Shakespeare's First Folio Comes To Boise, Idaho

Learn about school trips

A rare First Folio is coming to Boise! Visit the First Folio Web site to plan a class trip or other visit. There are lots of fun activities for kids and adults, as well as PD opportunities for teachers.

From the school trip registration page:

"Free Field Trip Opportunity from Boise State University, Albertsons Library and The Arts and Humanities Institute
You are invited to encounter Shakespeare's 1623 First Folio. Help theater, poetry, and literature come alive for your students at this once-in-a-lifetime event.
In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's 1616 death, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. has arranged the ultimate book tour, with a Folio stopping in each state for a limited time.  As the only stop in Idaho, Boise will play host to the book that gave us The Bard as we know him.  Don't miss this unique chance to share Shakespeare with your students!"

Dates: Monday, August 29 - Friday, September 16

To find out more, contact the First Folio team at firstfolio@boisestate.edu.

Free Ninth Grade Vocabulary Presentation with Lots of Images to Help Kids Learn Words

Words 1-50

As the summer winds down (I can't believe I'm saying that!) I am finally getting to my vocabulary reboot. The one I promised myself I would accomplish this summer so my students don't have to endure bland, rote, pictureless vocab instruction for one more day.

Although I certainly haven't finished the project, I'm off to a good start at last. The list I'm using as a base for freshman vocabulary comes from 100 Words a High School Freshman Should Know on vocabulary.com. Some words on the list seem fairly basic (like camouflage), but can students use the word camouflage to describe the pattern of fur on a wildcat, or do they think it only applies to a military-inspired, splotchy green pattern of fabric? And for ESL students, this may be the first exposure to the word.

Words 51-100

Here's my Vocab 9 presentation in two parts, free for you to use in your classroom. I don't own the photos in the presentation, so be sure not to use it for anything but educational purposes. If you share the slides with a colleague, please attribute it to me, Amy Ballard here at ChristianTeacherPublicSchool.blogspot.com.

This is only part of an effective vocabulary curriculum. I hope it helps engage students visually with words that might otherwise seem abstract. Be sure to let me know how it goes!

Enjoy!

Teaching Literary Elements with Famous Shakespearean Quotes

Famous quotes from Julius Caesar

Before I introduce a Shakespeare play to any of my classes, I familiarize students with some of the famous quotes from the play. In addition to giving them a glimpse of what's ahead and building anticipation, it's an opportunity to teach literary elements. I start as much as a semester before reading the play in class.

Famous quotes from Macbeth

Students enjoy memorizing short, easy quotes, especially since many Shakespearean quotes are already familiar from movies and cartoons. As a bonus, when you later read the play, the quotes appear in context. It's like meeting up with an old friend.

Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Brevity, to purchase the wall docs for quotes from Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar.

Christmas Lights in My Classroom

Maybe it's because I teach high school and not elementary school, but I have to work hard to motivate myself to decorate my classroom. The only bulletin board in my room is small, and I don't feel obliged to create elaborate, interactive displays and rotate them every few weeks. Not that I don't appreciate a quality bulletin board. Some of my friends in the elementary school are savants at creating appealing wall-art that ties together seasonal motifs and learning goals.

As Christmas approaches, I recently realized it was time to make some decorating decisions in my classroom, too. Time to step up my game. Fortunately, I inherited some strings of colorful lights from my predecessor, and I'd picked up a wreath at a yard sale last summer. My creative writing students cheerfully pitched in to help deck the walls. At home, I hunted through storage until I found a small, porcelain nativity to decorate my classroom bookshelf. It may not sound like much, but for someone who often makes the excuse of being too busy to decorate, I think it looks downright festive.

And my students noticed. One even thanked me for putting up Christmas lights. Who knows why it was important to her, but to me, the lights testify of the joy in my heart because of what Jesus has done for me. I hope my fellow teachers who are too busy to change that bulletin board more than once per semester will consider making Christmas the one time they splurge on decor. Jesus came to earth to save sinners. His love is our light and the reason for our peace. Let's share it.