Minutes a Day—Mastery for a Lifetime!
On a recent episode of ABC’s “The Middle” Frankie finds a bag of unfinished and long overdue thank you notes under her son, Axl’s, bed. Horrified by her discovery, she issues her ultimatum. As long as he is living in her house, he is to finish the notes! Yes, it’s comedy, but in the end, […]
It’s hard to go a week without hearing or reading some reference in the news about the positive effect of gratitude on our well-being. Or maybe I am just tuned in to reading articles that focus on this subject because I find the research so fascinating. (Hence, the topic of this blog.) In January 2018, […]
A recent trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios had me thinking back to my first Harry Potter memory and the treasure trove of descriptive language found in the series. Do you have an early Harry Potter memory? Mine was the summer of ‘99. I heard Oprah Winfrey talking about a […]
Light the Olympic Fire With the Winter Olympics soon approaching, opportunities to incorporate Olympic themes into the classroom are timely and endless. Sadly, it’s becoming a fact of life that in the teaching world we don’t have much time for “fun stuff” anymore. Activities that are fun must also be valuable, educational, and efficient. Here […]
Remember When? Family Tales and a Simple Graphic Organizer Get kids involved by having them write a favorite family story they can share with others this holiday season. Here’s a way to use the holiday tradition of storytelling to get your students writing and give them an opportunity to connect with family members, near and […]
Let’s talk about poetry! World Poetry Day is March 21st! We know that poetry isn’t always students’ (or teachers’) favorite subject. Oftentimes, poetry can seem difficult to explain or difficult for students to fully understand, especially when dealing with more contemporary poetic forms—those that don’t rhyme or follow easy patterns. But don’t let these […]
Dr. Seuss isn’t just for elementary classes anymore! Do you know what’s happening March 2nd? It’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day! Dr. Seuss is one of the most celebrated children’s authors today, and most children have read his books or have had his books read to them. By […]
Presidential While a child may know all about George Washington’s incident with a cherry tree, students often struggle to put historical events into the context of their world. To these children, George Washington is a distant figure who wore a powdered wig and lived in a house without electricity. But children do understand the context […]
Presidential families are just like us—they love their pets! Most of our presidents have had pets living with them at the White House. Their pets have included all kinds of animals! From President Benjamin Harrison’s pet goat named Whiskers, to Theodore Roosevelt’s pet pony named Algonquin, all were beloved pets! For this informational research activity, […]
Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with your students by encouraging them to express their own dreams for a peaceful world. Dr. King’s well-known speech—delivered during the March on Washington, August 28, 1963—has become a source of inspiration to people around the world. During this activity, you’ll discuss some facts about Dr. King and […]