Category: English Language Arts

Interesting Facts: Authors, Words and Books

Barbaree

May 8, 2013

English Language Arts, facts, geography, spatial awareness, trivia

Thanks to a recent email from a friend who knows I love cool and quirky facts, I found yet more…cool and quirky facts from the fun folks at Mental Floss. Some of these could be excellent fun as we approach the end of another school year. Twain’s Typewriter Authors and Their Typewriters I’m thinking this… Read more
Oh the Places You’ll Go: Poems about Places and more

Barbaree

March 30, 2012

april, authors, choropleth maps, English Language Arts, GIS for English Language Arts, GIS in Education, national poetry month, poetry atlas, shel silverstein

National Poetry Month is just two days away! So often my students had challenges connecting with iambic verse, haiku rules and lofty language. It doesn’t have to be that way. Poetry is art and communication all rolled into one. Get away from the textbook and go to some new places with poetry! Some cool things to… Read more
An English Teacher’s Guide to Mapping: Part 3 of 4

Barbaree

February 25, 2012

English Language Arts, geospatial technology, GIS, GIS for English Language Arts, lessons, multidisciplinary lessons, writing

The next installment is in! Have a look at the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lig70Y-ZqOY&list=FL6MOEPeLgU4e7KBGvvyJA8Q&index=1&feature=plpp_video One more video coming your way next week! http://gisined.blogspot.com http://www.barbareeduke.com Read more
An English Teacher’s Guide to Mapping: Part 2 of 4, Context & Setting

Barbaree

February 14, 2012

black history month, books, context, English Language Arts, GIS for English Language Arts, lessons, multidisciplinary lessons, setting

Check out the latest installment in the English Teacher’s Guide to Mapping video series on YouTube! This video focuses on teaching context and setting using geospatial tools! http://gisined.blogspot.com http://www.barbareeduke.com Read more
Mapping Black History Month

Barbaree

February 8, 2012

black history month, English Language Arts, gis for history, GIS in Education, lesson plans, math, science, social studies, the watsons go to birmingham, their eyes were watching god

It’s February and many educators will be exploring Black History in celebration of Black History Month, http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/. Perhaps you’d like an alternative to videos and worksheets…have you thought of using maps and stories to get students beyond the text? I created a lesson plan for mapping students through The Watsons Go to Birmingham. It contains experiences… Read more
Caching into Writing

Barbaree

March 14, 2011

ArcGIS Explorer, caching, confluence, content caching, creative writing, English Language Arts, geocaching, geospatial technologies, google earth, gps, MotionX GPS, writing

Geocaching isn’t just for science class or the serious geography geek! A cache is simply a hiding place, and caching is hiding something like a treasure. Nature is full of treasures waiting to be explored. A popular movement called “geocaching” gets folks outside with their GPS units to find treasures hidden by other geocachers. If… Read more
Water, Water Everywhere: Cross-Curricular Approaches to Studying Water

Barbaree

November 17, 2010

disaster education, English Language Arts, geography, GIS for Social Studies, GIS in Education, math, science

Happy GIS DAY! Geography is never discipline-specific! Even a theme like “fresh water” should not be narrowed just to the science community. Embrace the cross-curricular ties that exist within your curriculum. You don’t have to teach something new, just teach what you already do in a different way. This type of integration has great powers… Read more
To Grandmother’s House We Go, again

Barbaree

November 16, 2010

creative writing, English Language Arts, geography, GIS in Education, music, poetry, thanksgiving

Do you remember that song? My students just look at me like I’m crazy if I start singing it. I was thinking about the world of the song’s creator vs. today’s world. What elements of geography can we examine through the poem? Where did the grandparents of this folks song live? In case you have… Read more
Geography Collides with Poetry and Art

Barbaree

November 15, 2010

art, disaster education, English Language Arts, geography, GIS in Education, poetry

I love it when curricular lines are blurred especially with the use of geography! Here’s a great resource for any week but especially Geography Awareness Week. “RIVER OF WORDS: http://www.riverofwords.org/ this site is a REALLY neat site is about “connecting kids to their watersheds and imaginations through poetry and art.” The “for educators” tab on… Read more
My Summer Reading Adventure

Barbaree

August 4, 2010

cartography, English Language Arts, GIS in Education, internet mapping

Summer draws to a close, at least here in southeastern Louisiana….school starts August 9th. I have been talking with my tutoring students about their summer reading. I too try to do some summer reading and wanted to highlight my favorite of this summer, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. I am a geography… Read more