Books are so special because they allow you to see the world from the comfort of your own home (or classroom!). Our guest today, author Violet Duncan, brings part of her world to students around the world through her storytelling. Violet is Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation and began self-publishing books when she didn’t see her family represented on bookshelves.In this episode, Violet shares about her latest book, Buffalo Dreamer. It’s a middle-grade novel that explores Indigeno...
Ready to uplevel your classroom library this year? We’ve got just the thing for you! We’re sitting down with our executive assistant (and full-time ELA teacher) to share our top three new book recommendations. Choosing just one book each wasn’t easy, but we got it done!You’ll hear each of our selections and why we think it deserves a spot on your shelves. From historical to fantasy, we’re confident that this list has something for everyone. They just might become some of your students' favori...
Our back-to-school series is in full swing, and we’ve got more for you this week! This episode is going to give you a lot to think about as you’re setting up your classroom for the year.We’re sharing seven of our favorite must-haves (dare we say, GAME CHANGERS) when it comes to supporting neurodivergent kids and adults in your classroom. Some of these tools you may have heard of, and they may seem like small things to try, but it’s the little things that make a big impact! And as we alwa...
The back-to-school season comes with a lot of preparation and decisions. We’re guessing that one of the big things on your mind is how to ensure that your classroom management is on point for the year ahead! Feeling in control of your classroom and building a safe community with your students is the goal, but it’s easier said than done, especially when student behavior is challenging. Our guest today, Claire English, has such a great perspective on classroom management and is here to sha...
It’s hard to believe that it’s already that time of year when we say goodbye to summer and gear up for a brand new school year. Our mission during this season is to get you excited about the year ahead instead of feeling completely overwhelmed. We can’t think of a better guest to join us today than Principal Lamb! You likely know him from TikTok or Instagram as the principal with the rolling cart. He is a former teacher and has now been a principal for 15 years. Principal Lamb is what we...
We say it each week in our podcast intro: Brave New Teaching is so much more than a podcast. We consider you part of our BNT family and that’s why we want to share a more personal episode with you today.We recently attended the TPT conference together in sunny San Diego, California and brought our mics along so you could join in on the fun. We are bringing you behind the scenes of special moments from the trip from reuniting at the airport to touring Marie’s house and more. We are beyond exci...
It’s not too late to join Camp BNT and follow along with us as we highlight favorite books this summer! In previous episodes we’ve shared about a PD book, graphic novels, and a powerful YA book. Now it’s time for a book written specifically for middle grades: The Night War, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.The Night War takes place in World War II France and is a story of resilience, joy, and friendship. We found that it is written in a way that sets it apart from other texts taking place in this...
Camp BNT is in full swing and it’s time for our YA pick: All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir. This book is beautifully written and will be so incredibly easy for your students to connect with. At the same time, it covers some very challenging topics, so much so that one of us had difficulty getting through it.Inside this episode, we’re sharing an overview of All My Rage, why we chose to highlight it this summer, what to know before reading, and examples of how you can use it with your students. We ho...
Last week we talked about our first book choice of Camp BNT, Liz Kleinrock’s Start Here, Start Now. We’re going in a different direction today as we dive into graphic texts. Specifically, we’re looking at Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi, adapted and illustrated by Joel Christian Gill.Graphic novels are something that we haven’t fit into our curriculum as much as we’d like and we hope to change that moving forward. This type of text h...
Have you signed up for Camp BNT yet? Last week we talked through what camp will look like this summer and we hope you’ll join us! We’re diving into the first book on our list, Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community, by Liz Kleinrock. In this conversation, we’re highlighting two specific parts of the book that can be incorporated into your teaching practice and your planning process for the upcoming school year. Start Here, Start Now will h...
It’s officially summer and that means Camp BNT is kicking off! We’re back for round two of Camp BNT and we’ve made some adjustments since last year that we’re excited to share with you.Last summer, we interviewed several incredible authors. You can catch up on those interviews and 2023 Camp BNT content inside episodes 152-166. Today, we’re beginning to think about our summer bucket lists and are encouraging you to do the same. Plus, you’ll get a glimpse at what’s lined up on our summer book s...
Just like our students are unique and have brains that work in different ways, the same is true for us as teachers. The more information that we have about our students, and ourselves, the better we can support them and appreciate their individuality. Today it’s just me, Amanda, and I’m taking a risk as I get incredibly vulnerable behind the mic. I’ve had suspicions that I may have ADHD and decided to start my journey towards a diagnosis so that I can figure out how my brain works and ma...
Do you find that your high school students have trouble allowing themselves to be creative in their writing? We have a solution for you! Enter The Inspiration Cube.We spent a lot of time curating this resource and have yet to share it with you! The Inspiration Cube is intended to help students break past their fear and anxiety of coming up with things on their own and gives them permission to let their creativity flourish.The Inspiration Cube is a creative writing exercise and we’re going to ...
It’s time for a reading update! Get your notebook or notes app ready because you’re about to have a new TBR list just in time for Spring reading.We’re running through our recent reads, some we’ve enjoyed more than others. There’s a little something for everyone from memoirs to historical fiction to comfort reads and everything in between.We hope this reading update brings some new texts your way, inspires you to take action on titles sitting on your TBR, or reinvigorates your excitement about...
It’s officially Women’s History Month and we’re absolutely celebrating here at Brave New Teaching! While we firmly believe that we should be doing this work all year round, it’s still powerful to pause and have some intentionality behind what’s being celebrated this month. For us, that’s not only women’s voices, but also women’s issues, both past and present.In today’s episode, we’re highlighting different female voices and resources that you can use with your students this month from poetry ...
How many times have you sat through a Professional Development Training and thought “This is not the best use of my time”? As an ELA teacher with a to-do list a mile long, there’s nothing worse than feeling like your time is wasted or you aren’t walking away from a PD session with strategies you can actually use to better your instruction.That’s where I (Amanda) come in! In 2021 I stepped away from the classroom and have been working hard to fulfill my dream of being a professional developmen...
Do you enjoy assigning projects in your class, but have found that small group projects come with a whole new set of challenges? Whole-class projects may be your answer. Our guest today, Danielle Hicks, has found great success with whole-class engagement projects and is here to share about her experience.If the thought of one big giant project brings immediate overwhelm, stick with us. Sometimes veering away from traditional approaches is exactly what we need to spark creativity and collabora...
Do you struggle to find a solution for unproductive student work time? We hear you, and we’re here to help with a new lesson plan rescue episode! When our precious class time is not spent the way we hope for, it throws everything off balance like our planning, grading, and student progress…which is enough to drive you crazy! There’s no one hack to combat this, but instead, we’ve discovered the need for a mindset shift.Today we’re discussing why we need to be meeting students where they a...
When AI first came on the scene in a big way, there was a lot of panic. In the world of education, there were (and still are!) concerns about how it could make cheating easier for students. However, we all know it’s here to stay and we’ve learned that there are lots of positive ways that AI is changing the classroom.Today we’re sharing four ways that you can use AI for good in the ELA classroom. It’s really exciting to think about all the ways AI can be used to better engage students, have so...
Do you batch anything in your life? Some people like to batch their meal prep or batch laundry duties. We’re big fans of batching here at Brave New Teaching, and that includes batch planning!Not only can batch planning save you time, but it can also keep you organized and better prepared for what’s to come in your teaching. Today we’re sharing all about what batch planning is, why it’s such a game-changer, and what it looks like in action for us, specifically when it comes to batch planning f...
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About reading a whole novel aloud in class: “If I was your department chair, we’d have a problem!” My department chair just made us read an entire novel in class with freshmen. Told us it was not an option. Left almost no time for what we’re actually there to do. 🤦🏼♀️ She also removed Shakespeare from our curriculum this year because “the PLC feels the kids don’t benefit from it, and we need to hear other people’s opinions.” My colleague who agrees with me and I don’t have opinions that count in our PLC because the things we want to do are “too hard.”
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Thanks for doing self- care differently than making it another chore teachers have to do! 🤪 it is still high 80’s at Halloween where I live, which is weird after 30 yrs in the Rockies. So I blast the AC at night in order to use a thin blanket. The cost of that is a luxury I need. I also do not care about manis, pedis, and massages most of the time. But those biannual haircuts with the head and neck washing? Call me melted! LOL thanks for all the episodes, ladies!