Posts Tagged ‘Writing’
Fun Activities for the Last Day of School
I don’t know who is more excited about the last day of school – the kids or the teacher! I read a blog by Janelle Cox on About.com/education and it reminded me of a fun activity I always used on the last day of school. Janelle’s blog is full of great ideas and you can read it in…
Read MoreHow to Communicate with Parents
The Value of Take-Home-Journals Keeping parents up to date on what is going on in the classroom is imperative as a teacher. My most successful communication method in my third grade classroom, was the Take- Home-Journal. I wanted parents to know what was happening but it needed to be personal and give my students writing practice.…
Read MoreRecommended Reading, Writing & Vocabulary Apps
Kids love to play on tablet devices. Why not give them some apps that will challenge their brains? These are some reading, writing and vocabulary apps that I recommend for the iPad. I’m sure there are similar apps for your computer or device. Shake-a-Phrase asks students to identify adjectives, nouns and verbs within the…
Read MoreMemorizing – Trains the Brain to Retain
This title reminds me of a line from a song in My Fair Lady, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” We may not know any other lines in the song, but we remember that one because it’s a type of mnemonic – a rhyme. Something is happening in our educational system and…
Read MoreJournal Writing – Just for Fun!
This is a sure-fire way to get your child writing. Buy 2 little blank books. One for your child and one for you. Talk about fun subjects, quotations and sayings, (get ideas from Thought for the Day book or Kid’s Writing Journal.) Try this writing prompt, “If I share what I have, it will make…
Read MoreWrite a love note to your child!
I was reading a blog written by Rhonda Cratty about the importance of writing little notes to our children. This is what she said about sharing a book together. Open a book; sharpen a pencil and write your child a love note about a book you are enjoying together. I promise your words will last…
Read MoreJournal Writing for Reluctant Writers
Writing can be daunting. So much to remember – spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, opening sentence, closing sentence and all that stuff in between! Our reluctant writers want no part of it, unless it’s short – very short. This is why journal writing is so effective. Kids can get away with a couple of sentences and it…
Read MoreVisual Vocabulary Memory Tip
Learning the meanings of new vocabulary words often stress kids out! Make it easy on them. Try making an association or rhyme and drawing a little picture to illustrate the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. Kinesthetic learners need to act out the words in order to remember. Not sure which learning style they are? Take…
Read MoreWhy I Wrote Thought for the Day
I love inspiring children to write. During my years in the classroom, I began every morning with an inspiring “Thought for the Day.” Students wrote a short paragraph as a journal entry. The thought for the day was either a quotation or saying that stimulated their thinking skills. The best part was watching them write…
Read MoreMy New Book, Thought for the Day is published!!
Hi everyone, Wow! This has been a busy time for me, getting my new book in print. It’s called Thought for the Day, 365 Journal Writing Prompts to Challenge Students to Write with Purpose and Meaning. When I was teaching in the elementary grades, I used quotations and sayings as a writing prompt every day.…
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