Home › Archive ›

September 2010

A Mighty Wind

Submitted by Joann on Sun, 2010-09-26 21:51


A confession: I’m sort of a weather junkie.

Much to the annoyance of my children, I can happily watch The Weather Channel for hours on end.

“It’s the same thing over and over,” says my son. “It’s boring.”

“They’re not even showing our weather!” my daughter splutters. I tell her that even though we’re not presently in Barcelona, I still care about their weather.

I’m not exactly sure why I like watching weather-related events so much, but I do. Maybe it’s a reminder that, even in the 21st century where we’ve bent so many aspects of the natural world to our collective human will, the forces of nature remain a power that can’t always be controlled despite our best efforts. It truly is bigger than us.

Resources mentioned in this post: 
The Surge of the Storm
Researching Hurricanes with Technology
Hurricane!

Classroom Organization & Management

Submitted by Joann on Mon, 2010-09-20 00:04


It’s the start of a new school year, and by now everyone is settling in. For those teaching younger students, you probably have a good idea of which kids may work well together, and which students are best kept apart during instruction. New teachers may still be tweaking the arrangement of their classrooms, trying to figure out the best way to maximize space and promote an effective learning environment.

Resources mentioned in this post: 
Prevention and Intervention for Effective Classroom Organization and Management in Pacific Classrooms
Planning Matrix B: Objective Grouping

It’s a Good Thing! Martha Speaks

Submitted by Joann on Wed, 2010-09-15 10:21


You know Martha.

Martha lives in a well-appointed house with nicely manicured grounds. Martha is creative, enterprising, and has a way with words. Martha is also quite the gourmand, and knows her way around a tureen of vegetable soup. I’m referring, of course, to the loquacious canine Martha, from Martha Speaks. First introduced in the children’s books by Susan Meddaugh and later turned into an animated TV series by PBS Kids and WGBH Boston, Martha Speaks focuses on vocabulary development for 4-to-7-year olds.

Power to the People

Submitted by Joann on Wed, 2010-09-08 11:16


Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
– Frederick Douglass

On September 8th, the world will observe International Literacy Day, an annual reminder of the importance of literacy and global learning created by UNESCO in 1965. It’s an annual event to raise awareness about the role that literacy plays in our local and global communities.

Resources mentioned in this post: 
21st Century Literacies
Girls Read: Online Literature Circles