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I am fascinated by Chinese history and culture, but also because teaching ancient, world and American history to my middle school students in content-based ESL classes was loads of fun and some of my most enjoyable moments of teaching happened in those classes. Confucius; source: Wikimedia Commons So many students
There’s a phrase from the 1970s that goes: Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. It was used as an advertising slogan by an automobile company but has its origin is World War II when soldiers said they were fighting “for Mom and apple pie.” Regardless of where they came
It’s often said that a teacher needs to entertain students to hold their interest in the content being taught. If true, then I envision the classroom as a theater in the round with the cast of students and teacher making optimum use of the entire space rather than just sitting
The vernal equinox was on March 20th; in order words, Spring has sprung to life. Spring flowers; source: Pixabay Considering the winter weather much of the US endured, it isn’t surprising that spring fever set in months ago, especially when kids couldn’t go outside for recess for such a long
Friday the 13th is considered an especially unlucky day by people who are superstitious. Explaining American superstitions to English Language Learners can help them better understand American culture. Plus, it’s fun to learn about superstitions in other cultures so explaining them provides good opportunities for productive discussions and speaking practice.
Happy Chinese New Year! Today begins the Year of the Sheep! No, wait, it’s the Year of the Goat! Er, no, it’s the Year of the Ram! Um…which one is it, exactly??? Well, that depends on which language you are speaking. In Chinese, it’s the Year of the Yáng. The
Kids are like rocks. As the saying goes: A diamond in the rough. With some kids, it’s easy to figure them out; they are extroverts and their personalities shine for everyone to see at first glance. With other kids, though, including many ELLs, you have to dig beneath the surface
Let me say this straight off: I am not a fan of standardized testing. I don’t think it measures students’ learning effectively, I think it takes far too much time away from actual teaching, I think results are being used inappropriately, I think too many for-profit organizations are instigating the
As the calendar year comes to an end, marking more or less the mid-point of the academic year in the US, teachers have had plenty of time to evaluate how their students are doing. Teachers may start to think about the next school year and start to look more closely
(This post has been updated for 2022.) December used to be very difficult for me. For many years, I fought the transition to the new year, was generally exhausted at the end of the year, and just wanted to hide. I described myself as a ‘cranky Jewish kid who felt
To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery. Charles Baudelaire Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/language_8.html?vm=l Federal law states that school districts must identify children who need support because English is not their first language. To meet this requirement, home language surveys are administered when families register
This week, The New York Times published an article about Class Dojo, the popular online behavior management program. The article profiled teachers who find the program very useful and described the ways they used it. The article also included comments from parents who felt the program impinged on their children’s
