Want to build your students’ minds and bodies, or just need something new to add to your art lessons? You might want to consider re-introducing handwriting.

I, among other things, define myself as a rapper, and it’s a fact of which my students are all too aware.

After teaching high school reading intervention courses for many years, I know that starting with a novel is a mistake—it’s too long. Instead, I use urban legends.

I avidly recall a second grade class that would excitedly huddle around my rocking chair for story time. Students scrambled around sliding chairs to the carpet where I read heartwarming and sometimes zany tales, they reminded me that story time was counted among the most meaningful and cherished moments of a child’s day. Story time is a child’s portal into endless worlds, kingdoms, and dimensions.

“Words from other countries can be difficult to spell. Italian gave us macaroni and broccoli, as well.”

By middle school or earlier, many children have lost motivation, confidence, and focus in reading. Where does it all start to go downhill, and what can be done to change that?