Welcome! My name is Fallon, and I am a gifted and talented ELA teacher and instructional designer. I am a huge proponent of gamification in education. I try to make my materials as engaging and creative as possible. I believe that a good teacher is like an artist, passionately in love with their work. I hope my resources and tips can save you valuable time and effort!

Saturday, January 19, 2019

January 2019 Teacher Finds!

Hey, friends! 


Do you ever feel like January drags?  As much as I love being a teacher, it can be incredibly difficult to get back into the swing of things after Christmas break.  I know my teaching family (pretty much everyone in my family is an educator of some sort) and friends talk about the January blues/slump.  To combat the blues, I found some new products, lesson ideas, and games to spice up your January!


Gim.Kit.com

If you know anything about my classroom, you would know that I LOVE making engaging and FUN lessons.  Gim.Kit.com was created by a high school student, and as soon as you check out the gameplay, you will see why the game platform is so popular with students.  You can take any questions and quickly make them into an engaging strategy game!  I quickly created a Gim.Kit.com game with my kids to review the parts of an essay.  It was a great way to end the last 15 minutes of our class.

Gim.Kit.com in my Classroom!  


Formulate

So, I have teamed up with Formulate to give away a custom shampoo and conditioner set!  The products are absolutely amazing!  My hair has been a frizzy mess since I was a middle schooler, and they have finally found a way to tame this crazy mane!  This giveaway only takes seconds to enter and is about to end!  Enter by following my custom link below!

Formulate Giveaway!





Question Trails & Loops

The last January game changers are question trails and loop activities!  Why do I love them?  1.  They are standards-based and make an amazing assessment.  2.  They are kinesthetic; the activity gets my kids up and moving!  3.  Students have to check their own work!  If students get a question wrong, they will figure it out because they will end up at a question they have already answered.  4.  The activity visually shows me who needs additional support on the topic.  5.  The activity is totally student-centered!  I have two question loops that are already made and ready to go!  Save yourself some time and check them out!



Saturday, January 12, 2019

Hey, I'm Fallon!

So I am going, to be honest with you guys, I do not consider myself to be a writer.  I did not become an ELA teacher because I thought I had the talent to write.  On the contrary, I became an ELA teacher because of my appreciation of truly talented wordsmiths.   When adult responsibilities do not get in my way, I love to get lost in a novel.

I am restarting this blog as an avenue to continue to improve my practice as an educator.  Teaching is one of my greatest passions, and I strive daily to become a better teacher.  My kids deserve only the best.  I am a mother, artist, and coffee lover.

Image may contain: 3 people, including Fallon Nicole and Jon Howes, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

 I hope we can help each other on this teaching journey!