Paying Attention to both the How and the Why

So I stumbled upon this video on TeacherTube, and watched it with interest. It is in the vein of so many persuasive pieces that are done to convince others of the importance of technology (specifically the web) and its impact on children’s lives and development. Surely someone is doing a Ph.D. thesis on these “did [...]

Of Daily 5 and Not Whining

I spent last year hearing from my colleagues about my incoming students, which is the curse of teaching the oldest in the school.  The teachers bemoaned the behavior issues, the learning disabilities, the community chemistry, sometimes with a look of pity flung my way, sometimes with a sly “boy-are-you-screwed” grin.  For a while I took [...]

The Power of Positive Grammar

GUMS–Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, Spelling.  If there were really a way to get around teaching this business in fifth grade, I’d have found it.  Since it is un-getaroundable, I’m trying to figure out a more positive approach.  I’ve been hanging on to a DOL (daily oral language) program, because it doesn’t seem harmful and is quickly done [...]

Summer Goals Update Part 2

I’m reading the third and final professional book on my summer list.  Well, I actually have picked up a few more, but Choice Words by Peter Johnston is the last I committed to finish by summer’s end.  I wrote a bit about Peter Johnston after attending a panel last fall at the NWP/NCTE convention in NYC.  [...]

Craft Cracking

I have a rather terrible habit of assuming conscious negative intent when “higher-ups” (or their potential henchpeople) mention professional titles.  I anticipate more bolted-on, poorly supported shifts in curriculum and practices that don’t end up benefiting students as promised and promoted.  So during the last week of school, an enthusiastic literacy coach dropped the title Cracking [...]

Rereading and Highlighting

I finished Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the Writer’s Notebook by Aimee Buckner yesterday.  Some useful ideas from a teacher/writer who is clearly very thoughtful.  Sadly, I did not get the magic shortcut for the one universally perfect way to help students organize their writer’s notebooks.  But I did get some promising ideas for ways to [...]

Wikification of my Social Studies Curriculum

Progress is slow on the social studies wiki.  It has occurred to me that this is because I’m not working with a focus.  My class next year will have a significant number of students with learning disabilities, focus issues, and rather low reading skills.  So as I’m working on this wiki, I’m thinking about how [...]