Environmental literacy is a matter of understanding and appreciating the natural world. Many of our students don’t understand the interconnectedness of living things, don’t recognize the effects of their actions on the world we live in, and therefore can’t make responsible decisions about their use of resources. With concerns… Continue reading
“21st Century Skills”: a common buzzword in the classroom, but just what does it mean? The Partnership for 21st Century Skills lists these: Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes English, reading or language arts World languages Arts Mathematics Economics Science Geography History Government and Civics Global awareness Financial, economic,… Continue reading
Math is an essential 21st century skill, but we’ll have to make changes in how we teach it, and maybe even in how we think about it. Continue reading
Google Earth is a terrific resource for your science classroom, even when you’re studying space rather than Earth. Start by downloading Google Earth. It’s fast and free. Once it’s installed on your computer (fairly automatic — you might have to give permission, but otherwise it’ll install itself), just open… Continue reading
There are so many ways to use video in the classroom! It’s easier than ever to make video recordings and to share them, so much so that video can now be part of your standard repertoire for assessment and instruction. film student projects correspond with video pen pals write… Continue reading
My first day of class had some unusual moments. For example, when I arrived in my classroom, it had apparently been having a party over the weekend. There were stacks of cardboard, folders, CD players and CDs, and enormous canvases strewn hither and yon. The tables had gouges in their… Continue reading
Reading online is different from reading physical books. Note how these students interact with mouse and keyboard immediately. Continue reading
For Halloween, for a new way to get reluctant readers to enjoy the classics, or just for fun, try some vampire lessons. English Start with vampire literature: Vunce Upon a Time is a heartwarming story from the illustrator of Olive, the Other Reindeer. Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots is part… Continue reading
Google Earth is a wonderful free tool for the classroom. Use it for studying your community. Click on the link to download it. A couple of years ago I asked Josepha how she used Google Earth and she said that she looked at stuff and said, “Ooooh!” This is… Continue reading
Monkeys make a fun classroom theme, or a fun element of your jungle, zoo, or wild animal classroom theme. Get your room ready for monkey lessons with a ready-made monkey bulletin board set. For bulletin board headlines, you can use something like this: “Monkeying Around…” with math or whatever the… Continue reading
