Although I’m far from crafty or handy, I love the idea of repurposing. Every time I pick up a Real Simple magazine or watch HGTV, I get ideas. Rarely can […]
Resources - Teaching
Plant the Seeds Now for Next Year
The countdown began when we returned from Spring Break two weeks ago; now those not-so-subtle signs are appearing in the corners of more and more classroom white boards. Sometimes it’s […]
Teaching
Celebrate Poetry with Quickwrites
Looking for an easy way to get students reading, writing, and thinking about poetry? Give Quickwrites a try! I was introduced to this concept through Linda Rief at an International […]
Teaching
Love That March Madness
Some high school teachers might cringe at the thought of using a book about a fourth-or-fifth grade boy who doesn’t want to write poetry to teach their students about poetry, but […]
Resources
An Oldie but Goodie
In recognition of Throwback Thursday, I thought I’d share one of my favorite teacing resources: The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile Vaughan Payne. I was introduced to this book as […]
Teaching
Super Sentences
Disclaimer: I’m cheating a little tonight by revisiting a piece I wrote in March of 1999. I wrote this as a reflection during a workshop, but when scanning through documents saved […]
Teaching
A Cycle of Continuous Improvement
One of the best things about being a teacher is the opportunity for continuous improvement. In other words, we get lots of do-overs. Each time we teach a lesson we […]
Strategies
EQs: Off the Walls and Onto the Desks
This year, essential questions are the big deal at my school. Administrators expect to see them prominently posted whenever they come in to the room. Recently I found myself the […]