“Cinderella” is one of the best-known and best-loved of all fairy tales, and for good reason. It’s a dramatic story with a strong moral. The story tells of a virtuous, hard-working young girl who is mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters and forced to sit among the ashes and… Continue reading
Mysteries are all around us — why not in the classroom? Research and Technology Josepha has been working with young interns, and I’ve been teaching Freshman Comp, so we can tell you that two things are true about the kids who leave our high schools: Employers and college teachers expect… Continue reading
Whales are the biggest things your students can readily imagine. They’ll certainly be welcome in your classroom. We like to start a study of whales with a research project covering the basics: Begin by getting to know the physical characteristics of whales. One of the most important physical characteristics of… Continue reading
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. In 2017, the people of Puerto Rico voted on whether to become the 51st state in the Union, and the vast majority of voters said yes. In November, 2020, a majority of voters said yes to statehood. Puerto Rico was devastated… Continue reading
Many cultures have trickster tales: stories about a clever person or animal who plots to play tricks on others. Sometimes the tricksters have an undercurrent of danger, sometimes they’re mean, sometimes they’re foolish, and sometimes they’re just funny. Anansi the Spider, Jack of stories like “Jack the Giant-Killer,” and Coyote… Continue reading
A circus theme is perfect for summer, and festive for back to school, too. While this theme is most obviously suited to preschool and early elementary classrooms, older classes could look at Picasso’s circus paintings, check out the Ringling Brothers’ elephant conservation efforts, or do research on the history of… Continue reading
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! has become our traditional graduation keepsake, but it’s great for any age. It’s an encouragement for life, beginning with “Congratulations! Today is your day” and ending with, “Kid, you’ll move mountains!” In between, the book alternates between the elation of, “Wherever you go, you’ll top… Continue reading
Trees are an essential element of our ecosystem. Get ready for Arbor Day by learning about trees, or just refresh your classroom with a sylvan theme. Dress your bulletin board with a Classroom Tree bulletin board set, and use a good tree saying: “We’re TREEmendous!” “Having a TREEriffic Year!” “Our… Continue reading
Many of your students may be unfamiliar with the Marshall Islands. While many Marshallese people live in the United States, particularly in Arkansas and Hawaii, the Marshall Islands are a small nation. Let’s start with some basic background information: Find background information about the Marshall Islands. Here are some useful… Continue reading
The story of The Blind Men and the Elephant is a simple one: a group of unsighted men have their first encounter with an elephant. Since they approach the beast from different perspectives, they all end up with different impressions of the elephant. The man who feels the elephant’s side… Continue reading
