The Three Little Pigs is a classic story which all students ought to know. It can also make a great lead-in for lessons from economics, science, social studies, and art. As you may recall, this is the story of three little pigs who set out into the world to find… Continue reading
Carlo Collodi (pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) wrote his Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883. The book told the story of a wooden puppet who dreamed of being a real boy. American students usually are more familiar with Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film version of Pinocchio. In either version, the… Continue reading
The Frog Prince is another classic fairy tale written down by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, a princess is playing near a pond, and drops her golden ball in the water. A frog offers to get the ball for her, but only if she will let him live… Continue reading
In Aesop’s fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper, the ant works hard all summer while the grasshopper plays. Not only does the grasshopper play, but he actually taunts the hardworking ant. Come winter, the ant has plenty to eat and the grasshopper dies. The moral is clear: work hard… Continue reading
The national science standards mandate a set of topics for all studies of organisms: Their morphology — that is, their form, body parts, and other physical characteristics. Their lifecycles. Their habitats. Their relationships with humans. What are the relationships among insects and humans? When you think of insect interactions… Continue reading
The honeybee is our state insect, but it’s a great theme even if you don’t have that connection. A bee theme lets you be Busy Bees or The Bee’s Knees, to ask What’s the Buzz? or to Bee All you Can Bee, and to have Bee-Attitudes. You can get your room… Continue reading
Seven at One Blow or The Brave Little Tailor is a Grimm’s fairy tale about a tailor who swats seven flies at once, and is so proud of himself that he boasts to everyone that he has killed “seven at one blow.” When his listeners think he means that he… Continue reading
Teachers can tell when that kindergartener needs to be rushed into the bathroom, and we can also tell when that older student is texting under the table. There are some expressions you get to know. But in many classrooms across the country, cell phones are no longer confiscated. Instead,… Continue reading
I find myself in a lot of conversations on 21st Century skills — the things our students will need to know to compete in the global marketplace in the 21st century. The thing that strikes me about these conversations is how few of the people in them actually compete in… Continue reading
Many teachers have a favorite Back to School Lesson Plan to kick off the new school year. Heather McDonnell from Walter Turnbow Elementary suggested an unusual one. She studies skylines. Heather’s mission, she says, is “to bring the world to my classroom.” So she uses the Dr. Seuss bookOh,… Continue reading
