Author Archives: Lainie Levin

Going with Plan B

I wasn’t going to have them watch it. As part of my daily blogroll, I came across the wordless animated short “How to Wait for a Very Long Time,” and the first thing I thought as I looked at the title was, “This will be a quick way to teach my kids patience and persistence.” AndContinue reading “Going with Plan B”

The Premiere! World Takeover Day

  You know, as a teacher, I’m never quite sure which ideas will go in one ear and out the other, and which ones will take hold. Several months ago, my fifth graders and I were talking about the power that we each individually have. I joked that we should each look in the mirror inContinue reading “The Premiere! World Takeover Day”

Putting Myself Out There: Part 1

Oh heavens. What a slippery slope. It starts with sharing this video about the typewriter orchestra with my young writers. And then a conversation about how musicians see the music in everything. And how poets see the poetry in everything. “Mrs. Levin, that would be cool to do.” “Yeah, it would.”… “Hey…I have an idea.Continue reading “Putting Myself Out There: Part 1”

When the Writing Gets Tough

First of all, happy poetry month! Those of you who read my blog know that I enjoy writing alongside my kids. I like to share my work and my struggles with them. The week before break, I asked the kids to take on an ambitious poem: to title and write a piece about an importantContinue reading “When the Writing Gets Tough”

Just Can’t Help Myself

Earlier this month, a colleague and I sat in on a meeting with student teachers in my district. The focus of the gathering was to talk about what we do with our gifted and talented students, and to discuss differentiating in the classroom. In essence, our job was to talk about what we do andContinue reading “Just Can’t Help Myself”

Using Images to Establish Mood

A little while ago, my fourth graders and I began to pair poetry and art to show how words and images are powerful creators of emotional imagery. First, we talked about art. What mood do artists create, and what techniques do they use? Color? Light? Shade? Brush strokes? Position and treatment of the subjects? It wasContinue reading “Using Images to Establish Mood”

When in Rome

Whenever I assign my kids creative writing, I like to join along. For starters, it helps keep my own creative juices flowing. More importantly, I want my students to see me as a writer, right along with them. I want them to see what successes struggles I encounter as I work to improve my craft. Today,Continue reading “When in Rome”

On Parent Conferences

After about thirty parent-teacher conferences over the last few days, I have to admit that I’ve pretty well run out of articulate things to say. But if I could take the recommendations, advice and encouragement from those conferences and wrap it all up with a bow, it would look something like this: Your child isContinue reading “On Parent Conferences”