Everybody chill out. Here’s why the Yahoo deal will actually be great for Tumblr.
How do you fit the Geometry Standard into your Preschool Classroom?
1) Patterning Blocks! Let kids manipulate different shapes. Ask questions about the different shapes? How many sides does the hexagon have? Are they all the same length?
2-4) Art! Let kids explore different shapes - this ‘circle art’ is great for young learners who are just learning their shapes.
5-6) Building! The kids need to be able to experiment with different 3 dimensional shapes. This is a great math concept because the kids can actually SEE that it takes more blocks to build the longer side of a shape.
The books that will move you, inspire you, make you cry, make you think, make you laugh. Are there any books that you would add?
I agree with most of this list.
Reblogging for my reference. I need a new good book to read. Even though I hate buzzfeed with a firey passion, I will look at this and appreciate it for what it is.
What he said.
For reference
What about…. nevermind.
(via meghanjh)
20 ways to burn 300 calories outdoors
You can leave the stuffy gym behind for any of these fun outdoor activities, so step away from the treadmill.
We all have times in our lives when we just have too much stuff going on. There are always deadlines, exams, due dates and just too many priorities to juggle. And when everything is going wrong, the world is screaming for your attention and you just don’t have time - the last thing you need to hear is to “just take a day off”. So here are 55 gentle ways you can take care of yourself when you’re pressed for time and attention.A reminder for busy teachers everywhere.
Why You Should Add Tomatillos to Your Spring Recipe Lineup: Birchbox Test Kitchen
You miiiight have noticed by now that Birchbox staffers have an ever-so-slight obsession with food, from colorful (and totally yummy) vegetables to delicious smoothies. Which is why we’ve enlisted our in-house recipe guru Nicole to divulge her kitchen secrets each week, sharing seasonal ingredients, must-have tools, and new cooking methods.
Among the many delicious ingredients that Spring brings, the neatly wrapped tomatillo is my favorite. Not to be confused with its cousin, the green (unripe) tomato, this small-statured fellow comes earlier in the season and grows within a parchment-like husk. When the husk is removed, you’ll find sticky, firm and vibrant green skin. Also called husk tomato, jam berry, or husk cherry, one bite will reveal a delish tart-yet-sweet taste.
The DPLA is now real. Go forth and explore.
It’s not very often you get to build a new library. Together, that’s what we will begin to do today. Starting with over two million items, each with its own special story and significance, the Digital Public Library of America will now begin to assemble the riches of our country’s libraries, archives, and museums, and connect them with the public.
-Dan Cohen, Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America
This great resource is now readily available to the public! A quick search for “Chicago” returns nearly 20,000 results; narrowing that search to items between 1900 and 1910 (just out of curiosity) yields more than 1,300 results. Check it out!
- Chris
I played around yesterday and I can attest that it’s very cool.
This is superb!
a massively extended version of ruthlesscalculus’ post
General Tips
- Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips
- Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
- 34 Writing Tips that will make you a Better Writer
- 50 Free resources that will improve your writing skills
- 5 ways to get out of the comfort zone and become a stronger writer
- 10 ways to avoid Writing Insecurity
- The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Insecurity
- The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers
- You’re Not Hemingway - Developing Your Own Style
- 7 Ways to use Brain Science to Hook Readers and Reel them In
- 8 Short Story Tips from Kurt Vonnegut
- How to Show, Not Tell
- 5 Essential Story Ingredients
- How to Write Fiction that grabs your readers from page one
- Why research is important in writing
- Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character
- Writing Ergonomics (Staying Comfortable Whilst Writing)
- The Importance of Body Language
Character Development
- 10 days of Character Building
- Name Generators
- Name Playground
- Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test
- Seven Common Character Types
- Handling a Cast of Thousands Part 1 - Getting To Know Your Characters
- Web Resources for Developing Characters
- Building Fictional Characters
- Fiction Writer’s Character Chart
- Character Building Workshop
- Tips for Characterization
- Character Chart for Fiction Writers
- Villains are people too but…
- How to Write a Character Bible
- Character Development Exercises
- All Your Characters Talk the Same - And They’re Not A Hivemind!
- Medieval Names Archive
- Sympathy Without Saintliness
- Family Echo (Family Tree Maker)
- Behind The Name
- 100 Character Development Questions for Writers
- Aether’s Character Development Worksheet
- The 12 Common Archetypes
- Six Types of Courageous Characters
- Kazza’s List of Character Secrets - Part 1, Part 2
- Creating Believable Characters With Personality
- Body Language Cheat Sheet
- Creating Fictional Characters Series
- Three Ways to Avoid Lazy Character Description
- 7 Rules for Picking Names for Fictional Characters
- Character Development Questionnaire
- How to Create Fictional Characters
- Character Name Resources
- Character Development Template
- Character Development Through Hobbies
- Character Flaws List
- 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters
- Ari’s Archetype Series
- How to Craft Compelling Characters
- List of 200 Character Traits
- Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex
- Making Your Characters Likable
- Do you really know your characters?
- Character Development: Virtues
- Character Development: Vices
- Character Morality Alignment
- List of Negative Personality Traits
- List of Positive Personality Traits
- List of Emotions - Positive
- List of Emotions - Negative
- Loon’s Character Development Series - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
- Phobia List A-L (Part 1), M-Z (Part 2)
- 30 Day In Depth Character Development Meme
- Words for Emotions based on Severity
- Eight Bad Characters
- High Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types
Female Characters
- How Not to Write Female Characters
- Writing Female Characters
- How to write empowering female characters
- Why I write strong female characters
- Red Flags for Female Characters Written by Men
- Writing strong female characters
- The Female Character Flowchart
- Eight Heroine Archetypes
Male Characters
Tips for Specific Characters
- Writing A Vampire
- Writing Pansexual Characters
- Writing Characters on the Police Force
- Writing Drunk Characters
- Writing A Manipulative Character
- Writing A Friends With Benefits Relationship
- Writing A Natural Born Leader
- Writing A Flirtatious Character
- Writing A Nice Character
- Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Villains
- Five Traits to Contribute to an Epic Villain
- Writing Villains that Rock
- Writing British Characters
- How To Write A Character With A Baby
- On Assassin Characters
Dialogue
- It’s Not What They Say…
- Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue
- Speaking of Dialogue
- The Great Said Debate
- He Said, She Said, Who Said What?
- How to Write Dialogue Unique to Your Characters
- Writing Dialogue: Go for Realistic, Not Real-Life
Point of View
Plot, Conflict, Structure and Outline
- Writing A Novel Using the Snowflake Method
- Effectively Outlining Your Novel
- Conflict and Character Within Story Structure
- Outlining Your Plot
- Ideas, Plots and Using the Premise Sheets
- How To Write A Novel
- Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense
- Plunge Right In…Into Your Story, That Is
- Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot
- 36 (plus one) Dramatic Situations
- The Evil Overlord Devises A Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plot Tricks
- Conflict Test
- What is Conflict?
- Monomyth
- The Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps
- Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes
- Plotting Without Fears
- Novel Outlining 101
- Writing The Perfect Scene
- One-Page Plotting
- The Great Swampy Middle
- How Can You Know What Belongs In Your Book?
- Create A Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps
- How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel
- Create Structure in your novel using index cards
- Choosing the best outline method for you
- Hatch’s Plot Bank
Setting & Worldbuilding
- Magical Word Builder’s Guide
- I Love The End Of The World
- World Building 101
- The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help Bring Your Settings to Life
- Creating the Perfect Setting - Part 1
- Creating a Believable World
- Setting
- Character and Setting Interactions
- Maps Workshop - Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping
- World Builders Project
- How To Create Fantasy Worlds
- Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds
Creativity Boosters* denotes prompts
- *Creative Writing Prompts
- *Ink Provoking
- *Story Starter
- *Story Spinner
- *Story Kitchen
- *Language is a Virus
- *The Dabbling Mum
- Quick Story Idea Generator
- Solve Your Problems By Simply Saying Them Out Loud
- Busting Your Writing Rut
- Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips To Engineer A Productive Flow
- Writing Inspiration, Or Sex on a Bicycle
- The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes
- Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits
- Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging
- Random Book Title Generator
- Finishing Your Novel
- Story Starters & Idea Generators
- Words to Use More Often
Revision & Grammar
- How To Rewrite
- Editing Recipe
- Cliche Finder
- Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written
- Writing 101: Revising A Novel
- 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes
- Synonyms for the Most Commonly Used Words of the English Language
- Grammar Urban Legends
Tools & Software
- Tip Of My Tongue - Find the word you’re looking for
- Write or Die - Stay motivated
- Stay Focused - Tool for Chrome, lock yourself out of distracting websites
- My Writing Nook - Online Text Editor, Free
- Bubbl.us - Online Mind Map Application, Free
- Family Echo - Online Family Tree Maker, Free
- Freemind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable
- Xmind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable
- Liquid Story Binder - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $45.95; Windows, Portable
- Scrivener - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $39.95; Mac
- SuperNotecard - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable
- yWriter - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free; Windows, Linux, portable
- JDarkRoom - Minimalist Text Editing Application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable
- AutoRealm - Map Creation Application; free; Windows, Linux with Wine
Specific Help
Whelp, time to be a famous writer.
(via planetsedge)
The flower cupcakes are so easy!
A little time consuming but I actually found it calming and fun
Just cut mini marshmallows on a diagonal and arrange them with the sticky side up—start from the outside.
They look best with 3 circles of marshmallows.
Put mini chocolate chips in the center, then sprinkle on sugar crystals of your color choice!
If you make the flowers with only 2 circles, trying your best to lay them flat, then make a big center of chocolate chips, and sprinkle yellow—they look just like sunflowers!
The archives of more than 1,200 journals are now available for limited free reading by the public, JSTOR announced today. Anyone can sign up for a JSTOR account and read up to three articles for free every two weeks.
F YEAH OPEN ACCESS
JSTOR you read my mind!
(via englishteacheronline)
Totally not #education related (but how much of my blog really is?), but go buy one. They’re a little pricey, but they’re the strongest smelling candles I’ve ever gotten. The office still smells like it, and I only burned it for an hour (YESTERDAY). Also, you’re supporting a growing small business run by the nicest woman in the world. Victoria PERSONALLY answers all the e-mails and is super nice.
P.S. The cinnamon bun scent is phenomenal.
Looking for a new book to add to read this year?
I sometimes get in a reading rut where I read the same types of books over and over and have to make a conscious effort to switch it up. (It helps that I try to alternate fiction and nonfiction.)
I created the 2013 Reading Challenge as an easy and fun way for me (and you) to fit more varied books in this year. A lot of people create goals of reading a certain number of books in a year, but I think that can be stressful or worse—you may end up racing through shorter, mediocre books in order to reach your quota for a given month. I used to try and race through books in order to tick them off a numbered list, but I’ve found that it’s more challenging and enjoyable to try and read books that are outside my comfort zone, or in a genre I’m not familiar with or that I haven’t read in years.
I created the below lists as a way to get started, but the books I’ve listed for each section are just my personal recommendations. The important thing is not to read any of them just because I’ve listed them here—you should only read them if they jump out at you as being interesting or worth your time.
Above all, reading should be fun. I used to feel like I had to finish every book I started no matter how much I hated it or how bored I got. I don’t do that anymore. If I’m not enjoying myself, I don’t finish the book. You know yourself better than anyone! Only choose what you know what will bring you genuine pleasure and enjoyment. (And won’t be a waste of your time!)
Have fun and let me know what books you pick in each category! I’ll keep you updated by posting reviews here when I’m finished.
Read a childhood favorite you haven’t picked up in years.
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi
- Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
- Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise McGraw
- From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Read a nonfiction book about religion or religious culture (or the lack thereof).
- Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh
- The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
- The Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower
- A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian D. McLaren
- The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
- Who Speaks for Islam? by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed
Read a classic you haven’t touched since high school English.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Read a popular historical fiction novel.
- The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
- Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
- Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
Read a nonfiction book or memoir about an illness or disease.
- Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi
- The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch
- Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg
- The Mercy Papers by Robin Romm
- An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
- Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith
Read an entire popular YA book series.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
- Divergent series by Veronica Roth
- The Ender Saga by Orson Scott Card
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
- The Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle
- Redwall by Brian Jacques
Read a book that was made into a movie or television show released within the past year.
- A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones)
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (The Woman in Black)
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Life of Pi)
- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)
- John Carter on Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter)
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit)
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina)
Read one of the books on New York Times reviewer Michiko Katutani’s Meanest Reviews list and decide for yourself whether the meanness was warranted.
- “The Original of Laura” by Vladimir Nabokov
- “Chronic City” by Jonathan Lethem
- “The Discomfort Zone” by Jonathan Franzen
- “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby
- “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer
- “Until I Find You” by John Irving
- “The Dying Animal” by Philip Roth
- “Point Omega” by Don DeLillo
- “Nocturnes ” by Kazuo Ishiguro
- “The Witches of Eastwick” by John Updike
- “NW” by Zadie Smith
Read one of Amazon’s Editors’ Picks for January 2013.
- Me Before You: A Novel by Jojo Moyes
- Ship It Holla Ballas! by Jonathan Grotenstein, Storms Reback
- Hikikomori and the Rental Sister by Jeff Backhaus
- Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders
- Rage Is Back: A Novel by Adam Mansbach
- Little Wolves by Thomas James Maltman
- Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus
- Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde by Rebecca Dana
- My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
- The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer
Read a nonfiction true crime book.
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- My Life among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World’s Most Notorious Murderers by Helen Morrison and Harold Goldberg
- The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer
- Devil in the White City by Jonathan Larson
- Manhunt by James L. Swanson
- Columbine by Dave Cullen
- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
- The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
- Mind Hunter by John Douglas
Read a book about a sport that usually doesn’t interest you in the slightest.
- Moneyball by Michael Lewis
- Secretariat by William Nack
- The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
- The Game They Played by Stanley Cohen
- Paper Lion by George Plimpton
- Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger
- Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox
Read a collection of short stories.
- Blasphemy by Sherman Alexie
- Dear Life by Alice Munro
- Night Shift by Stephen King
- The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest Hemingway
- Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger
- Naked by David Sedaris
- Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates
- The Best American Short Stories 2012 by Tom Perrotta and Heidi Pitlor
- Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls by Alissa Nutting
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you have any books to add to these lists? What will you read in one of the categories?
(Source: jaclynday, via kicksandgiggles)
The 25 Books I read in 2012
Favorites: Gone Girl, The Fault in Our Stars, Heft, The Wilder Life, The Dirty Life, The Age of Miracles, The Art of Racing in the Rain.
It was a big year for book titles that start with The.
Excellent Student Reward! Button Beats is by far my students most favorite site for creating music, especially raps. They love to freestyle (create their own on the spot) which I have been learning is fantastic for the brain. Supposedly its better than rapping something which they have memorized. Either way they love it.
Great free time reward for my students. They really work hard for this one. If you have a microphone you can also record. The kids also use the webcam and watch themselves rap.
Ever see 4 (EBD) eighth graders huddle close together with one computer, working cooperatively? It can happen…I see it every Friday!
This is included in my Kids Make Music LiveBinder.
*Make sure you check out all of this collection through the “jump menu” (drop down menu). It’s an incredible resource.
Reblogging this again because it is cool.
