As a secondary English teacher, I teach many pieces of academic enrichments within my curriculum, but my main passion tends to fall at the feet of writing. When I began teaching middle school English a handful of years ago, writing was barely a blip on the radar as we had so much pressure to pass a […]
Literacy
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Parents
The Importance of Reading Out Loud
Read out loud. It’s my mantra. I don’t care how old my elementary students are, I feel they all can benefit from reading out loud to their grown ups. And in this hurried world we live in, the grown ups benefit too. Younger readers need to read out loud to practice reading strategies, to work […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Informational Texts: Legos "Lost at Sea"
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Those tiny, multi-colored plastic building bits called Legos have a dedicated, even obsessive, fan base. Such fanaticism is the reason why I thought the following story I recently heard on National Public Radio […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, High School, Literacy, Opinion
The Advantage of Disadvantage – Part II – A Book Review
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell Publisher: Brown and Company (October 1, 2013) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Have you ever wondered what makes a person successful? Does […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, High School, Literacy, Opinion
The Advantage of Disadvantage, Part I – Book Review
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell Publisher: Penguin Books, Ltd., Oct. 2013 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I remember years ago watching a piloted TV show that was based on a […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
In Balanced Literacy, Johnny’s Reading Means More than Decoding
Throwbacks in education are common. This time, Robert Pondiscio, a Senior Fellow and Vice President for External Affairs at the Thomas B. Fordham Institution is itching for a fight to reopen old “reading war” wounds.He has taken umbrage with the NYTimes (7/2/14) opinion piece Balanced Literacy Is One Effective Approach by Lucy Calkins: Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University and a proponent […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Social Studies
Vampires, Honest Abe, and the Future of History Instruction
America loves its heroes. From the earliest inspirational days of explorers sailing the ocean blue and “discovering” an unruly wilderness that would become the United States, to Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, to the canonization of Steve Jobs (notably by Ashton Kutcher is this film). Without a doubt, many of these heroes deserve their limelight. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Literacy, Opinion
10 Reasons Educators Should Read 'The Fault In Our Stars'
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The hottest book on the shelves – and one of the most-watched movies your students will be seeing this summer – is The Fault In Our Stars. Here are 10 reasons […]