Students give short one- or two-word answers...

Ms. A says, "When I call on my EL students individually, they often give short one- or two-word answers. I want to involve them in the class discussion, but I think they lack confidence in their oral language skills. I wish I had a way to get them to use academic language in class."

The Textbooks seem really difficult for students...

Mr. B says, "I find the social studies textbooks to be really difficult for my students. We read aloud as a whole group, but mostly I do all the reading and the students follow along. They seem lost when I try to engage them in activities that depend on using the text."

Guiding questions fell flat with the students...

Mr. C says, "I tried using a guiding question once, but it fell flat with my students, so now I’m just more straightforward with starting the goals of my instruction. Now I focus a lot on cause and effect.”

The next day students don't remember what we discussed...

Mr. D says, “I create beautiful lessons that cover required content, but I am so frustrated when students come back the next day and don’t remember anything we discussed. I find that I spend too much time reviewing previous learning and then don’t have time to do the lesson justice.”

unit tests show lack of understanding, but it's too late...

Ms. E says, “Even though I check for understanding along the way by asking questions and even prompting students to let me know if something isn’t clear, I often get to the end-of-unit test and find that some students are really not getting it. These are the students who do not raise their hands or volunteer to answer questions. I wish I had a way to know sooner what they are having trouble with.”

Students ask, "Why do have to learn about a bunch of old people who died?"

Ms. F says, “My students often complain that learning history is meaningless. They are caught up in their own worlds and their own lives. They ask, ‘Why do I want to learn about a bunch of old people who died?’ I struggle to find ways to make history meaningful for my students.”