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Zane Carney Quartet: ‘Alter Ego’

New ears for new music. New eyes for what is most distant. A new conscience for truths that have hitherto remained unheard. ~ Nietzsche In the discipline of Aesthetics, a perennial question is how much education is necessary to appreciate an artwork? If you put a 3-year-old in front of a Picasso, Pollock, Duchamp or Rothko how would it perceive and conceive of those images? What if you told the child that the Picasso was valued at $150 million dollars? And then, what if, over the next twenty years you taught the child the history of art from cave paintings through the Renaissance through Romanticism through Realism through Impression, Cubism, Abstract Expression, etc.? How would twenty years of art history...

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The Best Kids Bookshelves and Book Storage for Kids Who Love to Read

As parents well know, kids books seem to multiply when you’re not looking: baby shower books, birthday present books, picture books from the local bookstore — the list goes on. This is mostly great: There’s not really any such thing as too much reading for a kid, considering how much it advances language acquisition and comprehension skills. But books need space, and they belong in a kids’ bookcase. Which is why having the perfect kids’ bookshelf is so important — to stow the books away and to look good doing it. Book storage that is good-looking and  easily accessible to kids makes the reading area of your kid’s room pleasant and can create positive associations with books and reading. The...

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How to Teach Poetry in Upper Elementary

How do your students react when you mention poetry? If they're anything like mine, you're probably met with groans. Students typically equate poems with sappy sentiments of love and cheesy rhymes. However, poetry can be so much more than that! Here are my best tips and activities for how to teach poetry in upper elementary. If you're unsure where to start, I like to introduce our poetry unit by relating poems to music. I share popular song lyrics and help students realize that their favorite songs are essentially poems set to music. You can even share a few lines from poems and a few lines from songs and have students try to guess which is which. This is a great...

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Comparing Texts: Moving Beyond the Basics

It’s true. Comparing texts can be tedious, especially when you are teaching students in grades 3-5 how to thoughtfully compare and contrast multiple texts! Of course, it’s a must-teach skill because comparing texts helps increase understanding for students, increases critical thinking skills, and it reinforces so many crucial reading skills.  When you ask students to look at two texts and compare them, you’re asking them to pay attention to all sorts of features from the characters to the theme to the style and writing of the text. So often, students get bogged down in basic text comparisons when we can dig so much deeper! I’ve compiled some of my ideas, thoughts, and resources for teaching students to thoughtfully compare and...

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