Poetry is an art form, and poets like Shakespeare, Yeats, and Dr. Seuss bring pleasure to millions. Poetry is central to songs, too, from ballads to rock. But there’s another use of poetry which might be more familiar to your students: commercial jingles. Study them as a fun diversion… Continue reading
The Blues are an important American musical form. Here’s a classroom lesson plan that works on poetry as well as listening skills. Listen to some blues: Blues Journey and Texas Blues at Artsedge; you can explore further with related lesson 12 Bar Blues . Even Kids Get The Blues by the… Continue reading
April is National Poetry Month. Most of us teach poetry at some time, for some reason. Whether it’s nursery rhymes for essential pre-reading skills for the littlest students or sonnets for the AP exam, rhymes to help remember math facts or opportunities to express emotion in acceptable forms, most… Continue reading
Novels are a wonderful way to get a deeper sense of a time period, and there are some excellent novels for kids and young adults set during the Civil War. Here are some of our favorites: Pink and Say, by Patricia Polacco, is a very touching book, and very sad.… Continue reading
Learn about Greek mythology and the earth science explanation of the seasons by studying the story of Persephone, the goddess of spring. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved dearly. As Persephone grew up, she became so lovely that… Continue reading
Jump!, by Scott M. Fischer, is fun any time of year, but we see it as a great choice for the beginning of school, when we all have to get used to getting up and getting going again. The book shows one creature after another sleeping or going about its… Continue reading
Christina Rossetti wrote, “Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I,” but understanding the wind is essential to understanding weather. March is a traditional time to study about the wind. With young children, kites and other wind-powered toys are a great way to introduce the topic. Here are some links… Continue reading
Meet standards for art, social studies, and physical education all at the same time with a study of Irish dance. Irish step dancing has been practiced widely in Irish-American communities throughout the U.S. for many years, but it only came to the notice of the general public when Riverdance became… Continue reading
The Sneetches and Other Stories was published in 1961. It includes “The Sneetches” and three other stories. The story is simple, but the ideas are complex and far-reaching enough to make this a good Dr. Seuss choice for older readers. Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The… Continue reading
