After spending so much time at home this summer, I’m paying attention more attention to our house. What I really mean is that I’ve spent a fair amount of time being both relieved that I’m not working and incredibly stressed and depressed that I haven’t been chosen for a teaching position at the districts I’ve …
I enjoy my daily morning walks, especially during the summer before it gets too hot. A few days ago I was out, walking kind of slow because Biggie was recovering from an unfortunate trash-bag gastrointestinal extravaganza. Because of the lazier pace, I was particularly appreciative of the natural beauty around me and I spotted an …
I like to take long walks first thing in the morning. (Biggie and his diabetes do too, but that’s another post.) When Joe can’t join me, I put an AirPod into my left ear and listen to podcasts while I walk, and I’m usually going to listen to Revisionist History. Malcolm Gladwell is my favorite …
This is an outline for connecting three lessons – reading, writing, and science – with a singular theme: dogs! It was created for 5th grade standards. https://smartasheck.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Connected-Learning-Reading-Science-and-Writing-.pdf
This lesson, using the inductive model of teaching, might also be appropriate for younger students, but it addresses a 5th grade science standard. 5th Grade Science Lesson – Gravity
This lesson was created to teach students how to decode the meaning of difficult academic terms based on their Greek and Latin roots. 4th Grade ELA Lesson Plan
My friend Daniel shared an interesting post on Facebook: his top-ten books that have “stayed with him.” I take that to mean: books that are almost integral to your personality; books that you’ve read several times in your life that continue to be meaningful and thought-provoking. I LOVE the idea of this list, especially while …
This lesson plan was originally written for a pedagogy class, but I used the bones of it extensively through the 2021-2022 school year in my third grade classroom. 3rd Grade Process Approach to Writing
There’s a pub in town called The Royal Falconer. When we first moved to our city, we lived in walking distance of this pub, and it was a frequent date spot. It’s where I first met Scotch eggs. If you’ve never heard of a Scotch egg, here’s a quick description: it’s a peeled hard …
What is your life like today, compared to one year ago? I read my post from last year, where I wrote about starting a new job. That was certainly a “big” deal for our family. During the ensuing school year, though, things stayed about the same. Then a bunch of “new” stuff happened as summer …