Are you a TpT seller or just someone with a LOT on your to-do list? I know I’m not alone. Thousands, if not millions, share my post-it-note-stacks-of-notebooks-hastily-scratched-paper-scrap-notes-to-self chaos. There’s a lot going on, and there are constant lists, ideas, and inspiration striking at all times of the day. Do you ever get that déjà vu sensation when you’re planning […]
Get out of Post-it Purgatory Read More »
Are you guilty? – of being a scientific method side-stepper? – a latter-steps neglecter? – all flash, but no bang? I’m a recovering latter-steps neglecter, and I want you to know there is hope & the grass is so much greener on the other side! Background I spent most of my ten years teaching 5th grade.
Scientific Method: Neglect & Regrets Read More »
Part 3: Drafting This is the third in a four-part series. Click to see Part 1: Brainstorming. Click to see Part 2: Outlining. I used to assume I didn’t need to model drafting paragraphs from outlines with students in grades 5th and up. They’d been writing paragraphs for 3+ years at that point, so they surely
Is Your Writing a Shack or a Mansion?_part 3 Read More »
Step 2: Outlines This is the second in a four-part series. Click to see Part 1: Brainstorming. Just as you need to create blueprints for a home, one has to plan the framework of an essay. Because I often teach planning and outlining before intro/opening and conclusion/closing paragraphs (OP and CP, respectively), I have students
Is Your Writing a Shack or a Mansion?_part 2 Read More »
How many houses do you suppose you have seen in your lifetime? Would you estimate the time you have spent inside houses to be considerable? If you close your eyes, can you vividly see the details of your dream home? Can’t you almost feel the front door handle in the palm of your hand? Yet, if
Is Your Writing a Shack or a Mansion?_part 1 Read More »
Baby or college student? Professors suggest there isn’t much difference. Recently, several articles have been popping up (like this one) in which colleges or employers decry the lack of resilience in their adult students or employees. Years of ever-increasing helicopter parenting and unconditional self-esteem building has resulted in adults so shielded from any sort of
Weak-Willed and Risk-Averse: STEMming the Tide of Fragile Cowards Read More »
Is less more, or is more more when it comes to teaching writing? When teaching writing, sometimes the most helpful thing is knowing when less is more and when more is more. Writing can be one of the hardest subjects to teach. Often, students don’t want to do it, and teachers don’t want to read
6 Ways to Survive Teaching Writing Read More »
In my last post, “In a Test-Weary World, Design!“, I laid out a chart comparing and contrasting STEM Design vs.”Traditional” Design. You might wonder why the “Traditional” is in quotation marks. Many people would consider traditional design in line with project-based learning (PBL). In a PBL approach, a content is typically taught through formal lessons
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Do you ever feel your class has lost that loving feeling? You know what I’m talking about – that buzz of I-love-learning electricity that signals to all that your class is THE place to be! Design challenges – STEM and otherwise – are a great way to get back on track. In a test-weary world,
In a Test-Weary World, DESIGN! Read More »
I recently read an article called “The downside of no downtime for kids” (that is their stylistic capitalization – not mine). It suggests, unsurprisingly, that over-scheduling denies children the opportunity to wonder, ask questions, and come to grow and develop their character. It got me thinking quality downtime is critical for everyone – young and old. I
The Elusive Work-Life Balance Read More »
