1. Don’t. Ignore that cough. Cancel that meeting. Show up to class with a box of Kleenex and a bottle…
Why You Should Teach Baseball on April 15th
The Major League Baseball season is underway, which seems a trivial point in the broad scheme of academics. Yet were…
Desk Rent is Due Friday!
No doubt you’ve had kids ask, “Why do we need to know this stuff?” In my classroom, we spend a…
What’s Hindering Your Low Readers?
Perhaps many of you have figured this stuff out long ago. Me, after nearly 25 years of teaching, I recently…
Ten Plays for Black History Month
The Daring Escape of Henry “Box” Brown is making a reappearance in the January issue of Scholastic’s Storyworks magazine. In…
A Good Time to Say Thanks
This week I just want to say THANK YOU to all you FANTASTIC teachers who have used Read Aloud Plays…
No Santa Hats Allowed!
A couple of my fifth grade girls showed up at school today wearing Santa hats. “Santa hats?” I said. “We…
Girl. Fighter. Hero.
Women soldiers? It’s not so unusual in 2015, but back in the 18th century, the very idea would have drawn…
You Fancy Me Mad?
Fairies waving candied wands… Goblins drooling chocolate malt… Halloween has such a bizarre place in our classrooms. In my school…
Grades: Who Needs ’em?
How do you grade a play? I read an article recently about the merits of “gradelessness” in the classroom. It…
Mackowiecki Lewis 