What do the circulatory system, WW1, the life-cycle of a star, Samuel Adams, great characters from exceptional stories, and a single spring from the workings of an ink pen have in common? Why human potential, of course. Interdisciplinary…

It began back in November with our iModannari after Rothko who  thought that the greatest paintings were the ones that captured a moment of stillness. What better way to enter into the Thanksgiving season. Rothko painted rectangles. But he blurred the…

It's December in California, so we took to the great outdoors to tackle a master class. The mentor? None other than Fra Angelico.  Before tackling this Fra Angelico project, take a bit of advice from Leonardo: "It's easier to resist…

  Celebrate the many colors of Wassily Kandinsky and practice the math of concentricity in the process. Kandinsky connected color to sound. What an awesome metaphor: "The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find…

  When is a family like a map? Take a virtual trip to Paris to explore the metaphor! This is the story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and…

Every journey through a Blackbird & Company literature discovery guide ends with a final project for the student to create and present. It’s usually everyone’s favorite activity and it gives them an opportunity to extend their time with a story…

Claude Monet's birthday was a November celebration. Imagine the Impressionist in his garden, over 100 years ago, painting something wonderful.  After reading A Blue Butterfly by Bijou Le Tord, I set my students free to watercolor butterflies in all shades of…

  Reading a book is a journey. From Los Angeles to New York you’ll travel through the city and the countryside meeting wonderful people and seeing new and exciting places. Let the journey begin! (Hat tip to Reading Rainbow.) Take your 2nd grader…

Here we are again, First-Days-of-School upon us. All of us teachers are certainly prepared with a hefty handful of academic goals, each comprised of an even heftier handful of learning objectivStill I can't help but smile, as Fall sneaks in…

Use Blackbird & Company’s Earlybird Spring Literature and Writing Discovery Guide to plant a Chinese vegetable garden! The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin tells the tale of a little girl who helps her mother grow some very unusual vegetables while…