I feel a bit like a new mom having a puppy in the house! We’ve now rolled up all our rugs and stored them in our bedroom. (So much for that lovely living room I’d been working on!) And we have a huge crate by our stairwell (kind of like moving a playpen into the [...]
Archive for February, 2011
Puppy update: Adventures of Atlas, the Escape Artist
Posted in Inspirations on February 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Poetry Friday: Connections
Posted in Poetry Friday on February 25, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Connections are such an important part of our teaching– and of our lives. Here’s a poem about connecting that I found recently in a book called Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach edited by Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner: These Days whatever you have to say, leavethe roots on, let [...]
Postcards needed from across the U.S.!
Posted in Great stuff on February 22, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I just got an email from a teacher in Wisconsin whose class is collecting postcards from across the U.S. They are hoping to get a postcard from each of the 50 states. Thought it would be fun to put it out there for everyone’s help! If you can send a postcard from your state, mail [...]
A tour of Math Work Stations
Posted in math on February 18, 2011 | 6 Comments »
A few weeks ago I shot this brief video with Stenhouse to introduce Math Work Stations. Take a look!
Poetry Friday: Messing Around on the Monkey Bars
Posted in Poetry Friday on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
My friend, Betsy Franco (poet extraordinaire and mother of actor James Franco!), has written another great book of poems. This one is called Messing Around on the Monkey Bars and Other School Poems for Two Voices. Here’s a poem to be read in two voices your kids will enjoy, I’m sure! I Can’t Wait Today’s [...]
Reading for the Love of It conference in Toronto
Posted in My travels, tagged Reading for the Love of It on February 16, 2011 | 6 Comments »
One of my favorite conferences is Reading for the Love of It! This was my 3rd year in a row to speak there. This year one of my session was on “Creating Independent Readers in the Junior Grades.” (That’s grades 4-6 in Canada.) I shared ideas from Practice with Purpose, including some for individual independent [...]
Winter institute in Nashville
Posted in My travels on February 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to all of you who joined us in Nashville in January! We had a great time meeting everyone! And somehow we dodged the snow, too! A big thank you to all the vendors who provided door prizes: Benchmark Education Lakeshore Learning Musicwands.com Okapi Books Really Good Stuff Scholastic Books Stenhouse Publishers Whisper Phones If [...]
Our new love
Posted in Inspirations on February 14, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Tom and I just welcomed a new puppy into our lives. We’re in love with Atlas, our 30-pound, 10-week old Great Dane puppy! Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you from all of us!
Poetry Friday: Bird-Watching
Posted in Poetry Friday on February 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Here’s another poem on birds from The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: A Birder’s Journal: You might include a children’s field guide to birds along with the poem as you share it with your students. Add a pair of binoculars and an observation journal, and you have the start of an observation station near a [...]
Planning for a teacher desk
Posted in Classroom tips, tagged teacher desk on February 7, 2011 | 9 Comments »
Do you need a teacher desk? How can you tell if you do, or if it’s just a place where you collect stuff? Here are some tips to help you decide: First, ask yourself: “Do I want a teacher desk?” 1. Is my desk a place where I rarely sit but use it for stacking [...]
