After An Educator's Journey
Out of the classroom & into the universe
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Once upon a time, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Now I’m retired and working on new ventures.
Tag: English Language Acquisition
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Teaching in an urban educational setting has many challenges. Of course, there are challenges associated with trauma and with poverty and other social problems. One of the greatest challenges, in my opinion, is to work with students whose primary language is not English. In my current classroom, the ratio of native English speakers to English…
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A while ago, our Literacy Coach began talking to us about revisiting notebooks as a means to developing writers and authors. I’m possibly the last person in education to discover Aimee Buckner and Notebook Know-How, but I am so glad I have made that connection. Not being a writer myself or at least not a…
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I marvel at the quickness with which second language learners pick up on the structure of English. Most of my kids give new constructs a try without too much fear of seeming like they don’t know what they’re doing. As an aside — and as an Italian/French language” studier”, I wish I could be more…
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Well, not just the vocabulary, but for my urban kids, that surely is a major factor. This week, our writing focus – visualizing a text – was driven by a poem written by Carmen Lagos Signes: Pumpkins in the cornfields, Gold among the brown, Leaves of rust and scarlet, Trembling slowly down; Birds that travel…
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This week I was asked at a Team Meeting what I thought about particular student’s participation in MCAS (this student has serious health issues which limit school participation). Was there an alternate way to assess this student that would enable us to know what had been achieved? And that got me thinking about what I…
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Yesterday’s poll on Reading Rockets asks the question “Is letter writing (formal and informal) included in your writing curriculum?” While most respondents said yes, 20% said no. Some comments went on to say that letter writing is important, but in our society today, very few people actually write letters any longer. Our Third Grade Writing…
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It never ceases to amaze me. I’ll be reading a story and out of the blue will come a question that knocks me back a step or two. “Why did the Pilgrims come from Hollywood, Mrs. Bisson?” Now you and I know the Pilgrims never set foot in Hollywood — that word that was lost…
After An Educator's Journey 