Need some scary stories for Halloween? Just flip on the news. An earthquake shook Turkey, police clashed with protesters in Oakland, and the SAT is upping test security by hiring...former FBI agents. But we've got some good news, too. So tune in to the latest Week in Rap. We recap the news this week with some spooky flourishes. And we're asking you... How are you celebrating Halloween? Are you dressing up? Are you teaching a special lesson? Let us know in the comments!
Teach Figurative Language With Flocabulary [jwplayer file=https://s3.amazonaws.com/flocabulary/media-jrev/figurative-language-media.mp4 image=http://flocabulary.s3.amazonaws.com/images-jrev/figurative-language-image.jpg]Listen to Flocabulary’s new, free Figurative Language song. You’ll learn all about osymorons, as well as metaphors, simile and more. OXYMORON Definition: A figure of speech where two contradictory words are placed together. The result is something paradoxical, or something that doesn't make sense. Basic examples are expressions like jumbo shrimp or old news, but they can get more complicated and expressive. Why Writers Use It: Oxymoron comes from a Greek word meaning "pointedly foolish." And that relates to how writers use oxymorons. Oxymorons are often inserted to highlight absurdities, or to explain…
The Industrial Revolution brings to mind smoky factories and puffing trains. But it was much more than just those new inventions. The technology of the Industrial Revolution turned daily life upside down: What to eat. Where to live. How to work, travel, communicate and simply spend the day. What was revolutionary about the Industrial Revolution? Pretty much everything. The Industrial Revolution set off an explosion of change, and history hasn't stopped flying since. During The Industrial Revolution... The world population DOUBLED. Then it doubled again! The invention of the telegraph allowed people to communicate around the world faster than ever.…
This week, the Obamas, the poet Nikki Giovanni and singer Aretha Franklin and thousands of others gathered to dedicate the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. You can learn about that story, and others, in the most recent Week in Rap! You don't need to wait till January to teach your students about MLK; this week's dedication is a relevant opportunity to learn more about King's life and inspire students to set lofty goals.
Spread the words on Twitter with the hashtag #favword Last night, we had the honor of hosting a discussion about vocabulary with the creative and dedicated English educators of #engchat. Two topics came up again and again: word ownership & love of language We discussed how it is crucial for students to not only learn new words, but feel comfortable with them, use them, own them. And several teachers remarked upon successful moments where they'd shared their love of language with students. We had an idea. Let's start a Twitter campaign to promote word ownership and love of language. To…
