Bodhi Day, Advent, St. Nicholas Day, Las Posadas, Pancha Ganapati, Hanukka, Christmas, Kwanza, Hogmanay, Chalica, Chinese New Year, Sadem, New Years, Malanka, and many more. Many cultures and religions have special days that include ways to brighten Northern Hemisphere’s dark day of winter or to welcome in their approaching new year. Whichever end-of-the-year or beginning-of-the-next-year… Read More »
Today I’m looking ahead to the fall and a new school year, I’ve created a new product for educators and assistants. It’s my flipbook, deconstructed! My web person has taken 18 student pages of the flipbook and made each into 8.5 x 11 mini-posters. Each can be used as reminders on our student expectations in… Read More »
When it comes to helping kids get moving, educationally, these concepts are key: 1. Brainstorm. Spend time picking each other’s brains about possibilities or ideas related to a topic. Dont’ limit yourself to practical ideas; go for creative, out-of-the box thinking. 2. Take a stand. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion different from others… 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 »
Looking for a reason to celebrate something? Here’s a list to start your thinking and planning. Have fun! Brighten someone’s life. Go a little crazy. 1 Freedom Day 2 Ground Hog Day 3 15th amendment – Racial Equality Day 4 Rosa Parks Birthday 5 Western Monarch Day 6 Take Your Child to the Library/Girl Scout… Read More »
While the list of ways to say thank you to volunteers are near endless, the following inexpensive ideas stood out for my followers: Write a note sharing specific acts a voluinteer has done and thank them for their contribution. Ask your class to write short thank yous. Present the volunteer with a small house plant… Read More »
As the school year begins for many families, the Costco Connection magazine is filled with back-to-school items. One article that caught my eye was entitled Math + fun = success. Laura Overdeck, a mother of three from New Jersey, has created a non-profit “that delivers nightly math stories to tens of thousands of parents.” (p.… Read More »
National Park Service to give fourth-graders free admission 02/19/15 02:48 PM—Updated 02/20/15 11:14 AM By Michele Richinick Fourth-grade students and their families will get free admission to national parks, forests and wildlife refuges for a year, thanks to a new White House initiative set for this fall ahead of the National Park Service’s 100th birthday.… Read More »
One of the newest educational acronym is STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The premise of STEM is that education needs to address these 4 topics with deeper understanding to gain employment and to compete in world markets. In an Education Week Teacher online article dated June 17, 2014, Anne Jolly, a former middle school science teacher and current… Read More »
My excuse reads: Working on a website with multiple books, 2 blogs, marketing my first YA novel (84 Ribbons) and writing my next 2 novels and a new teacher workbook. I haven’t forgotten my obligation to you, I just got side-tracked for a bit. We’re reorganizing my website to be more ‘follower friendly’ (I get… Read More »