What a Discovery I Made! Illustrator Violet Lemay simply had to do something after the Uvalde school shooting. So, she began drawing pictures of the victims and sharing them through Instagram. (Image is from Violet LeMay’s Instagram account.) There, Alithia Ramirez’s father discovered her tribute and reached out. He felt connected to this artist named […]
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Within a week, people throughout America will be enthralled by a solar eclipse. This celestial event will force the world to slow down and gaze into the Heavens. As an inquiry-based teacher for over 25 years, I would have researched and provided insightful experiences on how to learn about anything for my kindergarten and first
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High heels—really? How could high heels help my kindergartners learn? Quiet Brooke knew her love for shoes would change us all. Because her mom strongly supported her, they found facts galore. Brooke used her knowledge of letters and sounds to write these facts in her own way on her display board. Did you know men
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Service Learning Projects… at School? Don’t you just love a good story about children changing the world? What more impactful time than the days following 9/11? You probably have a dramatic 9/11 story of your own. So many beautiful stories surfaced in all the pain and shock. First I’d like to start this series with
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From the Teacher’s Desk Author Laura Numeroff changed our first-grade world in Room #202. Every time I sat in our Author’s Chair to read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or any of its subsequent variations), little ones squealed. Everything Starts With A Great Book You know the stories. Most of them start with
Author Studies that Changed My Children’s Writing: Laura Numeroff Read More »
“On rainy mornings my granddad used to ride a horse and carrage to scool.” “Now Grandma liks Jesus music. Back then, she liked the Beetles Rock and Roll.” There’s just something magical about little kids explaining how their grandparents lived. One of my favorite studies in first grade was our learning about “Life Long
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You never say “Yes” to anything. Ever heard of Grey’s Anatomy? Shonda Rhimes is its critically-acclaimed and award-winning creator and executive producer. Although I’m not a television enthusiast, I was struck by the premise in her secular 2015 book, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own
Yes, Lord- Confirming the Work of Our Hands Read More »
How do authors promote their books effectively? During my thirty years of teaching, I had the privilege of hosting incredible authors in my classroom and school. I believe the ideas I’ve documented from their visits will help us as we plan our own author visits. Sharing stories with children brings challenges. Some authors thrive in
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Remember The Best Christmas Pageant Ever? Author Barbara Robinson penned the antics of the Herdman kids hearing the Christmas story for the first time. One of my favorite memories was watching twenty-two first-graders squeeze closer to her for a photo. As the kids bumped, she laughed. “Wouldn’t this be a great idea for a
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“So, tell me about the new kid,” a kindergarten parent said. “New kid?” I questioned. “You know, Jerry. All we hear lately is Jerry and the cool things he’s doing.” “Jerry Pallotta?” I laughed. “He’s not a new kid. He’s the author we’re studying – the one coming for a school visit.” On his author
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