21st Century Writing

This episode has 5 ideas of things you could use to add a little magic in your kids’ Christmas stocking this year.

1- LEGO mini build

2- small notebook

3- membership cards

4- puzzles

5- Story Coins game

6- cute key chains

These are also perfect for teacher gifts, a class gift, or white elephant games.

What is your favorite holiday memory? Several pop up for me, but there is something they all have in common: warmth.

This holiday season, focus on family time with these 3 holiday activities:

1- Story Button podcast player for screen free time

2- Story Coins for dinner table fun

3- Writing letters to someone special... including Santa!

Join me on the road at GaETC 2023 as we talk with Wakelet and Book Creator representatives about 21st Century Writing. You'll hear a brief interview from each and then I'll share the ways I use both platforms to inspire students and grow their writing skills beyond paper and pencil.

What is a Pumpkin Spice Story?

It’s a story (or any piece of writing) that excites you and your audience.

People who love PSL, LOVE them.

It’s a feeling. A vibe. A whole experience.

Writing should be a FUN experience. ... and ... Your audience should “get your vibe”.

Join me as we enjoy a PSL writing framework you can try with students today!

What exactly is 21st century writing and why does it matter? That's the question I answer in this "unscripted" episode.

It's real world ideas… but applicable.

It's using analog and technology approaches, not just being on screens all day!

It's strategies that are fun and inclusive to different learning styles.

It's natural differentiation through leveling because writing is a personal process.

Join me on Instagram: inspired.to.enrich

This is a shorty episode, but it's got some good information if you're looking to take writing instruction to the next level!

Communication is the life skill our students will need most in their futures but the one we don’t spend as much time really teaching. We teach around it with writing assignments and presentations, but we don’t have the time to teach the how of communicating well.

Communication is divided into 3 subsections:

1- presentations/public speaking

2- reports

3- emails

This is the third summer we’ve planted a garden… and so far, it’s been the most successful. In fact, I just harvested 6 radishes yesterday. Gardening is a great way to connect kids with nature! Research has shown that exposure to nature and outdoor activities has many benefits for children, both physically and mentally.  In this episode, we'll focus on three important garden helpers: earthworms, honey bees, and caterpillars. 

Reviewing for state testing (or any testing, really) doesn't have to suck! These quick, creative ways to make reviewing skills and content fun and engaging… and they don't require you to spend money, print anything out, put kids on a computer screen.

1- Use Games

2- Get Vertical

3- Group Discussion

In this episode, we will be discussing one of the most important aspects of modern-day education: instructional technology tools. With the ever-increasing importance of technology in our lives, it is vital for teachers to be well-equipped with the best instructional technology tools for the classroom.

Whether you're a seasoned educator looking to upgrade your technology tools, or a new teacher just starting out, this episode will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you choose great instructional technology tools for your classroom.

Join me on Instagram: @inspired.to.enrich

Are you feeling stuck in a creative rut? Sometimes all it takes is a little game to get those creative juices flowing. Whether you're looking for activities to do with your kids or just want to have some fun with friends, our list of creativity games has got you covered. Get ready to unleash your imagination and have some fun!

Storytelling Games

2- Improv Games

3- Brainstorming Games

4- Drawing/Doodle Games

5- Word Association Games

Here in Georgia, we’ll start state tests near the end of April. For me, standardized testing was also a root of intense anxiety and worry. Our gifted brains already work in hyperdrive, so adding test anxiety is like pouring gas on the fire. But, I have a solution…. Well, a few ideas that can help quiet those fearful inner monologues and guide our students through state testing. 

Test anxiety is a common experience for many students.

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday celebrated on March 17th that commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. To start your celebration off right, write or tell a brief history lesson to your students with the main themes being Saint Patrick himself and Irish culture. Then dive into fun activities such as arts and crafts projects, quizzes on Irish folklore, or enjoy Celtic music.

Weekly Outline Themed Learning

1. Book- find a story at the library, on your shelf, or online through digital books or YouTube read alouds. Sometimes it helps to enjoy a good story to spark creativity.
2. Craft- something fun to get hands-on and creative with the week’s theme.
3. Snack- who doesn’t love a themed snack? Enjoy a yummy treat and maybe (fingers crossed) introduce new foods.
4. Writing- writing and drawing are so important for processing information and a great way to practice new language skills.
5. STEM- working to solve a problem using science, technology, engineering, and math is always a win win!
6. Outing- think of a local, fun place to go that ties into the week’s theme. There’s nothing better for creativity than getting outside.

Send the secret word to @inspired.to.enrich on Instagram and I'll send you a couple of fun writing prompts!

... and simple steps to help!You could argue positive results of context switching, especially if your brain naturally tends to jump steps in a process….. Hello gifted brains! But for the most part, multitasking has more negative results than positive because you’re not fully focused on the task at hand. This means one task never gets the full creation process… just parts of it. Like only getting part of your amazon order and having to wait days for the rest.

This mental effort can cost up to 40% of total productive time. This leaves only 60% or less for actually completing tasks. In terms of learning and developing, this means our students are wasting valuable brain energy just trying to understand what they are doing and how it should be done.

So, what do we do?

First, identify sources of context switching.Common sources include notifications, multiple open tabs or  windows on a computer, or even being required to multitask. But, this doesn’t just apply to technology. This can include hands-on tasks or activities.

We talk about why students need to know specific standards and how learning these skills and topics will help them in the future. And I”m here for it… I agree that our students need real world applications for the skills and concepts they are learning. Today’s big question….

If our goal is to prepare students for the real world, why are we teaching writing the same way it was taught 30 years ago?

Introducing the WRITER framework. A memorable writing method that gives YOU results without overwhelm. 

We’re teaching students how to create sentences or build paragraphs… but we aren’t teaching them how to find purpose for their writing. We give students organizers to support them… but we aren’t teaching them why they need to create their own organizer and how it can help save time when writing. We’re teaching students about 3 specific types of writing (narrative, informational, and opinion)... but we aren’t teaching how those types apply to their life online or how they can use those three types to be a better communicator. My solution, the WRITER framework.

What do you do when you no longer feel creative? This episode has 3 ways to help you get back that creativity!

Welcome back to the Love Writing Workshop… in episode 13, I covered how to find ideas for writing. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, please do. You don’t have to go in order, but you may find it more beneficial to start at the start. With that said, let’s jump into today’s workshop all about organization and presentation.

Have you heard of the 6+1 Traits of Writing framework? To be honest, I hadn’t when we were assigned this framework as our school-wide professional development this year. The framework focuses on developmentally appropriate practices for creating strong pieces of writing…. And that was a ton of buzz words. To put it simply, it lays out how we naturally write. We start with ideas then build our path, words, and more.

What is the most creative thing you’ve done today? This week? What about this year?

I grew up surrounded by creative opportunities. I didn’t realize it then, but giving me space, freedom and support to express myself creatively is one of the best things my parents did for me because as an adult, I see that learning to embrace your creative side is not something everyone has been taught…. But I believe wholeheartedly they should! I’m putting my flag in the ground and saying teaching creativity is just as important as teaching math and reading.

In today’s episode, I’m helping you enrich learning for a curious kid at home with step-by-step tips. So, if you’ve got a pen and paper nearby, grab it. If you’re somewhere you can write, no worries. Save this episode to come back to later… oh and be sure to check out my Instagram page where I’ve got a diagram that might help you out. Let’s Go!

Quick poll: are you someone who likes to set goals throughout the year or do you like the “fresh start” of a new year to start your new goals? I honestly do a little of both, but there is something almost magical about that fresh year to kick my butt into gear.

In this episode, I’m using one of my favorite (and popular) resources to walk through goal setting using a very smart strategy.

What is one gift that you vividly remember getting? I have a few that come to mind, but my favorite and most meaningful was a rack of dress up clothes my mom made me. She designed several dresses just for me and had Santa hang them up on Christmas morning. She had purchased shoes and other accessories, but the dresses were the star of the show.

In this episode, I’m sharing a few quick and simple ways to make your store bought gifts feel as personal as a rack of hand-sewn clothes.

If you listened to episode 6, 2021 Holiday Gift Guide, then you’re familiar with my 5 categories for purchasing gifts. If not, give that episod a listen, too.

For the sake of consistency (and ease), I’m going to stick with those categories for each personalization idea. But know, you can take these ideas and make them your own. After all, you know your people best

You've probably used manipulatives (hands-on tools) to practice math skills. But, have you used them for reading, writing, or grammar practice? 

In this episode, I give you 5 hands-on tools you can use to make literacy more engaging and meaningful in your classroom or at home. Plus, one of these items you probably have in a desk drawer!

After you listen, head over to Instagram and let me know which manipulative idea was your favorite! I'm partial to #3. You can find me @inspired.to.enrich

Truth: I didn't plan to record an episode this week since I'm still on Thanksgiving break. But, I felt it was important to stay consistent and share one of my favorite ways to build vocabulary in my classroom. 

Gifted brains are so unique. Honestly, they’re my favorite types of brains to teach because gifted brains live outside the box. Any box! But, before we jump into harmful myths about gifted kids, we need to be sure we’re all on the same page about what makes a gifted brain.

On an Instagram poll I did a few months ago, 67% of teachers answered that their students felt bored or struggled with reading. That's more than half that aren't getting all the good stuff from reading instruction. 

So, I have 3 solutions to this problem. 

Listen to the audio from a live workshop I had a few weeks ago all about planning enrichment in under 30 minutes! 

These are three of my favorite ways to get ideas flowing for kids and keep writing fun!