World-Play as Self-Apprenticeship

...worldplay can be studied as a kind of self-apprenticeship in creative practice, rather than prodigious application in discipline or craft. The childhood inventor of imaginary lands often elaborates his or her world in multiple ways at once. He or she may write stories and compose music, draw maps and build models, design games, and possibly construct a secret language—all within the context of play. It is likely, therefore, that childhood woridplay confers benefits that differ substantiall...

 Category Practice

Students appear to use a different kind of thinking when they create original patterns following rules they create (Grabowski, Damasio, & Damasio, 1998). Activities that engage students in building categories can start as early as preschool. Building category practice can be done with a bag of mixed buttons. After first modeling the procedure, you can have students work on their own or in pairs to sketch the categories they discover. Th is would also work as a language arts learning cente...

 The Classroom Library Checklist

Classroom Library Environment The classroom has a clearly designated, accessible, and inviting library space. The classroom has several areas for students to read comfortably. Classroom rituals and routines are established to support student self-management of independent reading. The library area has room for 3 or 4 students to review and select texts. Classroom Library Content I have at least 15 to 20 texts for each student. There is a balance of fiction and informational texts. The selec...

 How to Teach Vocabulary

Begin with a story or explanation of the term. Modeling how you use the word in your life or in conversation may be helpful to students. Have students put information into their own words. This process, which I call “recoding,” is necessary to make sure students understand the word. This is a vital step in the memory process. Skipping this step can be disastrous as students may have a misconception that will be placed in long-term memory through incorrect rehearsals (Sprenger, 2005). Ask stud...