Pockets versus Aprons
“You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole”, my friend shared this idiom when I was trying to teach my daughter to read the traditional way I had been taught, despite her learning differences. I remember feeling insulted.…
Our Wonderful Alphabet: Ox, House, Stick!
When you consider that the alphabet plays such a HUGE role in our daily lives, consider the fact that most of us don’t know much about the history of those 26 letters! Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet…
Twelve MORE Tips for the Road
And just like that, our time around the virtual campfire is coming to a close. Though you may not have been able to warm your hands, my hope is that something on the blog warmed your heart. Thank you for…
Leonardo’s Flying Machine
Campfire Tip #12: Be like Leonardo Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath (someone whose knowledge spans many different subjects and has an enormous body of knowledge.) Look • Imagine • Create Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was not…
Struggling Writers: Filling the Gaps
Campfire Tip #11: Remediate to Read & Write Does your student struggle to spell well? Stumble to decode simple words and phrases? Does your student struggle with lingering ELA COVID delays? Or do you have a student who just needs…
One Bite at a Time: Long Research Writing
Campfire Tip #10: One Bite at a Time “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time,” or so the saying goes. That’s also the mindset one must adopt when tackling the year-long research essay, known…
Books: FUNding Knowledge
Campfire Tip #9: Read Books! I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to grow up in rural Virginia because I’ve read Bridge to Terabithia. I know how veterinarians assist cows giving birth because I’ve read All Creatures Great and…
Pencils Are Magic
Campfire Tip #8: Pencils are the Best Technology Sometimes, I get a piece of student writing that sounds a little off. No misspellings, perfect punctuation, stays on topic—but something doesn’t seem quite right. No matter where I look amidst the…
Gems of Art and the Section 5 Project
Campfire Tip #7: Encourage Creativity If you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want some syrup to go with it—but if you give a girl an octopus book and some thread, she just might make the most gorgeous pillow you’ve…
Print Shop for Elementary and Middle School
Campfire Tip #6: Offer Independent Writing Skills Practice Print Shop is a Blackbird & Company New Year Resolution! Print Shop downloads offers an awesome opportunity to set your students into independent writing activities. We are building a collection of downloadable…