Instructor (1990) articles from January 1998

Instructor (1990) archives from January 1998

Poems show how to speak volumes with few words. (making compact poems)(Poetry Workshop)
January 1, 1998... One feature that distinguishes poetry from prose is economy of words. A skilled poet tries to tell a story or create an image with as few rich words as possible. Siv Cedering's "When It Is Snowing" provides an excellent basis for a lesson on...

Maximize conference results in minimum time. (talking to students about reading problems)(Motivating Readers)
January 1, 1998... Finding time to confer with students individually or in small groups can be difficult. I've discovered, though, that by keeping conferences short and my goals clear, I can meet with each student a few times a week. The following conference models...

It's midyear! Take stock of kid's spelling progress. (informal assessment of kindergartner's spelling ability)(Spelling Strategies)
January 1, 1998... January is a good time to assess students' spelling development, while there's still time to help those who may be struggling. The following quick, informal assessments will help you compare your students' progress to typical midyear benchmarks....

Unlock the mystery of formatting dialogue. (writing dialogue)(Teaching Writing)
January 1, 1998... These mini-lessons evolved from a troubling realization: My students were cranking out fiction without knowing the nuts and bolts of writing dialogue. Quotation marks, periods, commas, and capital letters were appearing in too many places they...

Want to teach basic skills? Try Brand-Name Phonics!(Reading Clinic)
January 1, 1998... Rather than trying to decode and spell unfamiliar words letter by letter, proficient readers and spellers use what they know about familiar words - their patterns - to master unfamiliar ones. With Brand-Name Phonics, I use well-known products to...

7 time-management sanity savers. (technique in time management)(Taking Care of Teachers)
January 1, 1998... Each time I ask teachers what their biggest stressor is, they say: "There aren't enough hours in the day!" I can relate. I used to be a teacher, and on a typical day I would have to call a parent, read students' work, photocopy papers, and sort...

Suddenly, my kids don't mind revising! (computer-assisted education)(Dear Diary)
January 1, 1998... October 15 I have got to get a computer for myself! In the ever-evolving "things I have to buy" list in my head, that thought keeps easing its way to the top. Working with technology at school has only made it clearer to me how many things I...

Literacy activities that tap kids' multiple intelligences.
January 1, 1998... The multiple-intelligences theory developed by Dr. Howard Gardner didn't change what I taught in language arts - it changed how I taught. For years, I required students to only use their verbal-linguistic intelligence to learn reading,...

"Uh-oh, I'm being observed!" Tips for easing the jitters and putting your best foot forward. (teaching demonstration)
January 1, 1998... I've been a teacher for 15 years, but my stomach still churns at observation time. As the day approaches, I get the jitters imagining that an activity that has always run smoothly will unexpectedly 90 awry as soon as the principal sets foot in my...

6 steps to better report card comments.
January 1, 1998... For years, the report card's little comment box has caused big headaches for teachers. It's too small for a detailed response, but too conspicuous to ignore. What's a teacher to do? Traditionally we've resorted to bland, general statements about...

Beyond O.J. and the nanny: teaching about trials. (mock trials inside the classrooms)(Social Studies Now!)
January 1, 1998... Recently, celebrated trials have transformed American living rooms into vicarious courtrooms as many families - including children - have become glued to the televised coverage. For me, this hammered home the ever-increasing need for students to...

Hands-on prediction problems. (teaching math-related problem)(Math in Action)
January 1, 1998... My dad was a one-and-a-half-cup-of-coffee man. When offered a refill, he always said, "Just half a cup, please." No matter how much was poured, I'm not sure that he ever felt he was properly served half a cup. So I spent a good deal of my...

Cool ideas for teaching about warm-blooded animals. (science-related activities)(Hands-on Science)
January 1, 1998... Warm-blooded animals have built-in mechanisms that help them maintain constant internal body temperatures, even when the temperature outside their bodies changes. The following activities guide kids toward understanding why humans sweat and dogs...