6th February, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
In the vocabulary workshops I’ve done, I will often suggest that teachers label everything in their classrooms as one of the many ways to create a word-rich environment for their students. The kindergarten teachers, of course, knew all about labeling (chair, table, door, etc.) because this is common practice. The teachers in the other grades (right on through high school) couldn’t imagine how they would use labeling. Read More
6th February, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
There are so many dictionaries available for students to use – and in this article, I’m only talking about the physical (vs. the on-line ones). When you are deciding about what dictionaries to purchase for your classroom, consider the questions and suggestions offered in this article. Read More
6th February, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Teachers need to have substitutes (’subs’) when they are out sick, at a conference, asked to attend to other school business, and the like. Although there are times you might like to have a ’sub cam’ to see what went on while you were gone, asking students to reflect on their time with a sub using learning logs is another (and less expensive) option. This article shares some prompts that you can use to access students’ perceptions of ‘what really went on while you were gone.’ Read More
6th February, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Artists abound in classrooms! Yours included, I imagine. If you want to provide your students with alternatives to traditional book reports that will appeal to their artistic traits, this article provides 6 suggestions that you can implement right away. Read More
6th February, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Some students would rather talk than almost anything else. (Some teachers, too!) To harness some of students’ communication energy and interest, provide book report alternatives that involve talking – or the idea of talking. This article offers several suggestions for teachers to use right away. Read More
22nd January, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Word lovers are fascinated by words. And words are fascinating to word lovers. Some children are naturally intrigued by words and others are not (yet). As a teacher, you can foster the love of words in your students. This article shares some ideas for encouraging that by having students collect words. Read More
18th January, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Students love games. And having a game that involves dictionaries is a triple win. This article teaches you how to get ready for ‘The Dictionary Game’ and then how to play it with students. Read More
18th January, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Snapshot Alphabet, an idea that sets up a structure for students to take pictures related to a particular concept and then put them into a book (or album), thereby reinforcing the concepts and giving them a reference point, works GREAT with young learners. This article gives you some ideas for using this structure – and for how to get enough cameras, which is essential! Read More
18th January, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Have you ever learned a new word the very first time you ever heard it? It’s likely you have in one or two cases–but mostly you know it has taken you multiple times to learn whatever the new word is. This is certainly true for your learners, too. For students to truly OWN the vocabulary they are learning, it’s essential for them to have ‘repeated encounters’ with the words. As a teacher you don’t have to spend money or even tons of time in preparation. What is necessary, however, is awareness. This article offers 10 suggestions for how you can ensure that you and your students have multiple, repeated and varied encounters with words. Read More
18th January, 2009 - Posted by Meggin - No Comments
Having taught primary level, intermediate grade, middle school, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, I think I can speak from experience when I say that too often, when students write, they often use the same old tired terms. Not only is such a limited writing vocabulary dreadful to read if you are the one assessing the papers, but accepting such limited descriptive language is educational malpractice (yes, I did say that). If we do not expect – and teach for – the use of high-level words when students are writing (and speaking), then we have severely restricted their ultimate success in life. Consider using lists of words that will intrigue students. This article offers suggestions for how to do so. Read More
