‘Tis the season for motivating students with lessons that embrace the festivities of December because, let’s face it, we’re tired and they’re tired, and we are all in need of something fun to do in class. One option is to bring seasonal works of art to your lessons, and who better than Norman Rockwell to…
All posts in November 2023
A Classic to Consider: The Birds’ Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Classic to Consider, Care Givers, Independent ReadingLeave a Reply
While at the library looking for something else, I came across this thin Christmas novella. Kate Douglas Wiggin’s The Birds’ Christmas Carol is a charming and less popular holiday story that may be just what you are looking for. Wiggin, who also wrote the Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm series, tells the story of little Carol…
What I’m Reading: Truth & Beauty [a friendship] by Ann Patchett
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Care Givers, What I'm Reading, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
I’ve just finished reading Ann Patchett’s memoir, Truth & Beauty [a friendship]. Patchett shares the evolution of her friendship with author Lucy Grealy. Meeting in college with aspirations of publication, both women had much in common, but it’s their differences that tell the story. When a child, Grealy had cancer and extensive chemo and radiation…
Writing Inspiration: a gift from the past
I received a gift of two antique fountain pens and two lead pencils from my aunt who had them from my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago. There was a note in the box that said they were the first gift my grandfather gave to my grandmother. They were married in 1937, so…
A Gem of a Poem: “Student of Clouds” by Billy Collins
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Teachers who are looking for poems that straddle two subjects can rely on “Student of Clouds” by Billy Collins. The poem is printed in Collins’ collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room, New and Selected Poems, and is just one of several from the collection that students will find accessible. “Student of Clouds” begins with “The…
