Ellina had a summer job in Nepal, so we took the opportunity to visit. Nepal is a very interesting country, and it’s worth studying. Bring this country into your classroom for an exciting lesson at any time of the year. Nepal is mostly a rural country, but it has some… Continue reading
Your neighborhood may or may not have a farmers market, but just think how many things you can learn in a lesson about farmers markets: science, social studies, environmental literacy, economics, even art and technology. Here are some of our favorite farmers market lesson plans: Kindergarten Start your kindergarteners off… Continue reading
The story of Aladdin comes from The Arabian Nights or The 1,001 Nights, a collection of traditional stories from the Middle East. In the story, a young boy is approached by a man who claims to be his uncle. Actually a powerful magician, the supposed uncle leads Aladdin to a… Continue reading
The Couch Potato is a picture book by Jory John and Pete Oswald. It’s about a potato. Not a small potato, a sweet potato, or a mashed potato, but a couch potato. “I spend all my free time sitting in this exact spot,” the potato admits. “If the most important… Continue reading
Taino Tales: The Secret of the Hummingbird contains just one Taino Tale. In the story, a Taino girl falls invoke with a Carib boy. The Taino and Carib, bit Caribbean indigenous peoples, were traditional rivals. Here’s background information on the two groups: What Became of the Taino? Taíno: Indigenous… Continue reading
“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
Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521) was the first conquistador to visit Florida. He was the first Governor of Florida and of Puerto Rico. But he may be best known for his quest to find the Fountain of Youth. Juan Ponce de Leon was born in Spain and grew up to… 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
