Exoskeleton: a rigid external covering for the body in some invertebrate animals, especially arthropods, providing both support and protection We are a few weeks into the school year, which means that we’ve reached a point where some of my students have settled into a good rhythm and are doing well...and some of my students have… Continue reading Exoskeleton for my 6th graders
Tag: UDL in Practice
Jamboard Start Reflection
As with so many of my posts from the past year, the inspiration and content of this post comes from my colleague and thought partner, Jack Czajkowski, 8th grade science teacher at GCVS. He reached out in our chat to ask if I had "protocols" I use with my students when I do Jamboards, since… Continue reading Jamboard Start Reflection
Starting Jamboards Again
As we plan for our third full week of instruction, I've started implementing two Do Now's a week, Tuesday and Thursday at the start of math class. Heading into week three, I'm ready to begin Jamboards...finally! I started by going back through lots of the past Jamboards, trying to think about which style and which… Continue reading Starting Jamboards Again
Inspirations, III
Things I'm reading, listening to, finding interesting, finding challenging... Research Study: Abstract of study Experience of Otherworldly Phenomena (UMass); the complete paper Sensing the presence of gods and spirits across cultures and faithsPodcast: Rough Translation--a recent and intriguing findPodcast: CodeSwitch--still listening....still inspiredArticle: "High Quality IEP Goals" by Christine Penington--I particularly like her question "which skills… Continue reading Inspirations, III
a gift freely given, again
I am grateful, again, to my co-teacher, Donald Cook, for giving me the opportunity to spend two weeks with his elementary kids in summer school this year. In the time that I was able to be with DJ, and especially with the fourth and fifth graders, I watched the students grow, even in the space… Continue reading a gift freely given, again
A Lesson in Empathy
When I first began teaching at Parker Charter (Devens, MA), I encountered a phenomenon that was new to me: parents would register their student at the school, but not tell us that the student had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). We'd spend a few months with the kids, becoming increasingly concerned about performance and achievement,… Continue reading A Lesson in Empathy
An Experience of True Co-Teaching
I believe strongly in the importance of having high-quality virtual education in order to meet the needs of a wide range of students. That includes, of course, summer school programming as well. At first, I had wanted to teach summer school this year, but it became clear in June that I did not have enough… Continue reading An Experience of True Co-Teaching
What’s Math Got to Do With It?
Please forgive the indulgence, but this is a different kind of blog post. Over the winter, I read What's Math Got to Do With It?: How Parents and Teachers Can Help Children Learn to Love Their Least Favorite Subject by Dr. Jo Boaler. Where was SO MUCH inspiring that I just collected all of the… Continue reading What’s Math Got to Do With It?
Using Jamboard to Rethink Vocabulary
I have the honor of working for ten hours this summer with a colleague, Jack Czajkowski, an 8th grade science teacher at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School. It's an open-ended work assignment and we have been free-range on topics and discussions and working on what catches our eye, but we did work through a full draft… Continue reading Using Jamboard to Rethink Vocabulary
The Power of Preview
Prior to spring 2021, I didn't think of myself as someone who was a stranger to cancer. After all, my paternal grandfather had died of lymphoma when I was in high school and a good friend had lost her mother when we were both young. Recently, a colleague and friend had successfully ended a bout… Continue reading The Power of Preview
Universal Design for Learning 