Wrap It Up!

February 7, 2013

With the 2013 Academy Awards almost upon us, and the Grammy Awards this Saturday, I decided to try a new warm-up activity with my students. When actors and directors win an Oscar and give an acceptance speech, they are only allotted 45 seconds to share their thank-yous with the audience. So, I set up the […]

Do you like my haiku?

January 11, 2013

Haiku is unrhymed Japanese poetry typically written in three short lines. The lines are divided into five syllables, seven syllables and then five syllables. The poems can capture an image or feeling, but many are related to a time of the year (e.g. spring or autumn). As a class, we decided to become poets for […]

Goals vs. Resolutions

January 8, 2013

New Year’s Resolutions. Blah. It’s become a ritual for everyone, everywhere. I almost didn’t want to make it an activity for my students because I thought they’d look at me with boredom as I explained the assignment. Luckily, they didn’t – maybe because some of my English students didn’t know what a New Year’s resolution was […]

The link between parents, children and literacy

October 11, 2012

According to Reach Out and Read, 48 percent, or 13 million, young children under 5 in the U.S. are read to daily, meaning that they go to bed every night without a bedtime story. The percentage drops even lower (36 percent) among low-income families. Why are the numbers so high? Why aren’t more parents reading […]

Are you game?

February 6, 2012

Every few weeks, I like to review what I’ve gone over with my students so they remember what they learned. With my pre-GED class, I have students who are at various grade levels and I’ve found that if they don’t constantly review what they’ve learned, they will forget it. To make the review a fun […]

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →