Two kids may seem to be very much alike, and yet be very different when it comes to learning style. One of the issues in differentiated instruction is teaching for different modalities, or sensory learning styles. Some people learn better through visual input, some through what they hear, and others… Continue reading
Monsters make a good metaphor for fear. Small children are sometimes sincerely scared of monsters, but older students can relate to the idea of vanquishing the monsters in their lives. Approaching monsters, feeling the fear, deciding whether it’s wise to continue, and showing courage or prudence — these are… Continue reading
We’ve posted lots of serious fairy tale lesson plans for you, and any of them can give you plenty of ideas for creating a fairy tale theme for your classroom. Fairy tales include heroes, villains, helpers, difficult choices, good and evil, challenges, and consequences. They make an extremely versatile… Continue reading
“Puss in Boots” is one of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, of “Cinderella” fame. It is not as well-known to today’s kids as “Cinderella,” but the character’s inclusion in the “Shrek” movies and the Dreamworks film have made Puss, if not the story, popular again. Share it with classes… Continue reading
Butterflies are a common symbol of growth and change — a great classroom theme! There are some ready-made items for your bulletin board: Scholastic’s clever 3-D Butterflies! Bulletin Board Mini Bulletin Boards- Butterflies & Moths from North Star You can also make butterflies from circular coffee filters. Have students… Continue reading
“There was an old lady who swallowed a fly…” goes the traditional song. “I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die.” The old woman goes on cheerfully enough to swallow a spider “that wriggled and jiggled and ticked inside her” and then a bird, a cat, a… Continue reading
The Lambikin is a folk tale from India. It is not very well known in the United States, so it would be a good one to use when you have a class that is tired of all the folktales they already know. In the story, the Lambikin is going to his… Continue reading
The Five Chinese Brothers was written by Claire Huchet Bishop in 1938. While it is generally described as a Chinese folktale, I haven’t found any earlier collections of it. The story begins, “Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers, and they all looked exactly alike.” Each brother… Continue reading
