http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/?utm_source=rss A column about teaching Copyright 2010, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/?utm_source=rss Search for a word in the Visual Thesaurus word http://www.visualthesaurus.com Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2203?utm_source=rss I don't naturally love short stories, even though I do like small things: fairies, marshmallows and babies all come to mind. But in my personal reading, I prefer the meatiness of a long book, be it fiction or non-. Even in my magazine reading (and I am a devoted magazine reader), I catch myself flipping ahead to see how long an article is before I start. To my mind, the longer the better, which is why I am inordinately fond of Malcolm Gladwell's articles in The New Yorker. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2203 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2198?utm_source=rss Michele Dunaway teaches English and journalism at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, when she's not writing best-selling romance novels. Here Michele continues her discussion from last month about how choosing the right literature to read is the key to getting students excited about books. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2198 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2184?utm_source=rss Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2184 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2183?utm_source=rss The New York Times is a vocabulary-learning bonanza for students at all levels, employing a larger number of what teachers would call "vocabulary words" than any other American publication. And inside The Times, every day, there's a bonanza within that bonanza, the succinct and telegraphic television listings page, whose capsule movie reviews employ more vocabulary — including words, terms and expressions — than any other page in the paper. And quite enjoyably, too. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2183 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2169?utm_source=rss We welcome back Michele Dunaway, who teaches English and journalism at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, when she's not writing best-selling romance novels. Here Michele argues that to get students excited about books in this highly distracted era, choosing the right literature to read is key. Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2169 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2162?utm_source=rss Last month (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2122/), I held forth on the art of getting your students — or, for that matter, yourself! — to write more. By now, you no doubt have sheaves of scrawl-covered loose-leaf sitting about. So, what's next? Editing and revising. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2162 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2144?utm_source=rss To get across the importance of grammatical rules to her students, writing teacher Margaret Hundley Parker finds that a common-sense approach works best. Here Margaret gives examples of how unclear writing style reflects unclear thinking. Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2144 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2122?utm_source=rss After "How can you possibly stand being around so many kids all day long?" and "Why do you look so tired all the time?", the question I get asked most often is "How do you get your students to write?" Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2122 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2114?utm_source=rss In September of 1988, a high school student of mine turned in a piece of writing that changed my professional life and provided me with the most rewarding experience I ever had as a school publications adviser. Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2114 Teachers at Work http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2107?utm_source=rss For four years, Nathan Bierma wrote the "On Language" column in the Chicago Tribune, covering English-language issues from etymology to usage in a highly engaging style. He has also taught courses in writing and speech as an adjunct professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this essay, reprinted from his new collection of columns, The Eclectic Encyclopedia of English, Nathan reflects on the lessons he learned teaching English 101. Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/2107