Who doesn’t have a memory of the classic pink eraser? Back when I was in elementary school, the eraser was at once a tool for writing and a tool for printmaking—yes, printmaking! Essential tools were paperclips, stamp pads, and blank…

TIP #2 Unplug! Increasingly in our world, we all know electronics have played a bigger and bigger role in our lives. With the advantage, comes a great deal of disadvantage we all are trying to mitigate, especially when it comes…

Back in January of 2023, we began the tradition of us teachers gathering ’round the virtual campfire to explore and encourage and inspire. It began like this: We want our students to read and write well. We want them to…

Feeling crafty? The best ideas begin with a book. “Based on Eric Carle’s recollection of his grandmother’s way of drawing a star (directions included), this seemingly simple story also provides insights into an artist’s private world of creativity.” I remember…

Did you know you can see 20 quadrillion miles away? That’s how far it is to the very brightest star in the sky, Cygnus. And, did you know every single star you see in the night sky is bigger and…

  “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ~Dr. Seuss Where do ideas come from? Ideas come from our fund of knowledge. When we have a…

When Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing colors, he heard sounds—yes, sounds! As he grew older, he discovered that he was synesthetic—able to hear colors singing and see sounds dancing.  You can learn all about this and more in…

One of the weekly activities in our CORE Integrated Literature and Writing is to write a linear recounting the plot of a given section. This activity might seem simple, but it is a simple activity that simultaneously teaches students writing…

I imagine this fifth grade student is full of all sorts of interesting ideas.  As I began to read the rough draft, my first thoughts were not the spelling errors or mechanical issues. What caught my attention was this young…

What is. There are. I am. These are passive phrases. But what about: sister is and heart is? Well, these are passive phrases too! When writers are constrained two ways—no passive verbs allowed and write an idea through the sense…