Analyzing Suffixes Inductively The year opens with a vocabulary skill analyzing "Suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly." I adjusted this lesson to examine how these suffixes change the part of speech of words, rather than the meaning.
Uplevel Grammar By Examining (And Then Creating) Another Language After creating an above-level grammar group, I was left with the problem of creating a challenging grammar assignment. Inspired by a friend's self-created language, I encouraged my students to examine the rules of other languages. Some interesting rules they discussed included...
What Makes An Antagonist Effective? It's really fun to take an already good sequence, tweak it, and get something even better!
How Do We Make On-Level Writers Into Advanced Writers? I knew how to help my below-level writers become on-level. But how the heck do you make the next step?
Using A Classic: Charlie Chaplin Integrating a classic is a great way to pump up an otherwise simple lesson. It seems like a black and white movie is the last thing a kid would want to see, but classics are classics for a reason!
Picture Books and Stories for Introducing Depth and Complexity Three picture books that I've used (or would use) to introduce Depth and Complexity to students of any age.
The Resiliency Tournament I got to work with several groups of students (of many ages) and I tried out this task: building a tournament to decide who was the most resilient historical figure or fictional character? Kids came up with some amazing ideas.
A Holiday-Themed Shakespearean Sonnet Now we're going to create our own holiday-themed Shakespearean Sonnet. To add complexity (and help our students get started!), we'll write from the point of view of a specific holiday decoration, tradition, or character.
Ask Creative Questions Is this the message I want to give to my gifted students? "Follow the directions?" This is a room full of students who are creative, flexible, divergent thinkers. These are the future Noble Laureates, inventors, and revolutionaries. Let's allow them (or better yet: force them) to exercise their creative muscles.
Writing Mother’s Day Similes Mother's Day is coming up, and it's the perfect chance to practice figurative language. Help your students create thoughtful cards, packed with rich similes and metaphors that relate directly to their mothers.
