I love to keep track of ‘what happened on this date’ events. When I taught, I added one or two events to my morning calendar activity to give us an event to discuss related to history and the math of how long ago it took place. Since then, I check events monthly as a way… Read More »
I started out to share my samples of story mapping with you until I discovered 3 great sources online: 1. www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizer/storymap has 40 graphic organizers, cloze activities, research formats, rubrics, etc. The overviews are downloadable but the site is member-supported ($20/year) and may be worth the investment if you use their styles of organization. 2.… Read More »
How young is too young to start using facts in discussions? The new Common Core States Standards (CCSS) uses arguments and facts for all grades K and above. At first glance that appears to be a typo, but it isn’t. The new standards suggest that the change is needed to help students process more clearly.… Read More »
Yes and No is not the way to go. When you ask questions of students, family members or adults, make them more interactive. It’s not difficult to make the change so answers become discussion bits that lead to more meaningful interactions: ‘Did you have a great day at school?’ becomes ‘What was the most interesting part of… Read More »
Critical thinking requires work. It’s not just a school day event to set aside when we’re on vacation or at home. It’s imperative that we stretch ourselves and students to move beyond the basics if we want to increase rigor in our thinking. Plus, moving beyond who, what, and where takes us to why and… Read More »
ABC books bridge all grades. They present everything that’s great about children’s books: a single storyline or theme a predictable format (A-Z) a consistent text (wordless, simple words, phrases or sentences) illustrations that enhance the words multiple choice in topics (animals to science and math to poetry). When students write their own, they experience success… Read More »
It’s a great feeling to: * win 2 honorable mentions for Educating America: 101 Strategies * be trusted to handle reading training sessions for a local United Way Education agency * be asked for suggestions on expanding a school’s volunteer programs use of assistants * be invited to plan training for a second local volunteer… Read More »
Like the song which echoes the phrase, ‘Finnegan Begin Again’, education begins again every day. I’m constantly in learning mode! As my website morphs into its new, broader existence, I want to reach out to more friends and supporters of education. That’s you. Every Tuesday, my education blog day, I’ll be turning back to update my earlier blogs… Read More »
Eye on Education posted a great article online* about maximizing lesson plans. Here are their suggestions for introducing lessons. 1. Create a novel approach to grab students attention. 2. Keep the lesson relevant to your students’ lives. 3. Use verbal AND written instructions to accommodate varied ways students take in information. 4. Model your thinking… Read More »
Students in groups need ‘clues’ about the expectations while they are in groups. No one likes to surge ahead blindly. So, what do group leaders need to share? Outline your expectations and judge your time constraints. It’s a challenge to make everything fit. Check out this example for a 35 minute group beginning a new… Read More »