Common Core Vocabulary Writing

Moving Beyond the Personal Narrative

Narrative writing.  What is it?  From the perspective of an elementary school teacher, it’s the first genre of writing you teach of the school year.  And it’s always the personal narrative.  Students brainstorm and write about their trips to Disneyland, the beach, or playing video games for hours on end.  While students should write about …

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Classroom Mangement Educational Technology Macintosh Tips Open Court Reading Reading Comprehension Vocabulary

Energize Your Classroom: How Jim Cramer Made Me a Better Teacher of English Language Learners

I’ve become a better teacher of English Language Learners by watching one of my favorite TV Shows, Jim Cramer’s Mad Money. This is a show about buying stocks. If you’re not interested in stocks you might be turned off already, but Jim Cramer is an entertainer. He takes what could be boring and incomprehensible and …

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Vocabulary

How to Scaffold Open Court Vocabulary for English Language Learners

an excerpt from Open Court Resources.com Here is an example from second grade “Look Again” unit of how you can scaffold difficult vocabulary/unit concepts for English Language Learners so that all students can participate in conversations and writing about a particular unit. Background for Teachers: Four Types of Camouflage: 1. Protective Coloration: blending in for …

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