k-12 education
If you are a teacher, you know that teaching—and learning—are emotional experiences. Thanks to neuropsychology and neuroscientists, we have some exciting ways to increase the joy in our classrooms, which in turn increases learning. Why? It’s one of the most basic concepts in teaching and learning…happy
ELAsuccess
Last week, we began our study of sentence patterns. Remember, if you recognize the pattern of a sentence’s core parts, the grammar of the sentence (or its word arrangement) will make more sense. Last time, we discussed Pattern 1 and Pattern 2. Today, let’s start our study with
ELAsuccess
The overall goal of team writing is to provide an opportunity for small groups of students to collaborate during each step of the writing process to produce a shared piece of writing. If a team writing activity sounds like an implausible dream (considering your students’ diverse stages of writing development)
ELAsuccess
Learning English grammar can be tough, but, as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. So, I am taking the high road on this series and making it visual—thereby sparing well over 980 words…and your sanity! If you are up on your brain science, you know
ELAsuccess
Lately, I’ve noticed some confusion with the way people use the idiom “used to” in a sentence. Some write “use to” and others write “used to?” Do you know which one is correct? “Use to” and “used to” cause confusion for a couple of good reasons. We unravel the
ELAsuccess
If I could travel the world, I would! I love the excitement of finding a new destination to experience. I love having the freedom to go wherever I want or can afford whether I have a detailed itinerary or not! For me, world travel is an adventure. But, what if
beginner's mind
As a kid, do you remember the first time you took the training wheels off and tried to ride your first bicycle? In the beginner’s mind, it was the next step in being a big kid, and it meant being open to making mistakes and being willing to take
strategies
As the calendar year comes to a close, a teacher’s journey is still moving at full speed. (It’s true!) We are not quite to the halfway mark of our year, and we still have much to do! As 2018 comes to a close and before you begin the
ELAsuccess
Teaching students to vary the word order that they use in their sentences to add interest and variety is a skill that you can model as you support your students in their growth as budding writers. Of course, sentence fluency is one of the effective traits that good writers develop
ELAsuccess
If you have been tracking with my series of silent final e posts, you don’t want to miss Part 4: The Catch-all Rule. My students always enjoy this one because of its name and how it works! So far, you know the first 3 rules for why an e
ELAsuccess
Have you ever tried to describe something without using a prepositional phrase? Well, it’s almost impossible! Although prepositional phrases are not a requirement in every sentence, they certainly do help us: (a) add details, (b) create interest, and (c) make spatial and other relationships clear. A prepositional phrase begins
ELAsuccess
Sniff, sniff, mmmm! There’s something special about the aroma of that sweet little corner coffee shop. The lingering scent of a creamy caramel latte, mixed with the boldness of jet-black espresso, brings a smile to my face. The dimmed lights and down-tempo tunes playing in the background set the