Search Results for: BACK TO SCHOOL

Projects for Simple Machines

Projects for Simple Machines You know me... I love science. And science loves me. That's what's cool about it. I always learn something new, usually about how things work. And that's pretty awesome because I'm no spring chicken and you'd think I'd know more about stuff like that by now, but I don't. Now, everywhere I look, I can't help but see simple machines. Like in my bathroom this morning, … [Read more...]

A Big Bag of Writing Ideas

My last post, Gathering Writing Ideas: 5 Tips to Generate Ideas, really should've been 6 tips because I totally forgot about this idea... A Big Bag of Ideas. This idea is similar to the strategy of using children's literature to generate writing ideas, but instead I use my own personal treasures to stimulate thinking about topics. It's super simple, but very effective. All you'll … [Read more...]

Gathering Writing Ideas

You know, some days are like this... it's just the way it goes. And it doesn't just happen to kids. It happens to me, too. Sometimes, it seems like coming up with a good idea is the hardest part of writing. Our writing workshop is one of my favorite times of the day, so helping kids generate and maintain a wealth of topics is critical to our success. No ideas... no writing. This is what I've … [Read more...]

Punctuation & Fluency

Punctuation is a big deal for readers. Really, it is. Really? Yes, really! When kids understand how each punctuation mark works, they learn how to change way their voice sounds at each mark. And this makes them more expressive readers, which is part of being a fluent reader. I remember going through a horrible period of teaching several years back when fluency was being overly … [Read more...]

St. Patrick’s Day Science

If you're the type of teacher to plan far ahead (the rest of us are jealous of you btw) check out these fun St. Patrick's Day science activities. They're holiday-inspired investigations, kid-tested and easy to set up. The resource includes five different experiments, so there are a few options to consider when scheduling your lessons. Pick and choose your favorite lessons to do. Do one a … [Read more...]