Working with middle school writers at our library this summer, I’ve found a few storytelling tools that are too awesome not to share. Continue reading
Looking for your next summer read? The awesome folks at YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, have pulled together their list of the most popular books of 2019, as chosen by teen book groups from schools and public libraries around the U.S. The top 25 nominees are listed below (click here for a PDF of […]
You’re a 6’6”, 240-pound high school senior – all muscle. You’re a favorite on the football team, you just won an athletic scholarship to Boston College, and your coach says you’re built for a career in the NFL. There’s just one problem – you’re terrified of being hit. That was comedian Gary Gulman’s teenaged life […]
S-U-M-M-E-R is finally here. Yes, I’ve scheduled a few fun things with the family and I plan to spend plenty of afternoons reading in the hammock (Hillbilly Elegy, you’re up next), but I’m also already planning a big ol’ project for the new school year Continue reading
Note: This is an updated repost.
You’ve wrapped your last major unit and final exams are still a week or so away. You could spend five days on Review Jeopardy (um…no, thanks) or you could grab some of these tried-and-true resources that’ll keep kids focused until finals. Continue reading
A few years back, I noticed something weird – kids sometimes, maybe even often, learned more when I did less. One unexpected side effect of our spring semester 20Time experience was that I saw kids taking more ownership of information when they were the ones doing the research. This started me thinking about, and changing, how I present all sorts of material. Continue reading
Twelve (very long) weeks ago, I announced that I’d spend this spring semester creating a completed work of fiction to share with the world. Today, I’m back to tell you that…drumroll, please…I have failed.
For the first time in five years of annual 20Time projects, I did not complete my goal. Continue reading
I need your help with a judgment call. This month, one of my favorite podcasts, Criminal, detailed the compelling case of a real estate agent whose life was nearly destroyed by false online rumors. This episode and the issues it raises would make an excellent supplement to our American Literature students’ study of The Crucible, but I’m hesitant to build those materials because…well…this topic is just so…unsettling. Continue reading
You’ve thought about taking a dance/art/acting/whatever class but know you’ll be nothing but awkward.
You want to start a blog/YouTube channel/TpT shop/whatever but then realize your ideas are all crap.
You wake up early to write a chapter of your book but decide instead to organize your desk, answer emails, and fill out tax return forms.
(Wait, maybe that’s just me?)
Why is it that we don’t do the things we say we want to do? Turns out, there’s an invisible and incredibly powerful monster stalking us. It’s name is Resistance. Continue reading
If you use the online version of Prezi slide decks (like this one), please check to make sure the links are working. This weekend, the folks over at Prezi.com changed some coding that inadvertently caused almost all of my Prezi links to malfunction. The Prezi links included in my TeachersPayTeachers.com products have now been updated, […]
