Even when I’m teaching science or math, my English degree means that I love using poetry and literature to teach every content area. Cinquain poems are one of my favorite things to use to get...

When I’m looking for vocabulary activities, one of my favorite strategies is what I call phone-a-friend. What I mean by that is that I see what other teachers have already thought of and are...

Usually when we use the term "vocabulary," we mean understanding a word's definition so that you can use it and bring it into your own personal lexicon. You can’t study vocabulary without...

A number of years ago, my orthopedic surgeon told me that I needed surgery on my knee to repair a structure called the plica and I asked him, “Oh, is that a fold? Are they folds?” He looked at...

Sometimes even high school students like to cut and tape stuff. And don’t get me started on how much they like coloring. Luckily, when they’re in the mood for some Kindergarten-like fun,...

Picking a favorite chapter of your book is a lot like choosing a favorite child. Yet when I was writing the chapter on frames in the Depth and Complexity book, I must admit the chapter on frames was...