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
Do you have public art in your town? We live in towns with plenty of public art, and you may, too. Here are some forms of neighborhood art: statues fountains murals art installations If you can’t think of any examples like this from your town, look a little further… Continue reading
Community helpers and careers plans go together. For younger students, you may focus more on the community helpers aspect, recognizing the grownups in their neighborhoods, while older students may focus more on the jobs they might choose to hold when they grow up. We think it’s a continuum, with an… Continue reading
When we study about communities, there are three things we can mean by the word “community.” Usually we study all of them. A community is a place. Learn to read the name of the town where you live, find it on the map, and identify your own neighborhoods, the location of… Continue reading
The Emperor’s New Clothes is a fun story, with little magic and nothing scary in it. The title links to Virginia Lee Burton’s classic picture book. The Emperor’s New Clothes: A Tale Set in China is Demi’s version. Susanna Davidson has done a simpler version with very funny pictures younger… Continue reading
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is one of the stories from1001 Arabian Nights. This is one of the more complex stories among popular fairy tales. Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter, is in the forest one day when he hears a band of thieves coming. Frightened, he hides. He… Continue reading
“Puss in Boots” is one of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, of “Cinderella” fame. It is not as well-known to today’s kids as “Cinderella,” but the character’s inclusion in the “Shrek” movies and the Dreamworks film have made Puss, if not the story, popular again. Share it with classes… Continue reading
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
