Unlocking the Power of Words: How Vocabulary Trees Can Transform Learning in Grades 4-12
Struggling to engage her 7th graders with the language of social studies, Mrs. Ramirez tried something new: Vocabulary Trees. By breaking down intimidating terms like “democracy” and “oligarchy” into their roots, prefixes, and suffixes, her students began to unlock meaning—and confidence. Suddenly, words became tools, not obstacles. Debates came alive with precise language, essays reflected deeper understanding, and test scores soared. “It’s like they finally see the connections,” Mrs. Ramirez marveled. Vocabulary trees didn’t just boost comprehension—they transformed her students into critical thinkers ready to tackle complex texts. Want your students to thrive? Plant the seeds with Vocabulary Trees! 🌳
Play to Learn: Ticket to Ride
The first American Style board game we will look at in the Play to Learn series is Ticket to Ride. This is one of the easier strategy games to play when entering this genre of games. It is in the group of games I first learned how to play and one of the first games I teach and suggest to new groups of gamers! Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure where players gather and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities across North America. Longer routes earn more points. Additional points are awarded to players who…
Turning Pages: Strategies for Creating a Reading Culture
Transform booktalks from passive to active experiences with engaging techniques that inspire a love for reading. Discover methods like interactive displays, book trailers, and speed dating to create a dynamic reading culture. These strategies help students explore and connect with books, fostering a lifelong passion for literature.
Fighting the Summer Slide with Gamified Reading Challenges
This summer, transform reading into an adventure! Ditch rigid booklists and embrace creativity. Students earn points by completing fun challenges like blackout poetry, character art, and creating music playlists. With varied tasks and exciting rewards, summer reading becomes a thrilling journey.
Play to Learn: Carcassonne
In the second blog post in the Play to Learn series, we will look at the game Carcassonne. This game is similar to Settlers of Catan, in that it is a Euro-style game. The game is based on mechanics versus story and theme. Carcassonne is a tile placement game. Players are looking to match tiles and place tiles to gain experience points (XP) . Tiles are picked at random and have illustrations of southern French landscape. Meeples represent people in the game and score points for the players. There are four types of tiles in the game. Farmland,…
Play to Learn: Settlers of Catan
One of my favorite hobbies is to play board games. There are many special moments in my life tied to playing games- meeting my husband, our proposal story, fun times with friends and so many more! Now when I mention board games, I am not talking about the classic ‘family game night’ games. I am talking about board games that have more strategy and themes involved in them. In many classrooms, we find Monopoly, Life, Connect 4, Candyland- the more classic ‘family game night’ games. What if we looked at some of these more strategic and thematic games that fit…
EduProtocol: Word Up Wednesday
Discover Word Up Wednesday, an EduProtocol that enhances vocabulary learning through collaboration and creativity. In just 5 minutes, students work together to complete tasks like definitions, synonyms, and memes. This engaging, low-pressure activity is adaptable to any subject, making learning both fun and effective.
Another EduProtocol: Bookakucha
Imagine transforming the traditional book talk into an engaging, student-driven experience. Welcome to BookaKucha, a dynamic book presentation format inspired by the popular Pecha-Kucha style, crafted by Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern in their book EduProtocols. What is BookaKucha? BookaKucha is a streamlined, classroom-friendly adaptation of PechaKucha, the world-renowned storytelling format known for its brevity and impact. In a typical PechaKucha session, presenters share their stories through 20 slides, each accompanied by 20 seconds of commentary. It’s the perfect blend of efficiency and creativity, often described as what “Show and Tell” always aspired to be. BookaKucha simplifies this even further…
Engaging Students with EduProtocols
What are EduProtocols? EduProtocols are instructional lesson frames designed to engage students in learning through critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. EduProtocols can be used with any subject and any grade level, from kindergarten through adult education. The key to the success of EduProtocols is repetition. The original creators are Marlena Hebern and Jon Corippo, and several other authors have since added their voices to the EduProtocol movement. A recent addition is “EduProtocols for Primary,” which fills an important gap that was previously missing. I was lucky to receive an advanced reader’s copy, and it was fabulous! Any content can…
CROB: Choose Your Own Booktalk
Transform your classroom with Choose Your Own Booktalk (CROB)! Imagine your students exploring books through interactive slides, engaging audio, and fun emojis. Give them the power to choose their literary adventure and discover new favorites. Dive into CROB and watch your students’ love for reading soar!
