You should have guessed by now that I’m the kind of person who picks up every penny I see on the ground. And from the last post, you should know that I accept any and all things people are getting rid of. If I can’t use it, I find someone who can or donate [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘classroom’
December 23, 2008
2008 Edublog Awards: What Jewels Will Be Found?
I really enjoy reading blogs of other teachers. There is never enough time to watch our fellow teachers hone their craft. Even the brief time in the lunchroom (and I do mean brief, once you deal with Bobby who lost his lunch money or Shakira who is checking out early) is only spent with [...]
December 15, 2008
Grading Writing Papers or Will They Even Read Our Comments?
We do a lot of writing in my classes. At this level, we are hammering how to organize their essays: topic sentence, detail sentences (or paragraphs) and conclusion sentences (or paragraphs).
It’s not enough to TELL them that they must do those things, you must show that their grade is related to whether or not they [...]
December 13, 2008
Prudent Classroom’s Collection Plate #1:Classroom ideas that don’t cost a dime…
The Two Writing Teachers blog talks about their take on NCTE sesson related to designing effective writing assignments.
Need some good handwriting worksheets or explanations for why it’s important? Look no further:
Have you heard of “speed dating?” How about sparking interest in reading by doing something similar with passing books after a few minutes? Here’s how at [...]
December 4, 2008
Curriki: My New Online Education Community (and Friend!)
The other day I was in a panic because the activity I’d planned months before, a nice webquest of the civilization we are studying, suddenly wasn’t working due to our newly installed firewall at school. We can, in certain circumstances, request that certain sites be restored, but the process is slow and doesn’t always mean [...]
December 1, 2008
Free Ivy League Online Video Lectures
My degrees are not from an Ivy League institution, but I “take” Ivy League classes now via free online video classes. Just for fun, I always intended to sit in on history lectures when I retire. But now with the magic of the Internet, I can do this in my comfy chair and snuggly slippers [...]
November 30, 2008
Saving Energy $$ and Being Green at the Same Time
Using a screensaver is not energy efficient. Put your computer and monitor on sleep mode when you aren’t using it. Don’t leave it on during the day or night when you aren’t using it. $600 million dollars in energy is wasted each year, according to Real World Green, by businesses not following these tips.
If you [...]
November 26, 2008
Using FREE Online Translators to Communicate with Parents and Students
My six years of Jr. High and High School Spanish have not held up well for me. While I was able to get around better during a few trips to Mexico, my Spanish is very poor. For instance, I never got the hang of past tense and future tense. I am only able to speak in [...]
November 13, 2008
Thoroughly Thrifty Thursdays
How’s that for a nifty (thrifty) title!
I think it’s a good idea to keep track of what you are doing to get ahead. There are many ways, but here is a little tracking method I learned from Justice Desserts Blog:
Let’s see what I can come up with using her formula:
Planting: I’m putting the 1/4 inch root part [...]
November 9, 2008
Eight Frugal Things in the Classroom That Have an Impact– for Free!!
1. ACT and SAT prep courses are great, but often they cost $$$ that some of our students don’t have. Even if schools have them for free, they may not fit into the schedules of busy high schoolers. There are many good prep videos available on Youtube and teachertube. It’s not enough to know the [...]
