Viewing: k-12
Sesame Street: Word on the Street
OK, so as I write this I’m watching Sesame Street with my 2 year old. This big-feathered muppet just announced that the Word on the Street is, get this…Struggle. I kid you not. I guess times are tough even on
But what if the child does everything in their power to be “left behind?”
The Boston Globe is reporting that some students deliberately “shoot themselves in their own foot.” Some of the reason is that trying hard is frightening. Now, don’t get all uppity. Let’s face it; even the most mature of adults may
Is Cursive Really a 21st Century Skill or is it History?
Look, we all agree, that our job is to prepare our students for their future by teaching 21st Century skills, right? Well, then why is cursive even a continuing debate? We can no longer afford to spend time on
God bless us, everyone…
On Christmas Eve, my 2 year-old son and I were driving home to meet my husband, when our Honda CR-V was hit by another car. It was pretty bad. But it could have been much worse, for which we are
CUE update of my sessions
So I will be presenting again at CUE this year. My session, “Podcasting with 70 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?!” has received some great comments in the past and as I’ve tweaked the class, I’ve updated my presentation as well.
Book Review: The Hunger Games
Kids killin’ kids for TV viewing pleasure? Great tween reading fun! I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins . It took me awhile to get a hold of it because the minute I brought it into my classroom
Second-Career Teachers…Aren’t we All?
The Illinois News-Gazette recently reported an increase in second career teachers. But, really, aren’t we all second-career teachers? I mean, unless we bopped from high school to a BA to an education program and landed directly into the teaching field,
CUE 2009
I have two sessions that I will be presenting at CUE in March this year. I thought I’d share a little of what I sent to them to give you a little preview of what I’m going to be talking
Fundraising Mafia
I’m being stalked by two of the tiniest, cutest 7th graders I’ve ever seen. Big eyes. High voices. You know the type. They are apparently the heavies for Yearbook, sent out into the wilds of 8th period to swing open
Obama and World of Warcraft
Where were you when? It’s a question I asked my readers and my classes the day after the election, and you know what answer I heard the most often? Ironforge.
Hola, soy redesignated…
So, please, somebody tell me how this scenario is best for the child: Recently, I received a student, a full quarter into the school year, from our ELD classes. That’s not the problem as much as the fact that she
Book Review (sorta): Thoughts on Neal Shusterman’s The Schwa Was Here
So I just finished reading Neal Shusterman’s The Schwa Was Here. I know, I know. For all you librarians out there, you’re probably saying: “What? It took you THIS long to read it? Jeesh, what kind of tweenteacher are you?”
Book Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
You know when you enjoy a book so much you begin to slow down towards the end just to make the sweetness last? Well, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is one of those. NG writes with a rhythm in his
Innovative Learning Conference ’08
Well, I’m off to San Jose to present at the ILC. I’ll be presenting my session, “Podcasting with 50 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?!” It isn’t just about podcasting. It’s also about the evolution of a tech-tentative Language Arts teacher
When it works, it’s amazing!
I’m referring, of course, to my new Interactive Whiteboard. I think I’m going to name my second child Promethean.
The Excitement Graph: Plot and Word Choice
Every year, I do this activity when teaching Narrative Plot. I’ve used it from 3rd grade to 12th grade. I learned a version of it first in 1993 at a UCLA Extension class on “Teaching Reading to Secondary Students” and
The snail wins the race…with RSP
Just a brief post of victory to share: At the beginning of Sept 2007, I gave a pre-assessment to my class in order to learn their levels and begin the process of differentiation. I looked through the results and my
What’s my role in this debate?
Dear Fellow Edubloggers, Many of you have been blogging far longer than I have. I have many of you on my Google Reader and I admire your wit, your writing, and would now love your advice. Last week, I posted
Book Review: Breaking Dawn (Cliff Notes of the Stephanie Meyer’s series)
Look, I’m a big believer in reading what the kids are reading, so I picked up the first in this crapfest of a series. I was a big Anne Rice fan during my middle school years, so clearly I’m not
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Judging Websites for History Day
By heather on December 19, 2008
Yesterday I was proud to judge a number of our group website entries for our History Day competition. Three of our history teachers use History Day as a project-based learning opportunity for all of their students. These students have their