[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 […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Fractions – Parts of a Whole
Fractions can be one of the most frustrating topics to teach to elementary school children. Linking the experience of your students with fractions in their daily lives to fractions in the classroom can make this task easier. Young children have early experiences with the concept of fractions when they want to share a sandwich with […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
The Traveling Teacher: Rochester, NY
[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”] First Philly. Then Denver. Then Montana. And now Rochester, NY – home to the Erie Canal, The Underground Railroad, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and the beacon of the mid-19th century […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Mathematics, Uncategorized
The Difference Between Calculation and Mathematics
This piece originally ran on Bluffcityed.com on July 29, 2014; In mid-July last year, I was ready to try something completely different. I had previously taught Algebra I, but I was moving to a new content; geometry. I’d taught it before under the old Tennessee state standards but had left the course feeling like the kids […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Series, Social Studies
The Traveling Teacher: Lewis and Clark in Missoula, Montana
[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”] In my previous travels, I’ve visited both Philadelphia and Denver. After a 3-day respite at home, I headed back for the Mountain Time Zone to experience all that Big Sky Country […]
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, Instruction & Curriculum
Science Inquiry: Take the Plunge
This summer the Kansas State Department of Education hosted three academies led by teachers for teachers. I attended a session on science curriculum to learn about the next generation science standards that will be implemented in my classroom next year. I have been teaching inquiry based science for five years (or more) and enjoy the learning […]
Posted inEducational Apps, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, School Improvement
Summer Selfies – Understanding Infographics
[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”] Each summer our school offers flex time for professional development. Most faculty seize this opportunity to meet, work in teams, document our hours for the day and submit our accomplishment which substitute for an In Service […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum
Announcing LeBron’s Return with Informational Space with Information Text
Teachers are looking to include informational text in their English Language Arts classrooms, but what about informational space? The hard copy of the NYTimes Saturday Sports section on Saturday, July 12, 2014, was an opportunity to teach how space can be information. [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” […]