This Year’s Shipment Of Stress Balls For Students Has Arrived!
Every year, right about this time, I get stress balls for two-to-four of my students who have a lot of energy and self-control challenges. Research shows that clenching muscles can be helpful for self-control, but since I don’t feel comfortable recommending that action, I give them stress balls. I give it to certain students after asking them to commit to never throwing it or giving it to another
What A Great Series Of Videos “Uncle Drew”
Wendi Pillars (you can read her blog here and follow her on Twitter here) sent me this great series of videos. Here’s what she wrote: They’re rich for material! Perception, bias, expectations, “acting one’s age”, advertisement as persuasion…etc…. I agree. They’d be particularly good for a Theory of Knowledge class when discussing perception, and, as Wendi mentions, great for any class studying adv
“My Most Popular Parent Engagement Posts In 2013″
I’ve just published My Most Popular Parent Engagement Posts In 2013 over at my other blog, Engaging Parents In School. I thought readers of this blog might find it interesting….
Quote Of The Day: “Close Reading and Far-Reaching Classroom Discussion”
Close Reading and Far-Reaching Classroom Discussion: Fostering a Vital Connection is a paper written by Catherine Snow and Catherine O’Connor for the International Reading Association. It offers some important warnings for all educators. Here’s an excerpt: Thanks to my colleague Lara Hoekstra for passing the article along. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Close Reading”
Helpful Infographic For Job Interviews: “There Are No Stupid Questions”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Websites For Students Exploring Jobs & Careers: by NowSourcing. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.
This Month’s ASCD’s “Educational Leadership” Is Now Online — Here Are My Recommendations
Tackling Informational Text is the theme of this month’s ASCD Educational Leadership, and it’s now online. Here are the articles there I’d particularly recommend: One to Grow On / Invitations to Read is by Carol Ann Tomlinson. Here’s how she ends it: You Want Me to Read What?! is by Timothy Shanahan. Points of Entry is a typically excellent piece by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher. I’m adding these
This Week In Web 2.0
In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth noting, but maybe not necessarily worth a separate post and generally — though not always — not worthy of being on a “The Best…” list (let me know if you think I’m wrong in my assess
“Recover From Bad Days by Seeing ‘Disasters as Opportunities’”
Recover From Bad Days by Seeing ‘Disasters as Opportunities’ is my new Education Week Teacher post, and it’s a good one. It includes a response from Roxanna Elden, who is one of the most engaging and entertaining education writers around. Her contribution is followed by guest responses from two other exceptional educators and authors — Allen Mendler and Julia Thompson. I also share some advice. I’
YESTERDAY
Three Useful Common Core “Cheat Sheets”
Here are three useful short and visual summaries of important things teachers should know and remember about the Common Core. I’m adding them to The Most Useful Resources For Implementing Common Core: I really like the chart you’ll find at the Hechinger report titled Six ways Common Core changes English and math classrooms. CCSS 2013 Annual Conference from Center for Public Education Explor
Special Edition Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy
Usually, I just post one “round-up” of articles on ed policy issues each week, but I’ve got a big backlog. Here’s a special edition: The State of California has rightfully decided to bypass most state standardized tests this year as we prepare for the new Common Core assessments. Arne Duncan is not pleased: Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million is from Ed Source.
EDpuzzle Is An Innovative Video Site
EDpuzzle is a new innovative site that lets you take just about any video off the web, edit it down to the portions you want, add audio notes and questions for students, and create virtual classrooms where you can monitor individual student work. For free. Though I’m not a big fan of the flipped classroom (see The Best Posts On The “Flipped Classroom” Idea), I would imagine the site might be an i
Important Article — ” Ninth Grade: The Most Important Year in High School”
The Atlantic just published what I think is a pretty important article titled Ninth Grade: The Most Important Year in High School (and I’m not just saying that because I primarily teach ninth-graders). Here’s how it begins: Educators are increasingly focusing on the ninth grade as the year that determines whether a young person will move on or drop out of school. According to research published i
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 11-2-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYThe Best Videos Of Tom Lehrer’s SongsReaders may or may not know about Tom Lehrer, the mathematician turned songwriter and performer who was particularly popular in the 1960′s (and who is still around today). His satirical songs poked fun at many topical subjects, and I still remember heari