While we were in Rome with Google Earth, we saw a pizzeria on every corner. Pizza is perfect for studying fractions. Our friend Debby Picou showed us how to make a fractions center with pizza slice cutouts. Just fit them together into parts like 3/8 or 1/2 and glue them… Continue reading
Indonesian shadow puppets are intricately cut and beautifully painted — and then hidden behind a screen. Used to perform traditional folktales or stories from Hindu epics, these puppets are one of the most characteristic art forms of Indonesia. The concept is simple: put a solid shape behind a transparent… Continue reading
Japan’s lucky cats, or Maneki Neko, have become a popular good luck charm or symbol. The original story tells of a white cat at the Gotoku-ji temple. The temple was poor, and the monks living there struggled with cold and hunger, yet they shared their food with the cat.… Continue reading
The Lambikin is a folk tale from India. It is not very well known in the United States, so it would be a good one to use when you have a class that is tired of all the folktales they already know. In the story, the Lambikin is going to his… Continue reading
The Five Chinese Brothers was written by Claire Huchet Bishop in 1938. While it is generally described as a Chinese folktale, I haven’t found any earlier collections of it. The story begins, “Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers, and they all looked exactly alike.” Each brother… Continue reading
It would be nice if Asian Pacific Heritage Month were no longer needed. It would be nice if our history lessons made it clear that the United States has had Asian American presence and contributions for just about as long as we’ve been the United States. It would be… Continue reading
Folk and fairy tales are suggested in our state frameworks for students from kindergarten through middle school. They are a good example of a literary form, great for studying story elements, and always bring up interesting character points. One fairy tale that’s well suited to multiple grade levels is Jack and… Continue reading
Making cookies shaped like your state is an easy, multisensory geography lesson. You can use paper or whole wheat bread instead of cookies, but we find that people remember the lesson better with gingerbread. Start with a state-shaped cookie cutter. Have students use it to cut out cookie dough or… Continue reading
Tigers as a classroom theme can lead you to a number of interesting topics in science, social studies, and literature. Continue reading
