blog
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Teaching with the Olympic Games
I have been having a lot of fun incorporating the Winter Olympics into my English ESL classes. Part of the curriculum deals with Canadian culture and this seemed like a great opportunity to explore different areas of the country. Research I asked the class how they could find out about the Canadian athletes who are…
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Detective Novels Meet the Master of Horror
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King I had no idea that this was a detective story when I picked it up from the library a few weeks back. I have enjoyed every single Stephen King story that I have ever read. He just has a way with words and storytelling. However, this one seemed to be…
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Saga – Pushing Comics Further
Saga: Volume 1 – 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples It’s hard to explain exactly what this comic book series is all about. If I try to summarize it, some of the magic will no doubt be lost. Suffice it to say, this series pushes the medium of comic storytelling into new realms.…
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Chasing Content – February 2009
Let’s take a moment to travel back in time and explore posts from nine years ago. It’s time for a bonus edition of Chasing Content. Let’s go! Read all of the posts from February 2009, or just these highlights . . . Who Watches TV on a TV anymore? Nine years ago, it was still…
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Feeding Your Flame (Student Writing Activity)
Last week’s Will Smith video response activity was a success. I decided to try it again with another of his Instagram videos. This one has a few harsh phrases or words that might not be appropriate for your classroom (please watch it before you share it with your students) Please write a 2-3 paragraph response…
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It’s Your Birthday Mixtape
I made this mixtape as a birthday present for a thirteen-year-old who is really into modern hip-hop. He made a few requests of songs that I am not particularly fond of. Fortunately, he left me some room to add songs of my choice. I threw in some new stuff and dipped into the past, as…
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Adventures in Record Collecting
Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting by Eilon Paz There is something beautiful about a record collection. This book captures that perfectly with amazing photographs. Every picture has a quotation that gives us an inside glimpse into the collection itself and the mind of the DJ, music lover, radio host, or musician. It’s vinyl…
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Fault vs Responsibility (Student Response Activity)
I am posting this edition of Teaching Tip Tuesdays as an activity you can do with your students. I will be doing this today with my class. If you try it out, let me know how it works in the comments below. Will Smith is an actor, rapper, and songwriter. This is one of his…
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Come Sing With Me (Karaoke Fridays)
I am running karaoke at Jack-Os in downtown Woodstock every Friday night for the next five weeks (possibly longer). So, come on out and sing a song with me. It’s a lot of fun and a great atmosphere. We get started at 9:00 and go straight through to 1:00 a.m. We have a huge selection…
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Students Working Together on Tests? (Brilliant!)
I subscribe to this ten-minute podcast series specifically meant for teachers. In this episode, a teacher shared a brilliant idea. After he gives his students a test, he has them retake it in groups. This lets them discuss the questions and the answers they originally provided. It gives them a new perspective on how to…