Posted in Award Winning Books, Covid 19 Teach-from-home!, perserverance, traditional topics, non-traditional teaching, Trending technology, writing

“Isolated and together,” Preventive closures, day 1

“Let’s find a way to be isolated, and together at the same time,” says Mo Willems, who is the number one author for grades pre-school-2. Mostly because of his Elephant and Piggie, and Pigeon franchise.Screen Shot 2020-03-17 at 11.17.24 AM

Out of new, strange necessity, Mr. Willems decided to create a new live program: “Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems”  to keep kids creative and engaged (with

Graphic from Mo Willems Lunchtime Doodles
Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems

 

something other than Netflix, Disney+ and video games). He teaches how to doodle and he is a silly man (who is just so likable!!) and like many authors and people whose job it is to be public figures, not able to be in the public right now, so….enjoy him and enjoy whatever time you can get your kids to spend with him, and YOU.

Speaking of GETTING kids to SPEND time, I have to say I was both inspired by a colleague’s schedule she created for her kids (It’s AMAZING!)90240069_10219158019873950_531948265298460672_n (1)

and shamed by the fact that I not only A. Failed to create such a schedule, and B. know that if I proposed such a schedule my own teenagers would laugh in my face and not be interested in hearing me read aloud, even! But I DO DIFFERENT VOICES, I’d plead again. “Yes, mom, we know. It’s awkward.”

“Well, my students love it!” I mean, most of them, I think.

Anyway, please be easy on yourselves if you have no such rigorous plan. Do what you can, and please check on Google Classroom. I’ll be posting an instructional video to do so, as well as other lessons and reading ideas. Here’s our district-wide set of suggestions for tech, reading and STEM activities for now.

 

 

Posted in Awesome Apps, Best Books, traditional topics, non-traditional teaching, writing

On Creating a Creepy “Voice”

This Halloween week was about scary stories: both reading them and writing them. We (4-6th graders) used Storybird (www.storybird.com) and searched “creepy” artwork, then started writing! Here’s a quick synopsis via “book trailer” of “The Graveyard Book” narrated by Author Neil Gaiman (also author of “Coraline”):

https://youtu.be/P_UUVwTaemk

Also, here’s a link to an excerpt I read from the first chapter of “The Graveyard Book.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/books/chapters/chapter-graveyard-book.html?_r=0I

I read it with a flashlight under my face and played creepy music. Then we wrote!!

Here’s our targets by the end of the next two weeks which I have slated for the young Stephen Kings to complete their projects:

I can use a variety of technology tools to organize and present data and information.

I cancreate an original response to a writing prompt and establish a tone appropriate to the task.
Check out the book (the real physical copy; all the Mead elementary schools should have it! And read it with a flashlight under your chin!
photo 3photo 2(P.S. Grade 3 classes did a screen-time study after a reading of Goodnight Ipad and first and second graders worked on National Geographic Online–the Halloween games section 🙂