It is easy to complain about how celebrity culture can be an unhealthy influence on young people. The world is full of “superstars” whose behavior is not what we want our students or our children to emulate—to say nothing of their grammar. But I recently read about a teacher in Brazil who turned bad-celebrity-grammar into … Continue reading
I live in a houseful of cats, so when I spotted a small book with a cat on the cover and the title, I Could Pee on This I was more intrigued than appalled. Then I picked it up and started laughing out loud mid-bookstore. The book is all-too-real to cat owners, but also a … Continue reading
It is June in Michigan, which means the world is finally green again and the school year is ending. Sometimes, near the end of the school year, you need something that is just fun. If it meets a curriculum goal, that’s great, but there are those moments when we all just need a moment of … Continue reading
David Wiesner’s classic picture book Tuesday is a delight, and inspiration for creativity from preschool to graduate school. Tuesday is an almost wordless tale that begins “Tuesday evening, around 8:00.” It uses a series of wondrous watercolors to recount the story of swarms of toads and flying lilypads as they adventure through the night. Here, … Continue reading
Once in a while (OK, maybe more than once in a while) I find a blog post I really wish I’d written. Recently, while looking for resources suitable for silly family fun for April, I came across this 2011 post from The New York Times Education website, focusing on serious ways to teach comedy across … Continue reading
April is National Poetry Month! Have you written a poem yet? There are Poetry Month activities that allow budding poets of all ages to exercise their creativity. Older students and bloggers might want to participate in NaPoWriMo.net’s write-a-poem-a-day challenge. Check the NaPoWriMo’s blog for prompts and examples throughout the month. Or try something simpler. One … Continue reading
There are a lot of ways to tell stories. These days, a lot of them seem to use speech bubbles. Photo memes are everywhere, from the ever-present talking cats to political commentary. Graphic novels use comic book formats to tell increasingly sophisticated tales. So it occurred to me that adding speech bubbles to photos might … Continue reading
Have you ever read one of those “Choose Your Adventure” books, where you get to a sticky situation and it says something like: Evelyn decides to hide behind the rock. Go to page 27. Evelyn charges at the dragon. Go to page 35. The course of the story is dependent on your choices, and you … Continue reading
Ever had a day when every writing assignment you can think of feels dull? Here are some options to brighten your days, whether you are facing the dreary days of late Michigan winter or those end-of-school days that seem to last forever. TeachHub has a collection of video writing prompts that can be just the … Continue reading
This video has been making the rounds on Facebook, but it is worth repeating here–particularly as valentine thoughts are waning. In it, Noah and the Whale’s rendition of “Give a Little Love,” provides the background to a short story of cause, effect, and kindness. Think about how this video could be used to spark a … Continue reading
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