A Video for an Imaginary Staff Meeting on “BALANCE”

Note – I first learned of this video from the Film English blog, a blog well worth following.  If you are looking for an additional lesson plan for students with this video, I suggest visiting  Cristina’s blog, Blog de Cristina . There’s never enough time at school to talk about some things. So many truly pressing issues … Continue reading A Video for an Imaginary Staff Meeting on “BALANCE”

Saturday’s Book: “Farewell Anatolia” by Dido Sotiriou

This is another one of those books that I read because of a chance discovery at the library.  Many times (like today!) I get frustrated by the list of books the library doesn’t carry, books recommended to me. But books like this one remind me of what I would be missing if I only read the … Continue reading Saturday’s Book: “Farewell Anatolia” by Dido Sotiriou

18/100: Reflecting on Penny Ur’s Teaching Tips – 2. The Right Answer

This is part two of my blogging challenge. As a veteran teacher it is easy to fall into the trap of doing things a certain way just because I’ve done them that way for years, without remembering the reason why.  I’ve decided to set myself a blogging challenge – reflect on one tip from each of … Continue reading 18/100: Reflecting on Penny Ur’s Teaching Tips – 2. The Right Answer

SATURDAY’S MYSTERY: WHO WERE YOU, DORA? CROWDSOURCING Q. 8

Note: This is part ten of a new Saturday series, in which I, with crowdsourcing help, try to unravel the mysteries hidden in previously unknown letters written by my mysterious step-great aunt Dvora /Dora before and during WWll in Poland. For further explanations see previous post. There are two words that I need your help with … Continue reading SATURDAY’S MYSTERY: WHO WERE YOU, DORA? CROWDSOURCING Q. 8

Saturday’s Books: “Postcards” and “The Magician’s Assistant”

This week I finished both my audio-book and my “printed book”. I chose “Postcards” by E. Annie Proulx at the local  library because I loved her previous book “The Shipping News”. I enjoyed the movie, too. The writing style does not disappoint but I was quite unhappy with this book. If the writing hadn’t been … Continue reading Saturday’s Books: “Postcards” and “The Magician’s Assistant”

Combining Edublogs and Edmodo to Connect Classrooms

When I was a teenager, back in the days of the blue aerograms, when letters still arrived with colorful stamps, I had pen pals from around the globe. I used to listen to a special program on BBC World that helped connect teens from distant countries. In high-school I had pen-pals from Iceland, Malaysia and … Continue reading Combining Edublogs and Edmodo to Connect Classrooms

Saturday’s Book: “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” by Ann B. Rose

I know it isn’t fair to label a book as a “travel book” but this book was such an excellent choice to take on a trip! Just picture this: four a.m, sitting at an airport gate on an uncomfortable chair after barely getting any sleep, loudspeakers in the background, and me engrossed in this book. … Continue reading Saturday’s Book: “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” by Ann B. Rose

Homework – Moving from “Alfie Kohn” to “Robyn R. Jackson”

For years I basically subscribed to Alfie Kohn’s approach to homework, which he hammers home briefly and succinctly in the video clip: “Making Students work a Second Shift” It seemed particularly unfair for my deaf and hard of hearing high-school students to have to work “a second shift” doing homework when they live so far … Continue reading Homework – Moving from “Alfie Kohn” to “Robyn R. Jackson”

From “Richard Cory” to “The Road not Taken”

Last year I taught the poem Richard Cory for the first time. I chose the poem after hearing a great lecture by another teacher about the poem. But my main reason for choosing it was because I felt that despite the difficult language, the concept would be easy for my pupils to understand.  And they … Continue reading From “Richard Cory” to “The Road not Taken”