Small Reads for Brighters Days
Maybe you’re reading more poetry with your students these days? If reading poetry aloud has you a bit intimidated, check out my Tips for Reading Poetry Aloud in Your Classroom! This is what I created during National Poetry Month in 2015, but the techniques haven’t changed! Speed, sound effects, discussion—I cover them all here! Download […]
It’s National Poetry Month, and I hope you’re having a great time with poetry and your students. I’m usually so busy creating new things that I sometimes forget to share resources I already have. So during my April Curriculum Connections posts, I’ll be pointing you toward some of my resources you might helpful, whether it’s […]
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. I used to work as a personal care assistant for young adults with autism, and that impacted my creation of Clover, the main character in Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten. She shares some characteristics with some kids on the spectrum—most notably her sensitivity to sensory input. (I share […]
A full moon’s coming up on March 28 (the Worm Moon). Here’s a great STEM activity (math model) for your students if you’re teaching in person. It’s from the teaching guide to If You Were the Moon. This is one of loads of activities (across many content areas) in the guide that Randi Sonenshine created. […]
April Fool’s is coming up, and it’s a day I have to be on my toes. I’ve had cream cheese deodorant (yep) and other “fun” tricks over the years. With both kids grown, I just now have to be on the lookout for whatever Randy is up to! But remembering the cream cheese makes me […]
One thing first: Tonight’s the night! I’m hosting one more Write Alone Together: today, Wed, Mar 10 at 6pm Central Time, for one hour. Click the image for the free registration page. Feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested! Now…on to Classroom Connections! All around, you can find signs of animals […]
I so love it when kids (or grown-ups) do their own writing inspired by something I wrote! A virtual book club of 2nd graders at Spradley Elementary in Frisco, TX, read Lion of the Sky and wrote their own zoo-ku in response. Aren’t those fabulous? Can you guess the animals? I love seeing how students […]
Read Across America Day is coming up soon, which immediately makes me think of Dr. Seuss! It’s March 2, and you can find out more here. Meanwhile, if you don’t have any guest readers for your classroom, share a readaloud! I’ve got tons (okay, maybe not tons, but lots) right here. There’s nonfiction, fiction, and […]
A leaf is a leaf. It bursts out each spring when sunny days linger and orioles sing. –Laura Purdie Salas, from A Leaf Can Be… Up here in Minnesota, it’ll be a while yet before spring comes. But those of you in other areas might already be seeing buds on trees and shrubs that […]
Valentine’s Day is a great time to talk about how we love our families, even though our families might be different from our friends’ families. My book Meet My Family, a rhyming nonfiction picture book celebrating all kinds of families in the animal world, is a wonderful lead-in to this discussion. Sing and move to […]
