Close reading is engaged reading. It’s the opposite of read-as-fast-as-you-can. It encourages readers to read for deeper meaning and requires taking time to understand what is read. Here are a few tips to focus your thinking about close reading: Practice close reading yourself. As you read ask why questions and open-ended questions to move beyond… Read More »
Show and Tell is more than talking about your weekend or the new puppy, especially with older students. It’s an early step in scaffolding (early steps in breaking down learning into chunks). It involves talking, looking at vocabulary and information as well as previewing text. So how does Show and Tell fit in? Learning by… Read More »
March 21 is Poetry Day. Here’s an activity to get you started. Ask each member of the class (adults and students) to select a short poem that “speaks to them” personally. Ask them to write it out in their best handwriting, sign their name, fold it up and place it in a sealed envelope. The… Read More »
Opinion EdWeek.com/blogs by Jal Mehta and Robert Rothman In this blog, organized by Harvard education professor Jal Mehta and Washington-based education writer Robert Rothman, students, teachers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers explore the practice and policy issues around expanding deeper learning. « Leaders as Learners: Exploring Equity | Main Five Secrets to Operationalize Deeper Learning By… Read More »
Teaching is a high-energy profession. It requires planning and your best all day, every day. Food does more than fill your stomach and provide energy; it also fuels your brain. You need to consume foods that will stay with you well beyond that lunch break you didn’t take or missed because of a meeting with… Read More »
The Search-Institute.org writes interesting articles for educators and families. Their article on February 3, 2016 addressed ways to support students as they take on m. Here are a few of their comments with my suggestions added onto each item: “Play with” the problem. Brainstorm, manipulate the facts, build models, step outside the proverbial box before… Read More »
Whether it’s now or later in the year, it’s important to thank volunteers. I stumbled onto great ideas on Pinterest. They are filed under Volunteers and also Volunteer Appreciation. Here’s a sampling of inexpensive ideas for school classrooms: Thanks a Latte for all you do. A tag to add to a coupon for a free… Read More »
Everyone likes to win. Whether it’s a game of checkers, a race around the yard or competing as an Olympic athlete, we all like to be named the winner. But not everyone can win in an event, so how to handle being the loser becomes important. Here are a couple of ideas: 1. Be magnanimous.… Read More »
With all the sites for educators available a person could spend all day every day online reading and looking at ideas from educators who share their success stories. Here are a few basic, easy-to-implement ideas that caught my eye. (1) Ask students to pass papers sideways across aisles or to the back of the room.… Read More »
This time of year always excites me. I love roaming the aisles of the back-to-school supplies sales. Not only do I find inexpensive pencils, paper, crayons, markers, post-its, rulers and glue sticks, I also find new things to spruce up my personal writing desk. I’m like the proverbial kid in a candy store when it… Read More »