We recently returned to school after a 10 day Spring break. I always find this the hardest Break from which to restart classes. Central Iowa tends to warm up over Spring break and it is a taste of summer break. And in our school we quickly start the haste filled final steps toward AP testing … Continue reading Difficult versus easy: A simple add on to continue the flow of input.
Category: Communicative Context
The SSR Handbook: Chapter 3 Pilot Program.
Chapter 1 and 2 of The SSR handbook by Pilgreen lays out the research centered around reading programs. Chapter 3 switches gears and recounts a pilot program. As Pilgreen began her pilot study she confirms on page 19 that the factors of "access to books, book appeal and encouragement were weak in her classroom. She … Continue reading The SSR Handbook: Chapter 3 Pilot Program.
A critical year for Iowa public schools.
First off, I want to make it clear that the following words are my own thoughts and reflections as I observe the discussion over education happening in state level politics in Iowa the last couple of years. I work for West Des Moines Community Schools. These words are my own and have no reflection on … Continue reading A critical year for Iowa public schools.
Move your teacher self out of the way: It’s blocking your view of the human beings in front of you.
Recently there was a debate in a teacher group about the use of Classical dictionaries. Passions were vibrant. I debated within myself wondering where I stood. My guess is about half of the responses were in support of teaching students how to use Classical Latin paper dictionaries and about half were opposed to the need … Continue reading Move your teacher self out of the way: It’s blocking your view of the human beings in front of you.
Novice High ACTFL Performance Benchmarks: The basics without visual support and a little detail.
Novice high level performance benchmarks from ACTFL. Should we assess performance or true proficiency?
Black Out Poetry: Create compelling class discussion centered in a new text.
Use blackout poetry with a new text as a formative assessment to create rich discussion that is student driven and compelling about theme connected to the text.
Why I think “Active” versus “Grammar-Translation” misses the point.
I'm burnt out today. Lately, the Active Latin versus Grammar-Translation debate has popped up in my social media feeds. I need to do something different so I watched a lecture from Salvi about the possibility of a bridge between Active Latin and Grammar-Translation to change up my day. These thoughts are a bit raw and … Continue reading Why I think “Active” versus “Grammar-Translation” misses the point.
Quis me amat?: An introductory Latin reading.
As my classes completed a first semester of Self Directed Reading there were still some students who fought the idea of reading or who read begrudgingly. Even though I attempted to consistently remind myself that I needed to hold out and keep offering titles that may interest those students, there were days that it was … Continue reading Quis me amat?: An introductory Latin reading.
Iter Mirabile Dennis et Debrae: The ancient world meets modern in an intermediate level story.
For some reason my students do not often read Iter Mirabile Dennis et Debrae. One of my goals next year with SDR (Self Directed Reading) is to do a better job of introducing and highlighting the Latin titles which are now in our library. The story line seems compelling to me as both Dennis and … Continue reading Iter Mirabile Dennis et Debrae: The ancient world meets modern in an intermediate level story.
Lucia, Puella Mala
I am currently working on updating information about Latin reading materials so be aware as you look at my self directed reading page. I have to be honest; as I start reading Lucia, Puella Mala that I'm skeptical based on the title. This comes from a father of 3 girls, the oldest being 7, who … Continue reading Lucia, Puella Mala
