Dictionary.com defines integration as: “an act or instance of combining into an integral whole.” Schools across the nation are using this idea to purposefully combine curriculum and standards in meaningful ways for student learning. Just like making a recipe or putting together a puzzle, you must combine different pieces of your curriculum, disciplines, concepts and skills under an essential question, theme, or unit. There […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Why Teachers Should Be Obsessed With THE THOMAS JEFFERSON HOUR
[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”] For the past decade I have been nursing a steady but intensifying obsession with The Thomas Jefferson Hour. The Thomas Jefferson Hour is radio at its absolute best. Writer, scholar, and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Educational Apps, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School
Recalling ISTE 2014 : Sarah’s Report
From June 28 through July 1 (Saturday-Tuesday), thousands and thousands of ed tech enthusiasts braved the heat and humidity of Atlanta, GA to attend the 2014 International Society for Technology in Education Conference and Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center. Since I am a local, I was one of those thousands. This is the […]
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, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Parents
Let's Talk School Start-Up–Again
[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”] Ever since I wrote my first piece about starting my own school I receive at least four emails a week asking for more information as to how other individuals can start […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
5 Reasons Summer School Is Better Than Regular School
My first exposure to Summer School teaching was the acting performance of Mark Harmon (as Mr. Shoop) in the 1987 Carl Reiner comedy, Summer School. It might not have been an Oscar-caliber performance, but it has stuck with me for the better part of my life. I wasn’t even a teenager the first time I […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Happy Writing; Finding Your Purpose
Pharrell Williams, has been around for quite a while seeking his fame in music, yet it wasn’t until his recent hit song “Happy,” that Pharrell became a household name. When interviewed and asked what he thought of his long awaited rise to fame, Pharrell stated that he used to write songs that lacked purpose. He decided that […]