Tech Tool of the Month: WriteReader

In honor of World Storytelling Day (celebrated on March 20th), the tech tool of the month for March is WriteReader. If you aren’t familiar with World Storytelling Day, it is a global celebration of oral storytelling! On this day, people are encouraged to tell and listen to stories in as many languages as possible (and … read more »

What’s the Buzz: Instructional Scaffolding for Technology Integrated Lessons

Instructional scaffolding is a support structure that good teachers use all of the time.  We design lessons in a number of ways to encourage students as they try to attain the lesson’s goals. Scaffolding lessons requires additional effort during the planning phase.  The extra preparation affords you the opportunity to take on the role of facilitator during … read more »

Tech Tool of the Month: MySciLife

Cast your imagination out and think about what it would be like to LIVE as a cell or a tsunami or a liver. This month’s tech tool encourages students to think about this type of question. MySciLife is a free social learning platform, created for grades 6-9. Participation is entirely FREE, and MySciLife offers educators … read more »

4 Sites for Using Trade Books in the Classroom

Do you use trade books in your classroom? Research has proven the many benefits of using trade books for instruction. This article from Scholastic features literary successes achieved by providing students with a variety of diverse reading material. Everyone agrees that using a wide variety of reading materials is good practice. However, this provides some … read more »

Teaching Geography in the Classroom – Maps, Maps, and More Maps!

I remember geography as a subject taught with worksheets and maps pulled down in front of the chalkboard. A well-stocked classroom contained several maps to choose from – state, country, and the world. If you were fortunate, the teacher selected you to come to the front of the room to point to places on the … read more »