Best Betsy Potash Podcasts (2024)

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311: Teaching Life Skills 16:39

33m ago16:39

16:39

If I told you the elective we’re about to dive into has an “awkward party” unit, would you believe me? Well, it does, and I can’t wait for you to learn about it and start planning an awkward party lesson of your own. Today on the show, we’re continuing our creative electives series with veteran teacher Lisa Blake, who's been teaching for 33 years i…

1
EP306 How to get TRUE student buy-in for your "no phone" policy (with Ashly HIlst) 27:25

2h ago27:25

27:25

Here’s an innovative way to get student buy-in for your cell phone policy, reduce distractions, and maximize class time. Today you’re going to hear from Ashly Hilst, a secondary teacher at North Clackamas Christian School in Oregon City, Oregon. Ashly has taught high school English for 7 years in both public and private schools. For the 2024 Summit…

1
310: Rock the Reading Block 6:11

2h ago6:11

6:11

On this week’s mini-episode, I want to answer a question from our community about reading in class. Here it is “ Hi all. Next year my middle school will be implementing a 45-minute every-other-day reading block for all students. All teachers (ELA or not) will be required to cover the class. I am wondering…what you do with it…” In today’s episode, I…

1
309: Exploring Modern ELA Mediums (The Elective Series) 10:43

28m ago10:43

10:43

What would you do if you had nine weeks to help ELA students imagine the real-world use of ELA skills? Inside the unique elective wheel program at Lisa Jones' school, students explore each discipline for nine weeks before moving onto the next. To show them literacy in action, Lisa has crafted an elective with three real-world projects to help them …

1
308: Build an Easy Careers Unit 6:57

2d ago6:57

6:57

This week let’s talk about careers. I don’t know if you can relate, but I graduated from high school with a general awareness of maybe six careers - law, medicine, teaching, ministry, science, and business. Let’s talk about how we can show our students a broader view of what’s out there - and build in some ELA skills to the process. A fun way to st…

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307: Teaching African American Literature (The Elective Series) 20:17

4d ago20:17

20:17

Today on the show, we’ll find out what happened when an administrator attended a student’s genius hour project presentation about a new elective she wanted to see proposed Teaching African American Literature. Spoiler alert, magic. We’re continuing our elective series today, and I’m delighted to tell you we're hearing from passionate veteran teache…

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EP305 5 ways to automate teaching tasks next school year to save you time 31:17

10d ago31:17

31:17

It seems like every tech tool we use has now integrated generative artificial intelligence. Open a Google Doc, you’re prompted to use Gemini to help you write. Read a post on Facebook, Meta prompts you to “ask anything” via their AI. It’s powering our phones and our email, and the customer support chatbots on nearly every website when shopping onli…

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306: Help! My Readers have such Different Skill Levels 5:57

9d ago5:57

5:57

On this week’s mini-episode, I want to answer a question sent in by a member of our community. Here’s what she writes: Hi Betsy, I have classes of 10th graders who are SO divergent in skill levels. Some are reading Murakami for fun, and some are reading at a 5th grade level. I am struggling to differentiate for them and provide challenge for the st…

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305: Teaching Dramatic Writing (The Elective Series Continues) 11:27

11d ago11:27

11:27

Today on the show we’re hearing from Valerie Boehm, who teaches a Dramatic Writing elective in Georgia as part of the state’s initiative to help more students find their way to good jobs in the film industry. So cool, right? This episode is part of our continuing series on electives, which has been SO MUCH fun to record. I hope you’re as excited to…

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Last chance for early bird discounts on the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek! 14:02

19d ago14:02

14:02

Get an early bird discount by July 1st when you join the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Full Year program! The full transcript of this announcement is below. ---- Hey there, it’s Angela, I just wanted to release a quick announcement letting you know that our 40 Hour Workweek programs are now open for early bird access for the 2024-2025 school year! I’m g…

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EP304 Is artificial intelligence the key to a 40 hour teacher workweek? 27:33

25d ago27:33

27:33

We know there’s potential…but let’s talk about the larger implications for the profession. In this episode, I’m sharing how AI has already transformed the way many teachers work, and exploring the ethics, best practices, and future trends for AI in schools. Listen in to hear: What surprised me in a survey about schools' AI policies 3 principles tha…

1
Trailer: The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast 1:45

22d ago1:45

1:45

Join me each week for innovative teaching strategies you can use immediately in your ELA classroom, from choice reading help to book clubs, project-based-learning to AI, student podcasting to genius hour, we cover the good stuff. Whether you're trying to figure out how to engage your eighth graders, trying to help your 11th graders through the coll…

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EP303 How Danish schools embrace the slowdown and foster work/life balance (with Pernille Ripp) 1:10:59

1M ago1:10:59

1:10:59

As an educator who's lived and taught in both the US and Denmark, Pernille’s story is a revealing look into two vastly different education systems. Let's unpack her journey and what it tells us about work-life balance, societal values, and teaching philosophies. You’ll hear: Why Pernille’s family moved to Wisconsin from Denmark when she was a teena…

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304: The Day my Students Questioned our Bleak Book Choices 4:48

1M ago4:48

4:48

On this week’s mini-episode, I’m remembering the moment my 11th graders asked me to please, please, please add a book to our curriculum that wasn’t so depressing. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience? Let’s talk about what to do when the curriculum is full of death and despair. We were moving towards spring the year my juniors asked me why all of …

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303: The End-of-Year Checklist for a Better August 10:26

1M ago10:26

10:26

Last night I dreamed I was teaching in a new classroom, except it had layers of stuff on the walls from three other teachers across twenty years of teaching. I couldn't find anything, and I couldn't change the set-up because I didn't know what was important to my colleagues. It was awful. Am I the only one to ever have a classroom set-up nightmare?…

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302: Is this your Canva Summer?! 4:16

1M ago4:16

4:16

On this week’s mini-episode, let’s talk about my favorite online teacher tool, Canva. If you haven’t signed up for their free educator program yet, this summer is the perfect time! You can explore all the design tools this wonderful website has to offer, and be ready in the fall to start using it in class. Plus, I’ve got a free mini course ready to…

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301: The Easiest Last Day in ELA 8:33

2M ago8:33

8:33

You want the last day of ELA to be special, but what does that mean exactly? And who has the energy to think up this special plan when you're juggling allll the end-of-year things? If you'd like a fast, easy solution to the last day of your ELA classes, today I'm proposing (ha ha, I just accidentally typed PROMposing) stations. Stations are an easy…

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EP302 Education trends, predictions, and hope for the future of teaching 49:27

2M ago49:27

49:27

As the school year comes to a close, we’re taking a step back from practical strategies, and looking at the big picture of K-12 education. Until summer, there’s not a lot of time or mental bandwidth to consider questions like, “What are the larger factors impacting our work? How are other schools handling these challenges? How do we proactively pre…

1
300: Teaching Summer School? 2 Paths to a Happier July 4:51

2M ago4:51

4:51

On this week’s mini-episode, let’s talk summer school. Because I know that if you ARE teaching summer school, you’d like it to be engaging. Memorable. Creative. Superfantasticaliciousexpialadocious. But of course there’s the issue of you’re tired. And so are the students. And maybe they’re not that excited to be there. So let’s run through two quic…

1
299: 3 Years Overseas: The Highs & Lows (as we prepare to say goodbye) 17:49

2M ago17:49

17:49

As the sun rises a little earlier each day and the cherry trees in our neighborhood fill with fruit, our three years in Europe are coming to a close. With only a few weeks left of this European family adventure, I find myself thinking back over all that we've seen and done and learned. Highs like winter paddleboarding in Barcelona, nighttime tobaga…

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298: This Shakespeare Podcast connects the Bard to Modern Life 5:22

2M ago5:22

5:22

Today I want to talk about a fantastic podcast for you to use in class if you teach Shakespeare. With dozens of intriguing episodes like "Shakespeare and Game of Thrones," "Shakespeare and YA Novels," and "Pop Sonnets," The Shakespeare Unlimited Podcast, by the Folger Shakespeare Library, is a great way to bring in modern connections and relevancy …

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297: How to Squeeze Choice Reading into ELA (even if it feels impossible) 10:29

2M ago10:29

10:29

Choice reading can sometimes feel like an out-of-reach dream. I recently heard from a busy teacher who wrote, "I love choice reading, but squeezing it in can be tough!" Yeah, I get that. There's so much going on in ELA. In today's episode, we're talking about how to squeeze more choice reading moments into your busy schedule. Even if you don't have…

1
EP301 5 ways to make an old lesson feel fresh and interesting again (with Betsy Potash of Spark Creativity) 40:05

2M ago40:05

40:05

Bored with your curriculum or instructional routines? I’m talking with Betsy Potash of the Spark Creativity Podcast about easy ways to make things feel fresh and interesting again. Often we switch things up in our teaching to keep ourselves from getting bored. But, too much change can create unnecessary work for us. It can also waste class time for…

1
296: My Favorite Final Exam (I mean, not that I don’t love Multiple Choice) 5:04

2M ago5:04

5:04

Today I want to talk final exams, and specifically, one I’ve really enjoyed giving when I had the leeway to skip the sit-down exam. If you don’t have to involve any Scantron sheets in your final, you might love it too, so let’s dive in. Maybe you’ve seen some of the great graduation speeches floating around the internet - maybe you even analyze som…

1
295: Revision Frustration? Try This. 11:56

2M ago11:56

11:56

Do your students think of the revision process as a combo of spellcheck and Grammarly? Tend to peer edit by scrawling a compliment and circling two sentences that are missing periods? Yeah, they're not alone. Honestly, I didn't really get the revision process as a student either. It sort of felt like I wrote the paper I was going to turn it in, the…

1
294: Crying in the Dusty Stairwell (on Hitting a Wall in Teaching) 7:33

2M ago7:33

7:33

Today I want to talk about a subject I’m sure you’ve thought a lot about - how much are you willing to do for your job? And what do you do when you’ve hit your wall? I want to start by taking you to the dusty steps of the duplex I shared during my first year of teaching. It’s dusk, and I’m crying. I recently won the award for excellence in new teac…

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293: Creative Exam Review Activities for ELA (that don't involve a packet) 9:57

2M ago9:57

9:57

With exam season coming up, you're probably looking for some creative ELA review activities. Whether your school requires that students sit a traditional exam, or you have room for something like the graduation speech final or another type of final project, it's helpful to look back over the big concepts, themes, and texts you've covered as the yea…

1
EP300 Teaching through hormonal changes: post-partum, perimenopause, and beyond (with Dr. Jen Gunter) 34:42

3M ago34:42

34:42

This topic is definitely new territory for my Truth for Teachers podcast, and I was initially hesitant to include it because I didn’t want to overshare. However, as I began to talk to other women about this, I realized how many of us really didn’t have a good grasp on the way hormones impact our daily function. The experience is so individualistic,…

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292: Try the Sesame Street Quiz (5 Different Ways) 4:29

3M ago4:29

4:29

Today, I want to highlight a useful tool Amanda Cardenas shared earlier this year on the show called The Sesame Street Quiz. It’s so versatile, so fun, and so helpful that I feel it deserves a show of its own, so here we go. Amanda has already shared with us how these work, back in episode 267. Here’s a quick review: A Sesame Street Quiz gives stud…

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291: When Genius Hour WORKS (The Elective Series) 29:14

3M ago29:14

29:14

Have you ever wished you could get students excited about genius hour, then immediately wondered what you’d do if half of them couldn’t think of a topic? Well, today on the podcast, creative teacher Melissa Moser is here to talk about one of her favorite electives to teach - Genius Hour, and exactly how she sets students up for success - even the o…

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290: Try this Hack to Teach Varied Sentence Structure 5:00

3M ago5:00

5:00

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whether you’re new to the show or a long-time listener, I’m so glad you’re here for this week’s mini episode. Today, I want to share a fun visual trick for helping students vary their sentence structure.…

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289: How to Launch Book Talk Podcasts in Class 10:00

3M ago10:00

10:00

Book talk podcasts can provide gentle choice reading accountability, target presentation of knowledge and speaking skills, and build a library of book recommendations for future students. Not bad, right? Today on the podcast I'm going to walk you through how to launch a book talk podcast with your students, and why it will be fantastic. Example Scr…

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EP299 A spring cleaning classroom guide: what if you didn’t need all that STUFF to teach well? 17:16

3M ago17:16

17:16

Do you refuse to throw anything out because you MIGHT need it one day, or find yourself holding on to worthless stuff “just in case” you need it? In this episode, I’ll share 10 things you can get rid of in your classroom this spring to make space for what you actually need and use. And, I’ll help you establish a mindset of abundance rather than sca…

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288: A Lesser-Known Amanda Gorman Gem 5:07

3M ago5:07

5:07

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whether you’re new to the show or a long-time listener, I’m so glad you’re here for this week’s mini episode. Today, as earth day inches closer, I want to share a favorite find, Amanda Gorman’s video poe…

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277: How Erica Used the AI PBL Project to give her Students Voice 28:40

3M ago28:40

28:40

It’s never a bad thing when your classroom innovation lands you at a press conference with your state’s department of education! That’s what happened to today’s guest, Erica Kempf. She decided to try out the project-based-learning unit I designed about the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and along the way she and her students made it their …

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276: Let All Books Count: A Tale of Two Kids 3:36

3M ago3:36

3:36

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whether you’re new to the show or a long-time listener, I’m so glad you’re here for this week’s mini episode. Today, I want to talk about a much-debated subject - when it comes to choice reading, what co…

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275: Teaching SciFi & Fantasy (The Elective Series continues) 13:26

4M ago13:26

13:26

We’re about to dive into an elective that combines Beowulf, The Hobbit, Ursula Leguin, graphic novels, and contemporary YA! What holds all these threads together? That’s what repeat guest and creative teacher Caitlin Lore is about to tell you as we continue our series on creative electives across the country. Get ready for the big reveal in just a …

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EP298 Clock out confidently: 5 tips to get out the door at contract time (with June Link) 27:57

4M ago27:57

27:57

This episode features a sneak peek from one of the upcoming 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Online Summit sessions. You’ll hear from a teacher named June Link, whose session is called, “Clock out confidently: 5 tips to get out the door at contract time.” In this episode, June shares some helpful principles and mindset shifts, along with the exact process …

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274: Using Students’ Love of Youtube to our ELA Advantage 3:02

4M ago3:02

3:02

Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies. Whether you’re new to the show or a long-time listener, I’m so glad you’re here for this week’s mini episode. Today, I want to talk about Youtube, and how we can use students’ love for it to our ELA adva…

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273: First Chapter Friday: Nancy Tandon Reads 7:15

4M ago7:15

7:15

Welcome to the author spotlight series at Spark Creativity. In this series, you’ll hear from authors sharing their work directly into your classroom. So sit back and listen in. Today we’re hearing from Nancy Tandon, reading from her book, The Way I Say It. Nancy has worked as an elementary school teacher, a speech-language pathologist, and an adjun…

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