October 2012

Peer Presentations: Students Teaching Students


Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a third grade classroom during their project presentations. The students in the class had a month to research and prepare a presentation on the topic of their choice. It was fun to see the level of excitement in many of the presenters, who were teaching their peers about something they found truly interesting. Their excitement was contagious, and the peer-to-peer questions were flying. The teacher was sitting back, enjoying the learning that was taking place in her classroom.

Joann's companion column: 

Spooky October Lesson Roundup


October is here again, and in honor of this scary holiday season, I am posting my suggestions from last year with a few new additions to help you keep your classroom deliciously spooky this year.

Joann's companion column: 

Fitting Debate into the Puzzle


Prime time shows were bumped (gasp!) this past week to make time for the national coverage of the first presidential debate for this election. Students who had the chance to see this formal debate on television might have come away with questions about the candidates’ political views and about the debate itself. If they followed the news or social media sites afterward, they have seen and heard opinions from all different sides of the issues. A presidential election year is the perfect time to harness the topic of debate and connect students’ lives to the political issues being argued.

Joann's companion column: