When I wrote the post on readability and promised a follow-up, I had no idea I was wading into an argument that has apparently waged for almost a century. William H. Dubay gives an exhaustive overview of the various formulas, theories, supporters, and detractors of readability in a 2004 tract entitled “Principles of Readability”. This … Continue reading Readability
ReadTheory.org
This website is great for teachers looking to get their students to read more and gather some data along the way. Readtheory.org provides short readings and comprehension quizzes that adapt to the level of the reader. Score well on a reading and the next one will be slightly more difficult. Score poorly and the difficulty … Continue reading ReadTheory.org
Road Trip Lesson Plan
Here is a lesson plan I prepared for a mixed ESL class of 7s, 8s, and 9s. It was completed using Google Classroom, for the most part. I had ESL in mind when I created it but I think it could be easily adapted to fit Language Arts, Social Studies, and even Math outcomes. There … Continue reading Road Trip Lesson Plan
Skyscraper by Lynn Curlee [Text Analysis]
This post was going to be about the wonderfully written and illustrated book “Skyscraper” by author and illustrator Lynn Curlee. I thought it might be good material to keep on hand during the Materials and Structures unit of Grade 3 science. The author follows the phenomenon of the Skyscraper through various ages and architectural periods, … Continue reading Skyscraper by Lynn Curlee [Text Analysis]
ESL or ELA Lesson Plan
Today I am posting a lesson plan that I created a while back using a TED talk on machine learning as a jumping off point. The great thing about using TED Talks to start class discussions is that there are transcripts of most talks and translations into many languages. I work with many students whose … Continue reading ESL or ELA Lesson Plan
Because, er, it’s English.
Learning a language is hard. Teaching a language is hard. I spent a couple of weeks at the beginning of this school year in an ESL position and it got me thinking again about how difficult languages are for the student and teacher. Every language has its own foibles and idiosyncrasies that native speakers don't … Continue reading Because, er, it’s English.
Books for Kindergarten
This blog focuses on the K-6 age group because that is where I have the most experience. A relatively new experience for me is being a father. So today's post will be about some great books I have found in my hunt for reading material for my daughter. There are a series of books called … Continue reading Books for Kindergarten
Summer Browsing
Summer for teachers is half over and though we probably want to relish these dog days a few weeks more, many of us can’t help but look toward the fall and start to prepare. In the hustle and bustle of the school year I often bookmark sites I come across that may be useful, but … Continue reading Summer Browsing
What Does This Look Like In The Classroom?
Every new education graduate comes to terms with the stark realities of the classroom in one way or another. What we all notice is that the theories of teaching and learning that we studied do not always translate to the classroom. I recently read What Does This Look Like In The Classroom?: Bridging the Gap Between Research […]
Korean and Finnish Education
Anyone who has looked at international education outcomes has inevitably asked, what are the South Koreans and the Finns doing to keep getting the top marks in the global class? According to this article by Amy S. Choi, it is a different approach from each that yields the chart-topping performance. In Korea, it seems to … Continue reading Korean and Finnish Education
