Discover my favorite things to to do with an empty notebook. Use one these notebook ideas to inspire your next creation.
One of my favorite things about back to school, is knowing that I get to meet and love on a brand new bunch of kids for the school year. I’m sure you feel the same way, and have your lesson planner packed to the max with different “get-to-know-you activities.” I want to share with you […]
Nine Favorite Things: From LA restaurants, to Q & A's, to Tieghan's travel tip, to what she's packing for LA...Tieghan's got you covered!
Discover my favorite things to to do with an empty notebook. Use one these notebook ideas to inspire your next creation.
How to plan a day trip from Kyoto to Uji, Japan including the best things to do and how to get to Uji from Kyoto, Japan.
Get an inside look at not only the beautiful Charleston home of Patricia Altschul, decorated by my favorite interior designer, Mario Buatta, but also a insiders look at her world with today's guest post written by her friend, Luzanne Otte.
A favorite things party is a fun and easy party to throw during the holidays. Here are the basics of the party so you can host stress free!
Even if you’re not a self-proclaimed cat-lover, you have to admit that it’s super cute when cats tuck their paws under their bodies. When they do this, they essentially look like adorable, furry loaves of bread. If you want proof, then look no purr-ther: Inspired by the above cat phenomenon, South Korean toy
Use this all about me free printable for a birthday interview, or first day of school questions for students
Nine Favorite Things: from Pinterest inspirations, to cooking with spring produce, to Q & A's, to binge watching Bon Appétit Videos, to links she is loving, to favorite bathing suits for spring break and beyond, to this week's favorite dinners...Tieghan's got you covered!
D'you ever find yourself . . . just not reading? For weeks? Or months? Maybe years? I have gone through long-term reading slumps that have made me ashamed
All About ME! Get to know your group with this fun printable! Students will answer the following prompts: Name Favorite Color Family Drawing Birthday Summer Postcard (drawing and description of one thing they did/place they visited this summer) Favorite Food Favorite Drink Things they're good at SELFIE drawing Want more Back to School Activities? Try these: Mingle Bingo Instagram Page Get to Know You Activity
Science videos for kids to use in a primary classroom. My favorite YouTube Science channels to find educational videos for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade!
Spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty...enjoy as an appetizer or serve alongside steamed rice for a quick dinner!
When you're craving a hearty but healthy dinner this stew with rice is perfect...made quick in the instant pot or let it take its time in the slow cooker or oven!
We’ll never get over it.
My parents were in town the other week, so on a particularly beautiful September Sunday, my mum and I headed to Hyde Park to visit this year’s Serpentine Pavilion. The yearly structure is an event in the architecture world, as well as in the London cultural scene. (I previously wrote about London’s 2013 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and, I must say, it’s still my favorite one.
For those nights when you’re craving spicy, warming Chinese inspired noodles, but don’t want to wait for takeout.
Harry Potter is a fandom rife with perfect op-pun-tunities for laughter... and these are our favorite magical jokes.
Better than the takeout version...but quicker and healthier too!
What are your favorite motivational sayings that get you writing? Here are some of my favorites that I'll use whenever I'm in a funk or need a lift.
I’m turning 30 today!! And I’m pretty darn excited about it. While it’s a bit surreal to think that my twenties have come and gone, it’s exhilarating to think that I’m standing on the brink of this new chapter full of adventures, new friendships, and life lessons (learned from plenty of mistakes, no doubt!). Not that […]
There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.You feel it, don't you? – Rumi Welcome, dear spiritual wanderer. You've come to this page seeking guidance, and that's what we intend to give you wholeheartedly. Before you begin, we want to honor your self-sovereignty and inner instincts, so: Please remember to not accept anything as being 'true' that I write or anything that anyone on the spiritual journey says/writes/teaches without first checking in with your own inner knowing. No one is infallible, no matter what degree of awakening
These are the best interior design accounts to follow, from designers to influencers to shops. Here's where my design-savvy friends get their inspiration.
Up till about a week before my wedding I would have sworn up and down that I was going to wear a veil. I had so many reasons, including the Jewish idea that when you wear a veil, the spirits of all your decedents walk down the aisle with you. (Beautiful right?) Also, I really like Read more...
When I was a brand new teacher, I thought the quality of my teaching was ultimately tied to the quality of my resources, so I spent hours searching for great materials. I believed that if I had quality resources, ones that my students enjoyed and were engaged with, then that would make me a good teacher. Well, I still believe that having quality resources is extremely important, but over the years I've also come to realize that being a good teacher is SO much more than the tools in my toolbox. Everyday has a million moving parts that need our constant attention, focus, knowledge and skills of best practice. So even though I now believe that being a good teacher is more than the quality of my teaching materials, knowing that I have a good variety of kid tested and teacher approved resources at my fingertips allows me the time and energy to focus on other aspects of my teaching day. So today, as a follow-up to my original "favorite resources" post, I want to share with you MORE of my "go-to" resources that I consistently use in my classroom with my students! Build a Sentence I love this resource, and so do my students! This resource gets beginning and intermediate ELs speaking and writing! First, a photograph is posted. Then students generate a word bank by telling what they see in the picture. I ask for one word at a time. No matter the level of my ELs, everyone can come up with at least a word or two. I get additional details by asking about colors and quantities of items they see. Once our word bank is sufficient, they use those words to create varying lengths of sentences. They are asked to create a 3 word sentence, then a four word sentence, then a five word sentence, and so on. I'll ask, "Who thinks they can come up with a 4 word sentence?" My students all start thinking and counting on their fingers, then quickly a hand shoots up, then another. They love it! This activity is heavily scaffolded for beginners. Students orally create the word bank and sentences, but I write the words and sentences on the board using correct spelling and grammar. Then they copy. I am a big believer in modeling for beginners, and I model a LOT! This activity is a definite favorite among my students. They practice their oral language skills as well as their writing skills. I do this with my small groups at least once a month. Writing with English Learners I created this resource to prep my students for the writing portion of the annual language proficiency assessment. In Virginia, where I'm from, ESL students take the WIDA ACCESS each winter. Being that writing is the literacy skill that usually takes the longest to develop, I wanted to explicitly teach the skills students needed to be most successful on this assessment. In my lesson plans, I incorporate a listening, reading, speaking and writing focus each week. For the writing focus, I usually pull from these two resources. Whether I am teaching how to stretch out words, write a story, explain a process or analyze information, this resource allows me to choose the skills my particular groups need to work on. For my intermediate and advanced ELs in grades 3-6, I focus on "language formats" found in writing. Whether they are asked to describe, provide an opinion, analyze or compare and contrast, understanding and applying the language with that format is key. 5 Ws and H - A Writing Resource for Adding Details This resource is a new favorite! It teaches students to add meaningful details to their sentences. I often ask students to "tell me more." This writing activity gets them in the habit of giving more information in their sentences by adding thoughtful details. This resource is designed for gradual release. The first set of activities can be done in a whole group setting. A photograph is projected and students are asked to answer the 5W & H questions about the picture. This information is then used to write two thoughtful sentences. As students become more proficient with adding details to their sentences, the next set of activities can be done in either a small group setting or as an independent activity. The last set of activities are writing prompts that students can independently respond to in their notebooks. Posters are included which add a great visual reference for a classroom display. Restate the Question This is a simple, yet effective, activity that teaches students to restate the question or prompt in their answers, both orally and in writing. As a writing activity, either project a prompt on the whiteboard and have students write their responses in their notebooks, or print out the question and have them glue it into their notebook. This takes modeling the first several times, but afterwards should be a quick independent activity. For a speaking activity, pull out a card and ask the question. Students take turns answering several of the questions. This works great in a small group setting. My students often ask if we can keep on "playing." VIDEOS! VIDEOS! VIDEOS! Incorporating videos into my lessons is a MUST! When I plan a new unit, one of the first things I do is to scour the internet looking for fun and meaningful videos. My go to place is YouTube. There are some real gems out there, but it does take some looking. When I find a goody, it goes into my collection and I use it again and again. Here is a blog post that I wrote about using short films to teach reading comprehension skills. I continue to add to the list as I find new films. Click on the image to see the list! Check out my Short Film Bundle here. Monthly Themed Vocabulary This is an great resource to use with primary learners and beginning ELs. Each month contains 20 vocabulary words. I love this because it's relevant to what's happening around students at the given time of year. Along with the terms, which I use as a monthly word wall, matching cards, writing activities, a vocabulary booklet and BINGO games are included. In closing... As I create my weekly lesson plans, these "tried and true" resources are many of the activities that my students use throughout the school year. Having a collection of reliable and engaging materials available frees up the time I'd otherwise spend searching. I'm sure you have your go-to resources too. Happy teaching!! (Affiliate Link)
Amanda Clark and her husband Stephen are the owners of Seend Manor in Wiltshire, England. The spectacular gardens within Seend Manor’s 28-acre grounds were designed by Julian and Isabel Bannerman, who have worked with clients including John Paul Getty and the Prince of Wales. The couple bought Seend Manor, their first home in the English countryside, […]
Being amidst the people enjoying whereas a person is sitting alone who is lost in his own thoughts, Midding
