Literacy Speaks Volumes

What a great (note sarcasm here) way to begin my summer holiday. On Saturday evening, I began feeling puny. I had an upset stomach, fever, headache, chills. I felt like death warmed over as we say here in the south. I was really and truly sick all night on Saturday; by Sunday morning, I was finished vomiting and other stuff (just imagine) but I couldn't get out of bed, but I couldn't get very comfortable in bed either. I did manage to get a better sleep last night, but I still feel very weak and feverish today. I had great plans for working this weekend, too. Thomas was also sick this week with the same type of stomach bug. I hope that no one else gets it.  Meatless Monday recipe? Try this yummy Cucumber Salad from Food Network. It's easy, fresh, and healthy!

Writing Prompts for July Click here for a digital image of this distressed American flag. It makes a great image for 4th of July parties!

Hope and I decided to try our hand at making hummus yesterday, and it turned out to be a great success! Here's what we used from our pantry: 1 can of store-brand chickpeas About three tablespoons of green curry paste About a quarter cup of olive oil About a tablespoon of garlic powder A pinch of salt A pinch of pepper About a quarter cup of lemon juice About two tablespoons of jalapeno peppers Here's how you make it: First, drain the chickpeas but save the juice to add to the hummus as you're processing it. Second, get out a food processor. Third, add everything to the food processor and process until you get the chickpeas chopped up. Add the chickpea juice and process until you get the consistency that you want. Enjoy!

I can develop ten learning standards for my students. By the end of this lesson, I will have developed ten essential learning statements for my students. Essential learning : as teachers we hear it all of the time, but what does it really mean? Is it just the latest educational jargon mean to bamboozle us and the public into thinking that we're really accomplishing something? What are Essential Learning Statements? Essential Learning Statements are learning statements expressed in kid-friendly terms that outline the learning that will be demonstrated by the end of the course of study. Essential Learning Statements are a result of answering the following question: Why should a student take this course? In my case, I want to know why my students should take my sixth-grade writing course. Here are my learning statements for my sixth-grade writing course: I can write a piece of text with a beginning, middle, and end. I can write a paragraph th

 Are you looking for a laugh this last day of May? Then, take a look at this cute video from Kid Snippet: My Teacher is an Alien.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Well, just when we all thought that Spring had sprung and the weather had finally warmed up, we get up this morning to find that the temperature is 50 degrees. We're all bundled up in sweatpants and sweatshirts. I've got my woolly sock on because my tootsies are cold. I hope you are staying warm and cuddly in your neck of the woods. Happy Saturday Folks!

Study Skills Checklist of Students How can you improve your concentration? First of all, find out what works for you. It's a good idea to begin studying for 15 minutes at a time, then work your way up to longer periods of study. Take breaks. Always give your time to take breaks when you are studying. Do not cram! That may sound like a good idea, but it's not. Review small portions of material; take a break; study some more. You will retain more information that way. Reward yourself for studying, learning a difficult topic, or completing a project. Go to a movie, spend time with your friends, or do the things you put off to study. You are more likely to study again and concentrate if you know that there is a reward waiting for you at the end. Find a comfortable, quiet place to study. It needs to be free of distractions. You want to study in the same type of situation in which you will be testing. Use the same place for studying. Studying in the same place will help you remembe

Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby book series, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI John Barnaby, who works for Causton CID. Dudgeon's character is the younger cousin of former lead character DCI Tom Barnaby. The stories are set in modern-day England and revolve around Tom Barnaby's efforts to solve numerous murders that take place in the idyllic picturesque but deadly villages of the fictional county of Midsomer. Filming of Midsomer Murders began in Autumn 1996, with the first episode broadcast in the United Kingdom on March 23, 1997. The show has always attracted a large following. Many well-known stage and screen actors have appeared on the show. Anthony Horowitz created the show and adapted the majority of the early episodes from the original works by Caroline Graham. Midsomer is an English fi

The real origin of the English language is German. The Germanic languages are those that are most closely related to English. In 449 AD, the first permanent tribes setting in Britain. These tribes gave themselves the name of “Jutes.” The Jutes were on of the three most powerful tribes of the Nordic Iron Age. The other two were the Saxons and the Angles. The leaders of the Jutes were Hengist and Horsa. Six years after landing on the Isle of Thanet, the Jutes established Germanic peoples are an Indo-European Ethno Linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Germanic languages. The term Germanic originated out of classical times, when tribes were living in Upper, Lower, and Greater Germany. It was the Roman authors who first referred to these people as German. The Romans did not base their terms on languages, but on the physical characteristics of the people. The Romans considered these tribes less civilized. The second settlement of invade