Holy hyphen! It’s National Punctuation Day! If this special day has sneaked up on you, no worries. Simply head over to themailbox.com and type “punctuation” in the search box. There’s 265 free student activities waiting for you! Narrow your search by grade level to quickly find the perfect activity for celebrating National Punctuation Day with your students. Check…
Language Arts
Editing Checklist
Posted by Jean Gentile on September 1, 2014 | Leave a comment Just what I needed, a quick edit checklist for the first week of school. It’s simple and a quick reminder of the basics! I’ll use this to ease students back into writing and help them be successful in the first few weeks. I…
Just Let Them Read!
I took three graduate level reading classes this summer and the underlining theme of all three courses was to give students time to read and talk about reading. We have overwhelmed students with busywork: reading worksheets, reading quizzes and reading test, all of which take away valuable reading time. I am blocking out time just…
What’s for Lunch?
For lunch today, I’m going to do my usual half sandwich with cheese, turkey, and avocado. I might get some chips from the vending machine because sometimes you just need something crunchy to go with your sandwich. It all depends on whether I can scrounge enough change from the bottom of my purse (or mooch…
“Seuss” the Week!
Forty-four books for children. Forty-four fun-to-read, fun-to-hear, and fun-to-look-at books for kids. Thank you, Dr. Seuss! When I discovered the author had written forty-four books, I began to wonder how many of the books I’ve read; so I went in search of a book list. That’s when things got interesting. What I learned is that…
Book Addiction
I stayed up too late last night, and I have only myself to blame. Or maybe, instead of blaming myself, I should blame a book. I had to read a book for my book club that meets this Friday. You see, I have been reading the books in the series A Game of Thrones, and…
Top 5 Things I’d Like to Note from 2013
2013. Just when it was getting interesting—with a surprise Beyonce album, an actual bipartisan budget deal in Washington, DC, and a Boston Red Sox World Series celebration duck boat parade—it’s time to turn the calendar over to 2014.* Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from The Mailbox in 2013. The Mailbox turned…
What Would You Miss?
Lately, I have been demonstrating creative activities for YouTube videos from The Mailbox. (They haven’t been posted quite yet, but they will be soon!) I found that sharing these fun activities takes me right back to the classroom. I almost feel like there should be a bunch of wiggly students gathered around me. (In reality,…
Write? Right.
Writing. It’s what I do (besides pining for the 1970s, referencing esoteric pop culture moments, and occasionally stirring the pots of debate surrounding cursive writing or corporal punishment in schools). It’s something I believe everyone should be able to do easily, though I know it is so hard for so many people. And it’s what…
Favorite Classroom Themes
Favorite Classroom Themes This morning, I had my first cup of hot chocolate of the season. It’s finally gotten chilly enough here in North Carolina for a hot beverage in the morning to taste pretty soothing. (Being a Michigan native, I’m all about cold weather—bring on the sweaters and scarves!) “Hot Chocolate” is actually one…