Easter in the classroom is a lot like Christmas in the classroom: there is an unavoidable religious element, but it is also a holiday celebrated as a secular day of fun in the United States, and there are a lot of enjoyable things you can do in your classroom if… Continue reading
The Blues are an important American musical form. Here’s a classroom lesson plan that works on poetry as well as listening skills. Listen to some blues: Blues Journey and Texas Blues at Artsedge; you can explore further with related lesson 12 Bar Blues . Even Kids Get The Blues by the… Continue reading
April is National Poetry Month. Most of us teach poetry at some time, for some reason. Whether it’s nursery rhymes for essential pre-reading skills for the littlest students or sonnets for the AP exam, rhymes to help remember math facts or opportunities to express emotion in acceptable forms, most… Continue reading
We went to Pea Ridge National Military Park to learn more about the Civil War. We have a couple of battlefield parks here where we live, and we find it sobering to stand where so many lost their lives. It’s also very interesting. Pea Ridge has excellent interpretive exhibits examining… Continue reading
What is an earthquake? An earthquake is movement of the earth that causes shaking and rolling of the earth. This is generally the result of movement of the tectonic plates of the earth, though some recent quakes where I live have, some say, been caused by unsafe methods of… Continue reading
Learn about Greek mythology and the earth science explanation of the seasons by studying the story of Persephone, the goddess of spring. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved dearly. As Persephone grew up, she became so lovely that… Continue reading
St. Patrick’s Day is an extremely popular holiday in the United States, in part because such a large number of Irish people immigrated to the U.S. More than 45 million Americans can claim Irish heritage, making this group the second largest in the nation. And yet the chances are good… Continue reading
“18 Wheels on a Big Rig” was produced with permission from Trout Fishing in America and composer Heywood Banks, and you have our permission to use this in your classroom, too. Animation by Sean Sallings of Silver Fox Design Group. Continue reading
Weather folklore is the source of many cool sayings. This one tells us that, though March begins with rough weather, it will be mild and pleasant by the end of the month. This seems like an encouraging reminder that spring is on the way. Some reverse the saying, though, to mean that if March… Continue reading
Meet standards for art, social studies, and physical education all at the same time with a study of Irish dance. Irish step dancing has been practiced widely in Irish-American communities throughout the U.S. for many years, but it only came to the notice of the general public when Riverdance became… Continue reading
