Lefties unite! Today, August 13, is Left Hander’s Day. I’m not sure how a leftie is supposed to celebrate this day. It might be fun to challenge your right-handed pals to complete a variety of tasks using only their left hands. I’ve read that left-handed folks rely mostly on the right sides of their brains…
April is National Poetry Month. Please don’t require every student to write a poem this month. Please, please, please. Okay, I take that back. Maybe writing poetry is part of your curriculum and this is a necessary assignment. If you have the flexibility, and I hope you do, I suggest you celebrate National Poetry Month…
Whether your students are writing, drawing, or both you’re sure to agree that this easy-to-prepare St. Patrick’s Day activity is golden! After all, what could be more fun than imagining how a leprechaun will use his black pot after its gold is gone. CLICK HERE for a pot pattern. Reduce the pattern size as needed…
Recently, I saw that there was an unofficial holiday in November titled, “I Love to Write Day.” Now I know that as a teacher you want every single day to be “I Love to Write Day!” And that’s tough, because many youngsters find writing to be frustrating and/or dull. Fortunately, we have lots of writing…
• never wore a powdered white wig? • wore what would today be considered a size 13 shoe? • stood at six feet two inches tall? • ran unopposed for the first President of the United States? • was 57 years old when he took office? • didn’t have a middle name? • was the…
Since I have a thing for alliteration, I’m calling this idea “One Thing Thursday.” But honestly, the idea can be called “One Thing Monday,” “One Thing Tuesday,” “One Thing Wednesday,”—you get the idea. And here is the idea. Pick one day of the week and routinely invite students to respond in writing (or verbally for…
Early this morning before sunrise, I heard the faint hoot of an owl. Hoooot. Hoooot. I walk my pooch every morning, and this was the first time I’d heard the hoot. Being new to the neighborhood, I was curious. When I met a neighbor who was also walking his dog, I asked about the owl….
Sometimes the best things in the world are the simplest things. For example, take a look at this pattern. It’s so simple! Yet it’s one of my favorite patterns available on our website. Why? Just think of all its uses! Post a picture from a magazine that shows a person. Give each child a speech…
Why are fortune cookies so irresistible? Yes, they’re yummy if you like crunchy sweets. And yes, I like sweets of all kinds. Yet, in the case of a fortune cookie, it’s that little paper that peeks out between the cookie layers that I find quite irresistible. This week, I shared a good laugh with a…
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…