Creative writing prompts stimulate innovative minds and imagination. Anyone who writes, not just authors, experiences times when they can’t write a thing. Writing prompts help children and adults to overcome writers’ block. Teachers use writing prompts to stimulate students in various ways; it inspires imagination and critical thinking, problem-solving, innovative ideas, and is fun. We…
Phonemic awareness games may help your child read fluently. Research has shown that the quicker a child differentiates the sounds in a word, the faster they understand. According to the National Reading Panel report on Teaching Children to Read, teaching kids phonemic awareness significantly improved their reading in various age groups and grades. What is…
Dreaming big dreams and desiring to achieve something worthwhile is natural to people. Setting the concrete goals to achieve these dreams is a skill that everybody of all ages needs to learn. It’s not natural for adults; neither is it natural for kids. A study done at Dominican University showed that people who had written…
The below ‘S.M.A.R.T.’ template is published under Creative Commons. Feel free to share on your own blog, school site or social network. Over a 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln said “a goal set properly is halfway reached.” However, it’s harder to set a actionable goal rather than express a feeling or dream about the future….
It’s the first day of a new school year, and with it comes an entirely fresh group of students in your classroom. Each of these children have their own story – their own unique dreams, fears and goals. And you know none of them. Over time, you certainly will uncover these nuggets of information. But…
The children are home, and the summer activity routine has taken over. The day is full of driving to baseball practice, swim lessons, and trying to fit in some fun time at the beach as well. Maybe you have found the time to get your children involved with a monthly STEM subscription, Khan Academy lessons,…
Bryan likes to tell his children – unlike a diamond, what you do on the internet remains intact forever. The web is a tool – one that leaves a lasting impression with your actions, both good and bad. Whatever you do online is for the world to see. What is the digital legacy you will…
One of the best tools to raise your children’s emotional IQ and empathy are books. Reading a story with your children gives you ample opportunity to talk about the story, the cause of the emotions and what is the best way to act and react in a similar situation. Help your children improve their coping…
NEVER. READ. A. JOKE. Trust me, just don’t ever do it. As well written, as well crafted, as a joke may be, like a note of music, it must be played and performed. It must be told. The pause. The look. The voices. The nervous stammer for effect. It’s more important than any words on…
When we see how much time kids put in playing with their iPad or XBox One, you might wonder if there is anyone under the age of thirty that still plays board games. Good news! People still enjoy a night of gaming around the table. While everyone can benefit from playing board game favorites, young…
There is no greater joy than watching children create something. Whether the creating is done solo or in a group, thinking is visible. You can see the “wheels turning”. Hands-on work requires trial and error. If something doesn’t work, a child doesn’t stop working, but instead tries something else without prompting. Making is a natural…
Are you a K-12 teacher based in the United States that has a technology-focused lesson plan in any subject others would benefit from seeing? If so, you could receive a $1000 grant from Verizon’s The Beacon. I received an email from a reader that alerted me to the contest (thanks, Jessica). Therefore, I had to…
Educational technology: it’s the hottest movement out there in education, and has been for some time. In fact, there seems to be a rather non-discriminating admiration for anything edtech among many teachers today. You can’t open an educational journal, print or online, without being bombarded with ads and articles extolling the virtues of the “latest…
The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel they’re valued. ~Sir Ken Robinson I am a middle child and relished the role of “leading” my younger brother. He, however, wasn’t a very cooperative follower. :) While I was…
Every year for the past twenty the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team (STA EVT) has built a new vehicle from the ground up to give our students the best engineering experience a high-schooler can get. The internationally recognized program started in 1997. My fellow moderator Mark Westlake and I believe in the importance of…
What is your preferred platform for regular digital work? What makes it your favorite? I learned how to use Microsoft Word and Appleworks (yes, I’m old) in high school. I continued to use those tools for basic word processing tasks through my first few years of teaching. At some point, Appleworks went away. Not a…
Whether it’s for school, art, or work, everyone loves a new pencil case. A schoolbag essential, a pencil pouch doesn’t just store pencils, pens, erasers, and rulers. It also expresses personality and encourages organization, tidiness, and responsibility. Every child needs a place to store their tools for school, so why not get the best? Here…
It’s true. It’s been my sad and woeful battle with gravity for years. My jumping suggests that perhaps gravity has an abnormally negative effect on me. Sadly, there is no Rare Gravity Abnormality Syndrome (RGAS for short). Big pharma hasn’t made a pill that will leave me depressed and incontinent to improve my jumping. Extreme…
The summer months are notorious for triggering brain drain. The shear gap in time, combined with the hiatus from hours of learning every day, prompts a decline in knowledge acquisition and retention. Now, it is no wonder why summer activities and routines make it difficult to convince children to complete ungraded practices. Kids would much…
Quality instruction isn’t the only factor that determines students’ academic achievement. Students’ sense of belonging to the school community is also significant to student achievement. A growing body of research shows the sense of belonging or “connectedness” to the school community also has positive educational outcomes for all students. “Sense of belonging” is defined as the…
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