Looking for family games to take along on vacations or family trips? Consider making a small games box. One of those plastic tool boxes the kids use for school works great. Here’s a list of items to include: 2 decks of cards with contrasting back designs (so if you interminglee them, you can easily separate… Read More »
Indie Writing Workshops invite students to write fiction, non fiction, poetry and whatever else they think of to express themselves. Here are a few questions they might answer when they read another student’s work. Does the story have a beginning, a middle and an ending? Did the author use strong, action verbs? Did the… Read More »
Sno-Isle, the local library system, has produced a pamphlet, Countdown to Kindergarten: 100 Essential Picture Books that’s a starting place for great picture books to share with kids from age 3 to 10. Yep. I said 10. I read picture books to third graders and they love them. We use them as idea starters to… Read More »
So, the door opens, your little kids rush in from school…your older kids drag in from school. What next? I know you are curious about their school day but wait! Hold off until they’ve had a snack, finished their sports practice, had that piano or karate lesson and/or had a chance to relax or play… Read More »
When working with young writers, keep your ideas simple and easy to remember. One of the best is making a chart and using their fingers to count off the steps in writing: rough draft, revision, write out or type, share, evaluation. Rough Draft: Encourage them to draw 8 simple pictures to show how their idea… Read More »
Growing a vocabulary requires spending time with new words. Focus on important words; those with often-use potential or subject-related value. Try these ideas to help students ‘own’ the selected new words. First create a special journal or **worksheet to allow space for the some or all of the following components: Introduce the word and the… Read More »
Goal setting: a measurable idea you want to accomplish Intention: an aim, a plan of action Substitute intentions for goal setting. Take the pressure off while still suggesting the idea is clearly in view. 1. Write down your goal with specific, measurable, and identifiable intentions. Instead of saying: write 6 sentences about (subject), say or… Read More »
Homework and student projects require hours of time to be ‘graded’. If you feel bogged down and buried in work, try these tweaks to lighten your load. Homework: 1. Set aside a few minutes each morning for students to Think-Pair-Share. Let them sit together and compare their completed homework. Allow then to make changes to… Read More »
Incorporating S.T.E.A.M. into your classroom need not be expensive. What it takes is an added pinch of creativity. Try these ideas to get started enhancing your S (science), T (technology), E(engineering), A (art) and M (math) activities. Use the materials that you have on hand. Team up with other teachers to share kits and materials… Read More »
In addition to Think-Pair-Share partnering, here’s a list of ways to unpack student thinking: Take quick classroom surveys as a quick way to get ‘a feel’ for where the students are in their thinking about a topic. Ask students to share how they reached their individual conclusions. Accept a variety of methods and processes. Ask… Read More »