Golden Gate Bridge–75 Years of Wonder

For 75 glorious years the Golden Gate Bridge has spanned the Golden Gate Strait where San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean.  Pedestrian Day, May 27, 1937, was the first day the Bridge opened to the public, the following day, automobile traffic rolled. Ted Huggins from Chevron (then known as Standard Oil Company of California) chronicled the building of the Bridge. The upcoming 75th Anniversary celebration will be Sunday, May 27.  Here’s the schedule of events, concluding with a grand fireworks display.  Sites loaded with Golden Gate Bridge history, trivia, and celebratory events include:  Golden Gate Bridge 75.org, California Historical Society, and the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.

Beat the Summer Slide

Beat the Summer Slide with ReadWriteThink, a partnership of the International Reading Association,  National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE),and Verizon Thinkfinity. Summer slide is the term used to describe the academic loss that kids suffer as they take a break from school during the summer months. Check out the Bright Ideas for Summer campaign

Writing With A Purpose

I enjoy writing, and I think students can learn to like writing if we give them ample opportunity and lots of kinds of writing.  The National Writing Project believes

Writing is essential to communication, learning, and citizenship.  It is the currency of the new workplace and global economy.  Writing helps us convey ideas, solve problems, and understand our changing world. Writing is a bridge to the future.

Literacy Spring Cleaning

Recently I wrote about Vocabulary Instruction and Word Walls, with tips from Katherine Hilden and Jennifer Jones (Reading Today, Vol 29 No 4).  This week, Hilden and Jones have suggestions for “Sweeping Round Robin Reading Out of Your Classroom” (Reading Today, Vol 29, No 5).

Effective Reading Instruction

In a recent issue of Educational Leadership (Vol 69 No 6), a publication of ASCD, the focus was on reading, the core skill.  Richard L. Allington and Rachael E. Gabriel, in their article “Every Child, Every Day”, outlined six research based elements for effective reading instruction.  

The Great San Francisco Earthquake April 18 1906

Reposted from April 18, 2011

The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906, stretches the imagination as to understanding the widespread destruction of our fair city. Natural disasters throughout our shrinking planet have let us to better able comprehend the impact such horrors present to human beings.

Vocabulary Instruction and Word Walls

Let’s look at  Word Walls for interactive learning developing comprehension both in language arts and in curricular content. Robert J. Marzano in his book, Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, offers six steps to effective vocabulary instruction:

1. The teacher explains a new word, going beyond reciting its definition
2. Students restate or explain the new word in their own words
3. Students create a nonlinguistic representation of the word
4. Students engage in activities to deepen their knowledge of the new word
5. Students discuss the new word
6. Students play games to review new vocabulary