Top 10 Best Children’s Books of 2011
Liz Rosenberg of the Boston Globe recently released her Top 10 children’s books of 2011. “Little Owl’s Night’’ by Divya Srinivasan (Viking, ages 3-7) This is the most visually and verbally gorgeous...
View ArticleThe Unique Challange of Teaching Boys
There is no doubt in my mind that teaching boys is a more difficult proposition than teaching girls. It is also clear to me that boys have suffered from a traditional classroom setup which has proven...
View ArticleThe ’100 Greatest Books for Kids’ is Released
Scholastic Parent & Child magazine have gone to the trouble of ranking the 100 “Greatest Books for Kids.” There are some great titles among the list and some notable omissions. I am a tad...
View ArticleR.I.P Jan Berestain of Berenstain Bears Fame
As a child, I absolutely adored the Berenstain Bears books. I made my parents read them to me over and over again. I particularly loved “The Bike Lesson”, a father’s cautionary tale to his young son...
View ArticleOne of the Most Overrated Skills in the Classroom
Whilst I can obviously see the value of teaching spelling skills, I don’t think it is anywhere near as important as schools make out. The emphasis that spelling gets when it comes to teaching...
View ArticleStandardised Testing Meets Spin City
A few weeks ago I sought to have an interview with Australia’s Education Minister regarding the upcoming NAPLAN standardised tests. I am still waiting for a reply. Luckily, I came across his op/ed...
View ArticleShort Attention Span Blamed for Lack of Interest in Reading
People don’t have patience any more. Everything needs to be immediate and instantaneous. I heard someone on the radio last night complain about the 5 seconds of advertising they had to sit through...
View ArticleThe Most Unlikely Children’s Author Yet
I would never have predicted that former basketballer Dennis Rodman would even contemplate becoming a writer of children’s books: What do Katie Couric, Gloria Estefan, Jamie Lee Curits and Dennis...
View Article‘Love’ as Defined by a 5-Year Old
A cute note by a young child on the subject of love: Click on the link to read If We Accept Dishonesty From Adults, What Hope is There for Our Kids? Click on the link to read Teachers Should Stop...
View ArticleIllustrator Quentin Blake Turns 80 and is Given a Knighthood
Recently I taught a unit on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I formed my wonderful Grade 3′s in a circle and we each took turns reading from this masterpiece. Using the novel as inspiration, we...
View ArticleThe Telegraph’s Best Children’s Book of All Time
Some absolute classics among this very well compiled list: Watership Down Richard Adams (1972) The full-scale novel about rabbits finding their promised land has the magic of prophecy, idyllic...
View ArticleStudent Writes Nasty Letter to Teacher and Teacher Corrects it!
Never mess with an English teacher! Click on the link to read The Telegraph’s Best Children’s Book of All Time Click on the link to read The New York Public Library’s 100 Most Requested Children’s...
View ArticleThings Your Teachers Taught You That Are Wrong
A great list compiled and written by Misty Adoniou: 1. You can’t start a sentence with a conjunction Let’s start with the grammatical sin I have already committed in this article. You can’t start a...
View ArticleMy Latest Book Interview
It has been a great thrill for me to publish my debut novel. Below is the transcript of my latest interview. What is your e-reading device of choice? The Kindle is now waterproof, which is perfect...
View ArticleAll Students Can Achieve Reading Success
Some readers take their time to reach their breakthrough moment whilst others are hampered due to a lack of practice at home. Phillis C. Hunter reminds us all that every child can succeed in their...
View ArticleNobody’s a Nobody: An Original Poem
NOBODY’S A NOBODY by Michael Grossman I used to be so popular, When I was back at school. The teacher’s used to love me. The kids thought I was cool. I used to be so pretty, And very good at...
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