by Thomas | Dec 1, 2016 | Teaching Writing
3 ways to turn idea-getting into a game to help students who can’t get ideas for stories Sammy (not his real name) didn’t love writing—as most young boys don’t. Sammy was in 5th grade when I met him, and he struggled to get ideas for stories—really...
by Thomas | May 23, 2016 | Teaching Writing, Writing Activities
Get your students writing with 6 fun writing games that use only a six-sided die One important part of a lesson plan is the “back-pocket activity”—that short activity to keep your students writing when there’s a few extra minutes left of class. In...
by Thomas | Apr 27, 2016 | Teaching Writing
“Go ahead. Just try to make me write!” In almost every writing class I’ve taught, there’re always a few kids in the class who wear the above quote on their expressions. There’s the kid wearing the black beater. He’s sitting in the...
by Thomas | Jun 30, 2015 | Teaching Writing
Turn your couch potatoes into bean bag bookworms: How to use playing as learning Do your kids love watching TV and movies, or do they play LOTS of video games? You’ve tried limiting their time in these activities, but it’s hard to keep them busy in the summer without...
by Thomas | Jun 18, 2015 | Teaching Writing
Okay, maybe “hundreds of lessons” was a little over-the-top. But I think you’ll soon agree that this strategy “feels” like it’s worth hundreds of lessons. And that word “feels” is the key word. Because that is our focus...
