MzTeachuh: Read! Classic Adventure, Romance, Mystery

MzTeachuh: Read! Classic Adventure, Romance, Mystery: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Illustration by N.C. Wyeth Classics! These are still around because they're compelling, f...

Read! Classic Adventure, Romance, Mystery

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Illustration by N.C. Wyeth

Classics! These are still around because they're compelling, fascinating, and fun. Kids have sophisticated tastes when it comes to their stories because they are exposed to a large variety due to improved tech--games have extended plots, there is a plethora of television and film options, some are actually of good quality. Let's get them into the classic books for truly profound experiences.

Kids aren't afraid to seek complicated thought processes--offer a smorgasbord of classic stories for them to consume.

1. Adventure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Illustrations by N.C. Wyeth

Wonder what Jane's thinking? Read the book.

You may as well start with the best adventure ever! And outstanding illustrations. Stevenson tells a compelling, on-the-edge-of-your-seat story. Kids love it. Don't worry about vocabulary or archaic language, this story moves. And if you don't get a word occasionally, Google it.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is better than Twilight. A grand gothic novel with a hint of feminism, Jane doesn't wilt like Bella. The character creates empathy as she goes through tragic circumstances, and the reader can make judgments as to her decisions. Jane goes from one trauma to another, dragging your heart with it.

3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Poor Pip. What a doofus. Dickens perfected the twisted plot, personable characters, and strange happy endings.

Don't know if that's White Fang, Kiche or One-Eye.

4. White Fang by Jack London

A dog (wolf) story with a happy ending. This is another extreme adventure story--from the animal's perspective. Along with The Call of the Wild, you truly have lived in the Yukon. Great summer read, Jack London is so effective, it doesn't matter what the temperature is, the book is like an airconditioner in its imagery. Still wonder what happened to Kiche.


5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

This child is caught in such a quandary--but with a voice of clarity he proclaims the truth about the society in which he lives--the ante-bellum South. Humor and truth, Mark Twain's forte. 

Get in that canoe and glide along the Glimmerglass.

6. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper, illustrations by N. C. Wyeth

There is an entire series about Nathaniel Bumppo, starting with his teen years before the American Revolution. This is the most famous of the series. The writing is so compelling, you will have had the experience of camping with Nattie and having hatchets whiz by your head. You really can't miss this.



And don't you dare just watch a film or mini-series and think you know the story! A reader's imagination is the best production crew.

MzTeachuh: Yes! I Expect To Learn!

MzTeachuh: Yes! I Expect To Learn!:   1. The Power of Intention http://anniemurphypaul.com/2013/10/the-power-of-intention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_cam...

Yes! I Expect To Learn!

  1. The Power of Intention

http://anniemurphypaul.com/2013/10/the-power-of-intention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-power-of-intention 

2. How Children Succeed

http://www.danielwillingham.com/1/post/2013/10/how-children-succeed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nbspDanielWillingham-DanielWillinghamScienceAndEducationBlog+%28Daniel+Willingham%27s+Science+and+Education+Blog%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo 

3. For Students of Color, the Risks of Exclusion Are High

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2013/10/for_students_of_color_risks_of_exclusion_high.html 

4. Changing Racial Dynamics May Be Undermining Desegregation Efforts

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2013/10/racial_dynamics_changing_but_segregation_remains.html 

5. The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning

http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/ 

6. 25 Things Successful Teachers Do Differently

http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/25-things-successful-teachers-do-differently/ 

7. Simple Ways to Cultivate Happiness in Schools

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/simple-ways-cultivate-happiness-schools-elena-aguilar 

 

MzTeachuh: Spring Books for Early Readers from Reading Rocket...

MzTeachuh: Spring Books for Early Readers from Reading Rocket...: http://www.readingrockets.org/ Waiting for Wings By: Lois Ehlert Reading Level: Beginning Reader Every s...

Spring Books for Early Readers from Reading Rockets

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Waiting for Wings

By: Lois Ehlert

Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Every spring, butterflies emerge and dazzle the world with their vibrant beauty. But where do butterflies come from? How are they born? What do they eat — and how? With a simple, rhyming text and glorious color-drenched collage, Lois Ehlert provides clear answers to these and other questions as she follows the life cycle of four common butterflies. Complete with flower facts and identification tips, as well as a guide to planting a butterfly garden, this butterfly book is like no

Olivia Saves the Circus

other.


By: Ian Falconer

Age Level: 3-6

Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Olivia remembers her trip to the circus very well. The performers were out sick, so she had to do everything. Step into the ring with Olivia, where the lights are dim, the color soft, and a little girl's imagination is the main attraction.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

By: Candace Fleming

Age Level: 3-6

Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Try as he might, Mr. McGreely cannot outwit three clever and hungry rabbits as they feast on his vegetable garden — muncha, muncha, muncha! But there's always something to be grateful for as both the gardener and the rabbits learn in this funny, alliterative tale.

Charlie Needs a Cloak

By: Tomie dePaola

Age Level: 3-6

Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Charlie's sheep keep nibbling on his cloak, and now it's all tattered and torn. So, he shears his sheep, cards and spins the wool, weaves and dyes the cloth, and sews a beautiful new red cloak to keep him warm when winter comes.

Countdown to Spring

By: Janet Schulman, Meilo So

Illustrated by: Meilo So

Age Level: 3-6

Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Soft illustrations complement the rhythmic text in this gentle woodland countdown to spring.

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #8

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #8: i carry your heart with me   by E. E. Cummings i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere...

National Poetry Month: Poem #8

i carry your heart with me  

by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) 

E. E. Cummings

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/e-e-cummings

MzTeachuh: Educational Links 4/11/15

MzTeachuh: Educational Links 4/11/15: His Right to Recess: ADHD Kids Should Never Lose Play! http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/9346.html   What MOOCs Are Teaching Un...

Educational Links 4/11/15

His Right to Recess: ADHD Kids Should Never Lose Play!

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/9346.html 

What MOOCs Are Teaching Universities About Active Learning

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/10/30/what-moocs-are-teaching-universities-about-active-learning/ 

The Montessori Approach to Changemaking

http://startempathy.org/blog/2014/07/montessori-approach-changemaking 

Evolution of the “good” teacher 

http://smartblogs.com/education/2015/04/09/evolution-of-the-good-teacher/?utm_source=brief 

8 Characteristics Of Education 3.0

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/8-characteristics-of-education30/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem&utm_content=552867c404d3012201000001&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

What Parents Are Saying About ADHD Medications 

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/medications/what-parents-are-saying-about-adhd-medications?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=understoodorg 

New Teachers: Resource Roundup

http://www.edutopia.org//new-teacher-resources 

 

 

 

MzTeachuh: Have You Talked To Your Kid Today?

MzTeachuh: Have You Talked To Your Kid Today?: 1. Find out how they're feeling? Bored, tummy ache, excited, melancholy. Do you know how they're feeling? Do they know you care ab...

Have You Talked To Your Kid Today?

1. Find out how they're feeling? Bored, tummy ache, excited, melancholy. Do you know how they're feeling? Do they know you care about how they're feeling? Do they know how you're feeling?

2. What are y'all doing today? Do you know what they want to do today? Hang out with friends? Write music? Go swimming? Do they know what you're doing today? Even if its at work?

3. Do you have plans together today? Making tacos for dinner? Going food shopping? Watching a favorite television program or sport--Go Dodgers? Hang out on the patio at sunset? Call Grandma even though its only Thursday and no special reason just to say 'Hi?'

4. Anything exciting coming up? New movie coming out? Big game next week? Music coming up from Taylor Swift?

5. What are you reading? (Online counts.) Do they know what you're reading? Can you tell them what you're reading? Going to the library or bookstore soon? What's on the Kindle?

6. Do you need anything? Flip-flops, shorts, swimsuit, Otter-Pops, job-for-pay around the house, Mac and Cheese, art supplies, time alone, time to talk?

7. Do you know I will always love you more than the world? 24-7, 7 days a week, forever? You're my kid and I think you're the greatest. Because you are.

8. Small talk counts. It's going to be hot again tomorrow. Did you take out the trash? How 'bout them Angels.

9. Arguments count, if you are still speaking at the end and no doors are slammed. Your brilliant child is not going to agree with you on everything. Agree to disagree on lots of things; politics, music, hair styles. You can learn from the kid. But, of course, you are still running the house, etc.

Take a minute and talk.

MzTeachuh: Is This The Most Beautiful Music Ever Composed?

MzTeachuh: Is This The Most Beautiful Music Ever Composed?: Water Lilies, The Clouds - Claude Monet Video Mozart - Piano Concerto no 21 - Andante  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2boBqrQdAas ...

Is This The Most Beautiful Music Ever Composed?

Water Lilies, The Clouds - Claude Monet

Video Mozart - Piano Concerto no 21 - Andante 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2boBqrQdAas 

Could be. Just like this painting 'Water Lilies-the Clouds' by Monet might be the most beautiful painting ever created.

MzTeachuh: The Arts Give You Smarts--STEM and STEAM

MzTeachuh: The Arts Give You Smarts--STEM and STEAM: STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong? http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/11/18/ctq-jolly-stem-vs-steam.html#   STEM vs. STEAM: Do ...

The Arts Give You Smarts--STEM and STEAM

STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong?

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/11/18/ctq-jolly-stem-vs-steam.html# 

STEMto STEAM Resources

http://www.edutopia.org/stem-to-steam-resources

STEAM
http://steam-notstem.com/ 

Benefits of Arts to Kids

http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/33-benefits-of-arts-to-kids  

National Gallery of Art Lessons & Activities

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/lessons-activities.html  

Art Lessons in the Classroom

http://artsedwashington.org/for-educators/art-lessons-in-the-classroom

The Flakiness Of Artists Is The Key To Their Creativity

http://anniemurphypaul.com/2013/06/the-flakiness-of-artists-is-the-key-to-their-creativity/ 

Art Resources for Teachers

https://www.teachervision.com/art/teacher-resources/6681.html 

The Art of Teaching the Arts

http://www.learner.org/workshops/hsarts/

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best

http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development 

 

 

 

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #7

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #7:   “Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314) By Emily Dickinson   “H...

National Poetry Month: Poem #7

  “Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314)

By Emily Dickinson

 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

This is such a precious metaphor. Thank you, Emily.

Emily Dickinson 1830–1886

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/emily-dickinson  

MzTeachuh: Educational Links 4/10/15

MzTeachuh: Educational Links 4/10/15: The 8 Skills Students Must Have For The Future http://www.edudemic.com/new-skills-world-looking/?utm_content=buffer097fc&utm_medium...

Educational Links 4/10/15

The 8 Skills Students Must Have For The Future

http://www.edudemic.com/new-skills-world-looking/?utm_content=buffer097fc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer 

What a classroom engaged in real learning looks like

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/04/09/what-a-classroom-engaged-in-real-learning-looks-like/ 

Why "High Functioning" Autism Is So Challenging

http://autism.about.com/od/aspergerssyndrome/fl/Why-High-Functioning-Autism-Is-So-Challenging.htm?utm_content=buffer07105&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer 

Helping Your Grade-Schooler Gain Self-Control

https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/common-challenges/self-control/helping-your-grade-school-child-gain-self-control?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=understoodorg

How a Moveable Space Can Ignite Creativity in the Classroom

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/11/26/how-a-moveable-space-can-ignite-creativity-in-the-classroom/ 

 Intellectually Gifted Kids And Learning Disabilities Often Go Hand In Hand

http://www.science20.com/the_conversation/intellectually_gifted_kids_and_learning_disabilities_often_go_hand_in_hand-154285#ixzz3WirH9eCS 

The Secret Lives of Bilingual Books

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-benavidez/the-secret-lives-of-bilin_b_6965984.html 

 

MzTeachuh: MzTeachuh's Top Posts of the Week 4/10/15

MzTeachuh: MzTeachuh's Top Posts of the Week 4/10/15: Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window? Teaching All Your Students http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/teachi...

MzTeachuh's Top Posts of the Week 4/10/15

Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window?

Teaching All Your Students
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/teaching-all-your-students.html

Who's the Greatest Rock Poet? Nomination #1
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/whos-greatest-rock-poet-nomination-1.html

Who's the Greatest Rock Poet? Nomination #2

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/who-is-greatest-rock-poet-nomination-2.html

Learning Ed Tech? Feel Lost At Sea?
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/learning-ed-tech-feel-lost-at-sea.html

What GenEd and SpecEd Need to Know About Each Other
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/what-gened-and-speced-need-to-know.html

When GenEd and SpecEd Collaboration Really Works: Solving Problems - See more at: http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/when-gened-and-speced-collaboration_6.html#sthash.tl5wmBdv.dpuf

When GenEd and SpecEd Collaboration Really Works: Solving Problems 

http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/when-gened-and-speced-collaboration_6.html

Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window?
http://melanielinktaylor.mzteachuh.org/2015/04/matisse-and-spring-whats-outside-your.html

MzTeachuh: Education Links 4/9/15

MzTeachuh: Education Links 4/9/15: Strategies for Strengthening the Brain’s Executive Functions http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-strengthening-brains-executive-fun...

Education Links 4/9/15

Strategies for Strengthening the Brain’s Executive Functions

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-strengthening-brains-executive-functions-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers 

A Guide To Questioning In The Classroom

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/quick-guide-questioning-classroom/ 

What Are the Habits of Lifelong Readers, How do we Instill Them?

http://www.bamradionetwork.com/classroom-q-and-a/1790-what-are-the-habits-of-lifelong-readers-how-do-we-instill-them 

Understanding the Full Evaluation Process 

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/evaluations/evaluation-basics/understanding-the-full-evaluation-process 

How to Turn Any Classroom Into a Makerspace

http://www.edudemic.com/turn-classroom-makerspace/ 

How Memory, Focus and Good Teaching Can Work Together to Help Kids Learn

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/04/09/how-memory-focus-and-good-teaching-can-work-together-to-help-kids-learn/ 

5 Excellent Free & Useful Apps for Teachers

http://www.frontlinek12.com/Products/Aesop.html 

 

 

 

 

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #6

MzTeachuh: National Poetry Month: Poem #6: Diverging roads. The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both ...

National Poetry Month: Poem #6

Diverging roads.

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

 Robert Frost 

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/192

MzTeachuh: When GenEd and SpecEd Collaboration Really Works: ...

MzTeachuh: When GenEd and SpecEd Collaboration Really Works: ...: AVID trained teachers using those techniques in class with mild learning disabilities can work. Exciting and effective--when GenEd an...

When GenEd and SpecEd Collaboration Really Works: Playing To Each Other's Strengths

AVID trained teachers using those techniques in class with mild learning disabilities can work.

Exciting and effective--when GenEd and SpecEd teachers blend teaching strengths. I've been privileged to collaborate with some truly excellent teachers and administrators who analyzed and acknowledged the positives in our resumes and allowed the teaching teams to excel.

In a high school setting, I was paired with a teacher whose other classes were AVID.  (Advancement Via Individual Determination-AVID- is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in and complete a degree at four-year colleges, focusing on students in the academic middle.) Ms. C. included all students in her classroom management style and activities. Without a big to-do or pinpointing the RSP students, her style of 'everyone participate' caused the students with IEPs to blossom under the light of expectation. Ms. C. expected them to work, participate and succeed. When the kids read Julius Caesar aloud, one of the RSP kids was the best Marc Antony ever. I hadn't realized that iambic pentameter was actually easy to read aloud.

Tag team teaching.

Sometimes, collaborating Special Education teachers are also qualified in academic areas. Because I'm also qualified in English, several of my collaborating teachers and I would tag team a lesson. I learned powerpoint just to present some of my favorite poems and lessons, and all the English teachers I worked with in that high school graciously allowed me to present from time to time. We were sensitive to schedule, style and curriculum. I did not teach Direct Instruction types of lessons in areas I was not credentialed. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Teacher qualified in fun.

Some teachers have special interests and talents--technology, gaming, music, art, dance, involvement in the Maker Movement--collaborating can enhance the class as GenEd and SpecEd teachers get creative together.

Mystery of the Resource Room revealed.

Sometimes teachers collaborate in atypical ways because a staff member has credentials that enhance a program. I've been teaching a looong time and happen to have California credentials that permit me to teach elementary classes and Special Ed. (and some English and Art.) I was trained in a program--Language!--that was used K-12 for remediation in Reading in our district. An innovative administrator permitted the GenEd teachers to work with me to identify students in their classes that would benefit from the program, so my pull-out class included GenEd and SpecEd students for that year. It worked very well in bringing up reading levels and creating more understanding of 'what happens in the Resource Room.'

You don't generally have to be joined at the hip.

In a collaborative team, sometimes one partner is more of a people person, and dealing with parents, that is a great help; one partner might be more attuned to the student's needs, or enjoy lesson planning for individual learning, or be really into technology.  

These GenEd/SpecEd classrooms can really rock! Playing to the positive!

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is... Making A Kid Feel Uniquely Importan...

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is... Making A Kid Feel Uniquely Importan...: 1. How Can Teachers Foster Self-Esteem in Children? Teachers play an important role in nurturing a student's sense of dignity and...

Teaching Is... Making A Kid Feel Uniquely Important

1. How Can Teachers Foster Self-Esteem in Children?

Teachers play an important role in nurturing a student's sense of dignity and self-worth.

http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/health/773-teachers-foster-self-esteem-in-children.gs 

 2. Incorporating Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

http://www.teachersofcolor.com/2009/04/incorporating-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom/ 

3. Social Emotional Learning

In the classroom, social skills come first. Keep kids on track with these ideas.

http://pinterest.com/weareteachers/social-emotional-learning/ 

4. Social and Emotional Learning: What is it? How can we use it to help our children?

http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/social_emotional_learning_what_it_how_can_we_use_it_help_our_children 

5. Core Strategy: Social and
Emotional Learning

6. Why Champion Social and Emotional Learning?

It's not enough to simply fill students' brains with facts. Educators must also help children develop the skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflicts nonviolently, and make responsible decisions. 
http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning 

7.  Build Self-Esteem in Children

Some Thoughts on Helping Children Build Self-Esteem
 http://www.stressfreekids.com/resources-2/self-esteem-in-children/build-self-esteem-children

8. Self-Esteem

• Subject: Social/Emotional Health  

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/self-esteem.cfm  

MzTeachuh: Need A G-Rated Insult?

MzTeachuh: Need A G-Rated Insult?: Mr. William Shakespeare's Insult Generator   http://insult.dream40.org/ S hakespeare Insults    http://www.nosweatshakespeare.c...

Need A G-Rated Insult?

Mr. William Shakespeare's Insult Generator  
http://insult.dream40.org/

Shakespeare Insults 
 http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/resources/shakespeare-insults/

Shakespeare Insult Kit
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html

MzTeachuh: Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window?

MzTeachuh: Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window?: The Dessert: Harmony in Red, Henri Matisse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dessert:_Harmony_in_Red_%28The_Red_Room%29 Looks like Henri ...

Matisse and Spring--What's Outside Your Window?

The Dessert: Harmony in Red, Henri Matisse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dessert:_Harmony_in_Red_%28The_Red_Room%29

Looks like Henri had trees in bloom outside his window.
Maybe he was listening to this music while he painted, which premiered the same year, 1908.

Maurice Ravel - Rhapsodie Espagnole, I-II 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ZyAf1udmU 

MzTeachuh: Teachable Moment (National Poetry Month): Two Poem...

MzTeachuh: Teachable Moment (National Poetry Month): Two Poem...: 'The Giving Tree' and other poems http://www.shelsilverstein.com/books/ The Giv ing Tree  by Shel Silverstein Once there ...

Teachable Moment (National Poetry Month): Two Poems for Earth Day

'The Giving Tree' and other poems http://www.shelsilverstein.com/books/

The Giving Tree 

by Shel Silverstein

Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play" said
the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time....
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.

And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

 

The Actual '73 Giving Tree Movie Spoken By Shel Silverstein 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZCP6OqRlE 

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout.
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceilings;
Coffee grounds and potato peelings,
Brown bananas, rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the window and blocked the door
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans and tangerines,
Crusts of black burned buttered toast,
Gristly bits of beffy roasts...
The garbage rolled on down the hall,
It raised the roof, it broke the wall...
Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Globs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellpohane from green baloney,
Rubbery blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk and crusts of pie,
Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold french fries and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the grabage reached so high
That finally it touched the sky.
And all of the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play.
And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said,
'OK, I'll take the garbage out! '
But then of course it was too late...
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate.
And there, in the garbage she did hate,
Poor Sarah met an awful fate,
That I cannot right now relate
Because the hour is much too late.
But children, remember Sarah Stout
And always take the garbage out!

Sara Cynthia Sylvia Stout! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvNhhEtUGJY

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is Analyzing the Data

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is Analyzing the Data: 1. Three Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-student-data-inform-teaching-rebecca-alber   ...

Teaching Is Analyzing the Data

1. Three Ways Student Data Can Inform Your Teaching

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-student-data-inform-teaching-rebecca-alber 

2. How A First Year Teacher Uses Data to Drive Instruction

http://www.mbae.org/how-i-use-data-to-drive-instruction/ 

3. One Teacher Talks About Using Data to Drive Instruction in the Classroom 

http://usingdata.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/819/ 

4. By the Numbers - How Data Use Is Transforming the Classroomhttp://educationnorthwest.org/resource/1642

5.  Improving Teaching and Learning with Data-Based Decisions:
Asking the Right Questions and Acting on the Answers

http://santacruzmonterey.edleadersforequityandexcellence.com/docs/f09/improving_teaching_and_learning_with_databased_decisions.pdf 

6. Using Data to Plan Differentiated Instruction

 http://reports.success-ode-state-oh-us.info/newDevelopment/section4/1B.html

7.  5 Innovative Ways to Differentiate Instruction as Witnessed During My Visit to the School of One 

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/07/5-innovative-ways-to-differentiate.html 

 

MzTeachuh: Education Links 4/8/15

MzTeachuh: Education Links 4/8/15: The Precious First Few Minutes Of Class http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/the-precious-first-few-minutes-of-class/   3 Digital Too...

Education Links 4/8/15

The Precious First Few Minutes Of Class

http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/the-precious-first-few-minutes-of-class/ 

3 Digital Tools to Encourage Close Reading 

http://www.teachhub.com/3-digital-tools-encourage-close-reading 

Classroom clutter–what to keep and what to toss

http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/2015/04/classroom-clutter-what-to-keep-and-what-to-toss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCornerstone+%28The+Cornerstone+Blog%29 

Body Posture May Help Learning, Study Finds 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2015/03/posture_aids_learning.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InsideSchoolResearch+%28Education+Week%3A+Inside+School+Research%29 

Sharing Data to Create Stronger Parent Partnerships

http://www.edutopia.org/practice/sharing-data-create-stronger-parent-partnerships?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20EdutopiaNewContent%20%28Edutopia%29 

What Students Gain From Being On the Same Track For College

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/04/06/what-students-gain-from-being-on-the-same-track-for-college/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29 

Stress and Your Child's Brain 

http://www.nesca-news.com/2015/04/stress-and-your-childs-brain.html