Brett Benson

I’m so excited for Part 2 of this unit so I can share the concrete example of how I used RP to automate my WiFi password in long-term memory. I can FEEL my working memory being more free to manage the process of typing it on a tiny keyboard while managing an impatient 8 year old.

I’m going to use this photograph from Mexico City showing the concept of spatial inequality as the World Studies connection. I’ll separately show six “blind mice” pieces of it as we read and make generalizations then for the seventh mouse we’ll look at the picture as a whole. 🤯

A thing I love about teaching: inspiration is everywhere. Now on the first day we’ll be reading this classic tale about the danger of drawing conclusions from partial knowledge—perfect for launching our primary goal in World Studies: building bodies of knowledge about the world.

Too often, parents are left out of the “how” behind classroom learning. This year, I’m changing that. I’m being more explicit about explicit instruction—why I use it, how it works, and how it helps every student. 🧠 Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/solinthewi…

My plan: teach explicitly and be explicit about it. I lay out how I’ll talk to parents about how I teach, why I teach this way, misconceptions they might have, and what I want them to know about how it helps students build real, lasting knowledge. 👇 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/solinthewi…

I’ve been working a bit on updating my welcome email to parents and students. I always try to be very transparent and upfront about what to expect. Adding this section was particularly important in that regard. The article I linked for parent reference: drive.google.com/file/d/1-fdTuR…

One of my go-tos for supplemental resources is TED-Ed short videos and articles. It just so happens they have several videos that connect nicely to the big ideas of Unit 0. Here’s a collection I put together to support the booklet. 👇🔗 🧠 ed.ted.com/lesson_collect…