PLL Blog Posts

How can teachers nurture their own creative development?

A new blogpost by Melanie Stultz-Backus, PLL, Literacy Consultant Pied Beauty          By Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1877 Glory be to God for dappled things–    For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow;       For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;    

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Teaching the Child: What I Learned as a Multiage Teacher

Teaching the Child: What I Learned as a Multiage Teacher Ellen A. Thompson, Ed.D It is true. I was a multiage teacher. More importantly, I was a multiage teacher by choice. I taught two grades at once andthen graduated to a three grade span classroom. I learned so much from

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How can short poetry forms be mentor texts for metaphorical thinking?

How can short poetry forms be mentor texts for metaphorical thinking? ~ Melanie Stultz-Backus Most teachers have asked their students, from earliest grades through secondary school, to read and write Haiku.  There are many short poetic forms, from epigrams to cinquains to clerihews to “Nashers”  that can help students move

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The Glass Half Full…

Musings by Ellen A. Thompson, Ed.D. “The kids did nothing wrong.  The whole world stopped in March of 2020 for everybody.” I have made this statement a dozen times if not more, often after hearing teachers exclaim how low their students are this year. The children are where they are.  Start

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