Instructor (1990) articles from May 1998

Instructor (1990) archives from May 1998

Shed light on the poetry of color. (teaching poetry to children)
May 1, 1998... David McCord's enchanting poems sparkle with energy and music. Before his heath last year, he delighted generations of readers with his use of rhythm and rhyme. I hope his poem "Yellow" inspires your students to try their hands at writing a poem...

Summer assignments for students and their parents. (spelling)(Spelling Strategies)
May 1, 1998... It's almost summer - time for swimming, sunning, and... spelling? Why not? This is the perfect time for parents to help their kids spell well. ACTIVITY GRADE K PURPOSE To show young children how sounds and letters make words....

Writing about reading deepens understanding.
May 1, 1998... "I have to reread parts of my book when I write about characters. I don't like to do it, but that's how I get details and learn more." These honest words, written by a sixth grader, spotlight the benefits of teaching students to respond to...

Young Writer's Workshop: it's time to publish. (teaching children how to publish their writings)
May 1, 1998... This Young Writer's Workshop wraps up a year of visits with favorite authors and illustrators, teacher-tested strategies and activities, and other materials for guiding the young authors in your classroom in their creative expression. Janet Wong,...

Year-round reading. (Web sites dedicated to children's literature)
May 1, 1998... 'Tis the season to prepare summer reading lists. Here, you'll find a selection of Web-based reading resources for teachers as well as parents and children - all designed with the goal of delivering a better reading experience to your students....

Using laserdiscs to support language arts.
May 1, 1998... As a technology mentor, I've met many teachers with laserdiscs who share a common problem - they don't know how to use them. Enter Charlotte's Web, America's timeless tale of friendship, and as familiar as an old sweater. With Masterpiece:...

Arts extravaganza! (electronic arts project for school children)
May 1, 1998... Finish the year with a flourish with electronic arts projects that will fire up your students' imaginations. Designed to celebrate the artists in your students, here's a selection of multimedia tools you can use to integrate music, visual arts,...

You have to write with Janet Wong. (poem writing for children)
May 1, 1998... When you read "You Have to Write," what stories do you think of telling? What have you seen, heard, and felt? Here, Janet Wong shows how to turn that writing into the best kind of gift. One day I read my poem "GongGong and Susie" (from A...

Interesting models set a standard. (paragraph writing for children)
May 1, 1998... When you model paragraph writing, you give children a standard to aim for in their work. You give them something well written that motivates them to write well. You can't overreach this writing process. Students need to see us craft a topic...

Inspire a summerful of reading. (motivating children to read during the summer)
May 1, 1998... every year at this time, teachers and parents are faced with the task of motivating kids to read over the summer. To give you a helping hand, I have compiled the Super Summer Reading send-home book list on the following pages. The titles are an...

Troublesome year-end transitions: how you can help kids cope. (includes related article on class discussion)
May 1, 1998... It's the end of the year - time for closure, good-byes, and a few sighs of relief. It's also a time to acknowledge hard work and success. So why do your students seem out of sorts? A month ago, this class seemed well on its way to concluding the...

Discover math in every corner of the classroom.
May 1, 1998... Let's face it, if students don't see a purpose for learning multiplication and division, it's likely that they'll get turned off to math. But David Ott vowed that his students in San Lorenzo, California, would learn that math can be used to solve...

How do sea critters make their moves? (teaching sea-animal locomotion)(Hands-On Science)
May 1, 1998... When sea animals want to get up and go, they have different ways of doing it. While octopi and jellyfish get a move-on through a jet-propelling movement, fish bob up and down thanks to being able to fill up on air. The following experiments...

Celebrate the stars and stripes! (teaching children the origins of US flag)
May 1, 1998... Seeing the Winter Olympics reminded me how flags symbolize national identity and history. May 25, Memorial Day, and June 14, Flag Day, present great opportunities to teach students about the flag's origin. I have kids perform a poem which, in...