Our class is beginning our unit on the year 1492. We study this to understand what was happening in the world, and specifically in Spain, during the famous year Columbus made his voyage. These 10 images of inspiration include rich fabrics, Moroccan architecture, vibrant colors, and majestic Spanish castles.
Author: jennyufford
{mama, teacher, runner, lover of all things baked}
Embracing the beach read in the classroom
Whenever I pack for a vacation or a weekend getaway, I always look forward to tucking a good book into my bag. On our trip to the Hamptons a few weeks ago, I could have gone with “A Little Life” which I’ve been plodding through for the past few months, but instead I grabbed an easy…
6 toddler beach essentials
This weekend we’re taking the kids out east to visit a friend in the Hamptons. When I’m planning to dress my kids for the water, I look for items that are stylish but still protect their precious skin from the elements whether it’s sun, wind, sand, or chlorine. Today, I’m sharing a couple of my favorite pieces that…
What my dad taught me
My dad is the third of six children in an Irish Catholic family. In school, parents and teachers alike asked why he wasn’t more like his two brilliant older siblings. They grilled him for not getting the straight A’s his siblings got. Make no mistake, my dad is a very smart guy; he just stood in two very…
Currently Reading… {p.d.}
Over the summer I picked up Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis’s debut book, The Hyperdoc Handbook. It is a must-have for teachers looking to increase student engagement and digital literacy in their classrooms. Hyperdocs are beautifully packaged, hyperlinked Google docs that create innovative learning experiences for students and teachers. The digital lessons emphasize…
Weekend Notes & A Few Lovely Links
Coming back to school after a long holiday vacation is always a shock to the system. So to say that this past weekend was an exercise in much needed relaxation would be quite an understatement. There were endless trips to the coffee shop, indulgent midday naps, lots of lounging around reading, and a bit of…
Free tech tools to try at back-to-school night
Think back on your past few back-to-school nights. Did you use Power Point? Be honest. How many years in a row have you used it? Just like our students, adults like to learn information in interesting and creative ways. So rather than use your same old slide show, why not try kicking it up a notch? Here…
My Fall Book Talk List…
One of my favorite back-to-school rituals is looking for fresh children’s novels to book talk or read aloud in the fall. There are so many great new titles out there, and I always want a variety of new kids’ books in my arsenal to whip out like a magician and say, “But have you read THIS?” I scour my favorite blogs…
My Back-to-School Goals…
Recently I shared some tips for setting and keeping goals, and since the beginning of the school year is just around the corner, I thought I’d share the goals I’ve set to keep me focused and motivated throughout the school year as well as the process I used to choose them. At some point each summer, I…
{Classroom Environments} Reflecting your Community of Learners
These days equity, diversity and identity are part of the national conversation, and our students come to school with complex ideas, experiences, and assumptions about themselves and others. My first co-teacher was super passionate about social justice, and she helped me mold my beliefs about what matters when fostering student identity at school. One of the most important ideas she…
{Classroom Environments} Creating a Cozy Space
For most of the year, children spend more time at school than anywhere else besides home, so it makes sense that we make our classrooms as inviting, positive, and comfortable as we can for students to live and learn in. The places I like to inhabit tend to have similar characteristics, whether it’s a friend’s…
{Classroom Environments} Starting with a (Mostly) Blank Canvas
There’s been a lot of talk about blank space these days. Thanks, Taylor Swift. For those of us in the teaching set, whose love lives (hopefully) aren’t being ruthlessly scrutinized by the media, the idea of blank space often presents a dilemma over how to decorate our classrooms to start the year. Do you trick out the room in an adorable rainforest theme or nautical color…
por jenny 