary and Middle School students.

How to use gestures to support comprehension in a CI classroom. See many of the gestures I use in my classroom to support student learning.