When teaching writing it’s important to show students how to do it and show them good examples of that genre of writing. Our fifth graders recently had to write a multi-paragraph essay on whether or not to support the Revolutionary War from the point of view of the colonists. To write this prompt well one …
Category: Open Court Reading
Who Am I And What’s This Blog About Anyway?
Every year or so I run a post about what this blog is about. Here’s one from around this time in 2008. This is as much for me to clarify and rethink my purpose for writing here as well as for readers. Who Am I? My name is Mathew Needleman and I’m the author of …
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 3 of 4
Myth #7: Where’s the beef? I’ve written about this before as well. Focusing on structure before starting to write can lead to bland, generic paragraphs and reduce writing to formula instead of communication. Instead, I recommend just writing and then molding that writing into a structure through revising. By frontloading too much information in the …
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 2 of 4
Myth #4: Drawing is for babies. I wrote about this already. Drawing is a valid form of prewriting and writing (see cave paintings). By allowing students to transition from drawings to labels and then sentences, you make writing relevant. Bringing visuals into the writing process also sparks imagination and allows non-writers and English Language Learners …
Financial Literacy Month Links
In honor of financial literacy month, here are my business and money links: General Money Links: Money Instructor.com Kidsbank.com Help you and your children explore some of the fundamentals of banking. Kid’s Making Money Students can find ideas for making money and suggest their own. Kids&Money.com Articles on spending money wisely That’s My Piggy! Students …
Film School for Video Podcasters Now on Youtube
My K12 Online Conference Presentation, Film School for Video Podcasters, is now available through Youtube. I’ve separated the segments into chapters so you can call up section you’re looking for or watch the whole thing. Also scroll down for bonus material and some information on my inspiration for the movie. Part I Introduction: Part 2: …
Comprehension Strategies Posters V.3
Last year, I posted a redesign of the comprehension strategies we use with our reading series. I’ve tweaked the posters a bit and am now re-posting them. For the uninitiated, the explicit teaching of reading strategies is supported by current research on reading comprehension instruction. (See Put Reading First for more information). A few versions …
Civil War Links
Here are links for teaching about the Civil War. Thank you to Dionne Hemphill for the latest additions to the list. Maps of the Civil War – Library of Congress Thousands of Civil War Photographs The Civil War Home Page Civil War Free Clip Art Civil War Links Civil War Internet Paths to Explore Half …
Revolutionary War Links
Here are resources I’ve compiled for teaching the American Revolution/Revolutionary War. Thank you to Dionne Hemphill for the latest additions to the list. The Road to Revolution – Game Lesson Plans for Teaching (SCORE) The American Revolution – Education World Constitution Day Activities Natural History Museum – Making a New Nation Timeline of American Revolution …
Riddle Me This: Activity for Sound Spelling Cards
a guest post on using the Sound Spelling Cards by Ann Miani Dear Teachers, I wanted to share a life changing teaching strategy for OCR phonics. You can print out the Sound Spelling Card mats (see links): Link #1 Link #2 There are some cool new versions of the large long vowel cards to print …