Thanksgiving Lesson Plans

Have you mapped out your Thanksgiving lessons yet? Perhaps you are struggling to find something different to spice up your holiday activities. Last year on this blog I shared some ideas for finding and using primary sources. This year I’d like to share an excellent source for lesson plans for all grade levels. You may … read more »

All about Me and Other People, Using Biographies in Instruction

The start of the school years is a time to get to know our students. Perennial favorite activities other than “what I did on my summer vacation” essays are “all about me” assignments. As students take a look at their own lives, this is a perfect time to add biographies to your class lessons. Reading … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: ABCYA Word Clouds

The ABCYA website offers a plethora of activities for the elementary crowd. This month’s Tech Tool features the ABCYA Word Clouds tool. Even our younger digital natives crave some cool tech tools to incorporate into their lessons. Although the tool is described as appropriate for grades K-5, it could be used with middle schoolers. Word Clouds … read more »

Ben Franklin’s Backstory as “Herstory”

Every summer around Independence Day, Benjamin Franklin and his importance to the birth of our nation are popular online searches. But many do not know that a quartet of women related to this founding father had useful, noteworthy lives themselves. We often hear little about the women who supported their more famous kin. Learning about … read more »