Category Archives: Uncategorized

I received this from JeanMarie Courtney about Vocabulary Building and Comprehension–What Works and Doesn’t Work. It’s excellent, and worth a read. “It is difficult to argue against the importance of vocabulary development when it comes to reading and learning across … Continue reading →

I just found the kind of soap crayons that my children (and grandchildren) used to write their spelling words on the tub walls. Practicing a few words  each day (the ones they are finding harder) helped kinesthetically get the eidetic … Continue reading →

Today a second-grade student was having some difficulty doing an entry logging her Abe Lincoln book into her Literary Journal. Noting that she was copying the teacher’s model letter by letter (or 2 letters at a time max), I asked … Continue reading →

One of my kids has had a heck of a time getting started with a new nonfiction story. I’ve seen this before. It’s one of the executive functions (Initiate, Sustain, Inhibit, Shift)—things we do with our attention. I think he … Continue reading →

Microsoft in its infinite wis-dumb made Windows updates that made my old timer program cease to work. Thanks again, Windows. But…I found one that works quite well, and it runs full-screen. Countdown Timer Type in the minutes you want it … Continue reading →

I only needed a snippet of a YouTube video, and ran across this handy online tool: TubeChop. Copy the video’s link from any YouTube, paste it into TubeChop, and move the sliders or type in the starting point and ending … Continue reading →

Ever want a hardcover book that you have authored? Kids love to see their name on the cover of a book they have authored. We did it the hard way, because now Lulu.com has new book templates to make the … Continue reading →

On their “Choice Time”, the Third Graders were playing logic games on Math Playground yesterday, and it seemed like fun. Third Graders can zero in on the best games to play on game websites, and here’s what they were playing: … Continue reading →

http://whenisgood.net/Create We’re trying to nail down a meeting time between 4 specialists and 4 teachers for a time to meet. I was just sent this website, and it will work perfectly for finding the right time for a 1/2-hour meeting. … Continue reading →

Our students in Fourth Grade are studying Native Americans, and I needed an activity to cement in what a wampum belt was. It’s a doing-type of group, so they made virtual wampum belts as I read to them. You can … Continue reading →