All posts in January 2025

What I’m Reading: Cher The Memoir, Part One

Posted on January 11, 2025January 11, 2025Author Jill M SmithPosted in Care Givers, What I'm ReadingLeave a Reply

You don’t have to be a fan of Cher, as I happen to be, to enjoy her memoir: Cher The Memoir, Part One. At 400+ pages, it is a lot of Cher in one place, but anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, music, old Hollywood glamour, or even a fan of the American dream,…

A Gem of a Poem: “Snow Dust” by Robert Frost

Posted on January 7, 2025January 7, 2025Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Tuesday, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply

“Snow Dust” by Robert Frost is a the perfect poem to energize kids who are sluggish after break. It is short enough to pair with one or two other poems, but also complex enough to stand on its own. Students can grasp the meaning of the poem and list imagery words. Then they can think…

Index of Pages :

Writers:

Artist's Date: Quest for Short Stories

An Artist's Date: The Strand Bookstore in NYC

Writing Resource: How To Write Short Stories and Get Them Published by Ashley Lister

Writing: Two poems published

Writing Inspiration: Julia Cameron's Living the Artist's Way

Writing Inspiration: NY Botanic Garden Holiday Train Show

On My Bookshelf: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

What I'm Reading: Truth & Beauty [a friendship] by Ann Patchett

Writing Inspiration: A Gift From the Past

Care Givers:

What I'm Reading: Cher The Memoir, Part One

On My Bookshelf: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing

On My Bookshelf: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

What I'm Reading: The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Bookstores & More: The Bear and the Books

What I'm Reading: Closer Together by Sophie Gregoire Trudeau

What I'm Reading: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

On My Bookshelf: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

What I'm Reading: Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

What I'm Reading: Italian American by Luigina Vecchione

What I'm Reading: Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron

What I'm Reading: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

What I'm Reading: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

What I'm Reading: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

On My Bookshelf: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

What I'm Reading: Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

On My Bookshelf: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

On My Bookshelf: The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling

A Classic to Consider: The Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Cookbook Signing with Gina Homolka

August Reads

Bookstores & More: The Book Exchange

June Reads

May Reads

What I'm Reading: the Bear Town trilogy by Fredrik Backman

On My Bookshelf: books about motherhood

April Reads

What I'm Reading: The Essay by Robin Yocum

March Reads

February Reads

January Reads

Friday Fishtales - Family related posts

Kids Only:

Summer Reading: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Summer Reading: The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Summer Reading: Endling the Last by Katherine Applegate

Summer Reading: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Summer Reading: Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

Independent Reading: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Independent Reading: Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp

Independent Reading: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

Summer Reading: Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

Summer Reading: How to Catch a Polar Bear by Stacy Dekeyser

Summer Reading: The Eyes & The Impossible by Dave Eggers

Connecting with readers

Teachers: Recent posts first

A Gem of a Poem: Snow Dust by Robert Frost

Teacher Tuesday: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Art in the Classroom: Norman Rockwell's High Dive

Short Story Spotlight: "Hearts and Hands" by O. Henry

Teacher Resource: "Tender" by Cherline Bazile

Teacher Inspiration: Hearing from a former student

Teacher Resource: All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat

A Gem of a Poem: Do you carrot all for me? by Anonymous

Teacher Resource: Using Board Games to Cure Boredom

Teacher Tuesday: "The Fly" by Katherine Mansfield

Teacher Resource: The Idea Stone

A Gem of a Poem: Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Art in the Classroom: Van Gogh's Starry Night

Art in the Classroom: Henri Matisse's The Snail

Perfect Pairings: H.H. Munro's "The Open Window" with Arthur Miller's The Crucible

What I'm Reading: Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp

A Gem of a Poem: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost

Art in the Classroom: Norman Rockwell's The Jolly Postman

A Gem of a Poem: "Student of Clouds" by Billy Collins

Teacher Inspo: The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry

Perfect Pairing: Hell of a Book with Ghost Boys

A Classic to Consider: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

Perfect Pairing: "The Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart and "TKAM" by Harper Lee

Art in the Classroom: Andrew Wyeth

Sensational Sentences: The Lake House by Kate Morton

A Classic to Consider: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A Gem of a Poem: "Dreams" by Langston Hughes

On My Bookshelf: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Perfect Pairing: "The Most Dangerous Game" and Candy Land

A Gem of a Poem: "maggie and milly and molly and mae" by e. e. cummings

A Gem of a Poem: "Morning Song" by Cat Stevens

A Gem of a Poem: "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

Art in the Classroom: Waiting at the Window by Carl Holsoe

A Gem of a Poem: "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams

A Gem of a Poem: "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes

Teacher Inspiration: Pat Conroy's The Water is Wide

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" & Lois Lowry's The Giver

"The Yellow Wallpaper" & Jenga

Beowulf, Grendel, & Toni Morrison

Langston Hughes & Coming of Age Writing

Malcolm Gladwell & Research Paper

Contact & About Jill M Smith

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