It is no secret, I am a public radio nerd. I listen to my local NPR station to and from work most days, and on road trips. I learn something new on a weekly basis–probably more, but I try not to exaggerate other than for means of literary hyperbole. I often leave myself short voice…
Hmmm… not so bad, eh?
Yesterday I tried to start an art study on Chinese Calligraphy. As the turkey-butts would say, it was an epic fail. Middle school turkey butts are so very very literal, that they just weren’t getting the… the… zen of the whole thing (maybe because “zen” is Japanese in origin?). I knew that if I set…
A very smart, very talented lady gave me this idea this Summer (Thank You to Mrs. R!) as a way to develop vocabulary skills. She is a word-lover from way back, and was able to cultivate this same passion in her kiddos by using something as simple as vocabulary cards. “Vocabulary cards?!?” you say? Yes,…
When asked to list 5-10 things they would put into a city they created, the pumpkin-heads came up with this: A. –The Eclectic List 1. Skyscrapers 2. Trampoline for fun and to stay in shape. 3. Mexican food 4. A gym 5. Mall 6. Boxing arena 7. Houses 8. Garden 9. grocerie store 10. Buisnesses…
The Scene: Journal-writing time. The schmoopies are all writing. In fact, they all started writing early–before the bell rang (!!!). Schmoopie T. has a question. Typically, there is no question-asking or question-answering during writing time, but since they started early I oblige… T: Um, does the Tower of Pisa lean? Me: Well, yes. T: Okay……
I posted yesterday about my students and their journal writing. I asked permission to share some of the entries. I’ll show a series for each author to show the change over the last four weeks of writing. I’ll also transcribe exactly–including errors, run-ons, etc.: T. 8/18 Yesterday when i got home I watched my brother…
I re-learned something I think I knew once. Journal-writing is good. Systematic sustained writing on a daily basis improves writing. It just does. I’m not going to look up the proof for this, * I’m just going to state it as a fact–in order to improve your writing you must write. Over the last five…
Wear The Cape 