“A Visit from St. Nicholas” ~ Lessons Across Disciplines (3rd and Up)

“‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…” How much time do you have to dive deeply into this classic? “A Visit to St. Nicholas” is a work that can inspire lessons across disciplines for all ages. Rich in literary elements and vocabulary, it has an interesting history, it had great impact on … Read more

End-of-Year Letters and Reflecting on the School Year

For well over a decade, I’ve had students write letters – to their future selves- at the end of the school year in May. A colleague shared this idea with me, and I know many of you do the same with your students. It’s such a meaningful way for students to reflect on their year, … Read more

Constrained Writing: It’s a Thing!

I had no idea it was a thing. In researching the topic of creative constraint, I was led to this Wikipedia article, and proceeded down a rabbit hole! Writing “with limitations” is ubiquitous. Six-word memoirs, seven-word summaries, haiku poetry, and 280-character tweets are all examples of constrained writing. I became interested in exploring more about … Read more