Exciting Learning

Grammar Lesson By Weird Al

July 20, 2014 • Education in the News, For Parents, For Teachers, Humor, Lesson Plans • 20047

At long last grammar is made fun for the masses thanks to the grammar lesson by Weird Al. No longer are we stuck giving plain grammar lessons about the basics of pronouns nouns, verb conjugation and the like. Ever try to teach grammar to middle or high school students? It involves a level of creativity known to only a few, for making grammar both entertaining and educational is intellectually and physically draining. Let’s not kid ourselves here: copious amounts of wine help as fuel. But teaching, learning, remembering and most importantly, IMPLEMENTING proper grammar on a daily basis is difficult! Courtesy of the 20th in the 21st-century’s most peculiar musical artist Weird Al Yankovic we have a mass appeal approach to rectifying so many grammar wrongs. Yes, the man who brought us “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon” has singlehandedly started a grammar revolution, a “gramolution”, if you will, thus making us forget our annoyances over tolerating his decades of sometimes painful musical parodies. Perhaps before it was only grammarians who would walk through life noting the grammar fallacies that face them on a daily basis. This country is rife with the horrible mangling of the English language in speech and print, and for those of us who retained basic grammar lessons from high school, these errors present a near constant migraine-inducing state of existence. “Ain’t” is deemed a socially acceptable word and approved for Scrabble but “Jedi” isn’t: really?!? “10 items or fewer” NOT “10 items or less” is an obvious one. Misusing ”your” and “you’re” is aggravating to say the least. And let’s not forget egregious, comma misplacement. Or leaving your participles dangling (and yes, that grammar joke was intentional, for those who caught it). And apostrophes…..oh dear heaven, apostrophe catastrophes. They’re called possessives, people: use them correctly! A contraction does not show possession! But I digress…. thankfully so many more grammar issues have now been pointed out to the world in a fun and lighthearted way. We ardent grammarians no long need to suffer in silence and can sleep a bit easier at night knowing that maybe, just maybe, someone will think twice to ensure basic grammar correctness in his or her everyday speech or writing.

Here it is, in all of it’s grammatical glory…..we present to you “Work Crimes” by Weird Al. Enjoy. Share. Enjoy again.

http://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc?list=RD8Gv0H-vPoDc
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JFK Assassination Lesson Plans

November 20, 2013 • Education in the News, For Teachers, Lesson Plans • 33744

Anniversaries or markers of significant incidents tend to receive lots of media attention, usually around the date of the original event. Arguably, no other event has received as much attention as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which has garnered increasing interest and speculation since that Dallas day in November of 1963. Whether at home watching television, reading news via social media or talking with acquaintances, students will hear of and likely have questions about the assassination of one of our most popular presidents. The classroom is a great place to address this most notable and sad event in American history, and here, you can find some resources for JFK assassination lesson plans. Perhaps the best way to focus on it and ensure student engagement is to focus not only on the assassination itself but also the theories surrounding it, as well as the sense of mystery JFK’s death creates to this day. Giving students the resources to research and develop their own ideas is a surefire way to motivate even the most reticent history scholar: give them a chance to solve one of history’s greatest mysteries…..or prove it’s no mystery at all.
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Teacher Stories: The Things We’ve Heard!

November 1, 2013 • For Teachers, Humor, Writings • 12474

Oh teacher stories: the things we’ve heard! No matter your profession, you know there are some things that just should NOT be said to you. Many of us like to think that the general public knows not to say terrible things to people who have certain jobs. For example, if you get pulled over for speeding, it is in bad taste to ask the police officer if he or she smells bacon. Or, when not agreeing with your doctor’s medical advice, it is not appropriate to ask if he or she is actually a doctor or if Halloween has come early. You just don’t do things like that! People in all professions have had terrible things said to them, and teachers are no different; only for some reason, it seems more permissible to say harsh things to a teacher. This is possibly because children are involved, or as some teachers think, we just don’t get the same respect as other professions and are almost looked down on in a way. Sometimes it seems as if people view teaching as a “lowly” profession compared to working in the corporate world or running a law firm. Colleagues, friends who are teachers, and even I myself on a few occasions have heard what you are about to read, and being a history major intent on recording life, I wrote down these hilarious nuggets to later read for my own amusement. Included are both the actual responses as well as fictionalized ones we wish we could have said. As with so many things, there are the things we wish we could say versus the things we actually do say and thinking about “what could have been” is sometimes rather amusing. Bottom line is, there is humor to be found in these inappropriate or insensitive comments, and at the end of the day, they are not bothersome but rather are funny, and like anyone in any profession, teachers must find the humor in what they do. Here are three of my favorites:
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Talking About Sandy Hook

October 30, 2013 • Education in the News, For Parents, Resources • 31083

How do you discuss terrible things with your child? What are you supposed to say when you do not know all of the answers yourself? Parents across the country will likely be asking themselves these and other similar questions over the next month and a half as the year marker of the Sandy Hook school shooting incident takes hold of news stations from Maine to California. November newscasts will bombard us with images of victims, soundbites from 911 calls, stories of loss (as well as hope) and other continued news coverage right up to and through December 14th. It will be very difficult for you or your child to completely avoid hearing any mention of Newtown, Connecticut or Sandy Hook. Schools across the nation have already implemented lockdown drills, and it is likely the Sandy Hook school shootings will be discussed in school, though more likely in the halls among students rather than in the classroom. As adults, we can barely make sense of this tragedy and yet we have the responsibility of explaining it to our children and to other young people. How you choose to explain what happened or answer questions about the incident within your home is something you may want to think about as the month of November begins. There are countless resources available on the Internet about how to talk with your child about what happened, but save yourself the time and stress of searching though sites about what is the “best” thing to say and check out the trustworthy ones that are right here. Above all, remember what Mr. Rogers said many years ago, as it has since brought comfort to so many: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
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Configuring Your Classroom

October 24, 2013 • For Teachers, Resources • 12516

So many factors go into having a productive classroom: behavior management techniques, implementing various methodologies, the usual textbook talk blah blah blah. One thing that matters a lot but is often overlooked in favor of things like classroom management? Classroom layout. How the room is configured and decorated can have a huge impact on students, and studies have shown that the classic, antiquated “rank and file” seating is no longer effective regarding student behavior or learning. As teachers, we need to think about the aesthetics of the classroom, and though we can be creative with lessons, we may need help with classroom layout. There are numerous sites on the Internet dedicated to this very issue (just skimming the pictures is perfect to spark some great ideas!)
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Monitor Your Child Online!

October 17, 2013 • Education in the News, For Parents • 19631

If you’re over 30, think about what your high school experience would have been like had everyone you knew had ready and immediate access to Facebook or other social media. Think about the idiot who used to bust your chops in class by calling you names or making you feel badly about yourself, and now think about being unable to escape the barrage of insults courtesy of social media. When you’re a teenager, your social life is quite often much more concerning than anything else (usually, for many teenagers, this is the case). Social media sites allow for social lives to be on the forefront of thought 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which in some cases can be absolutely toxic when abused by people who belittle others. Today, so many teenagers (and even pre-teens) are utilizing social media as an avenue to vent their social woes, seek affirmation from their friends or verbally assault their peers. Ready access to the Internet makes such socializing easy, and it may be difficult for parents to monitor their child’s online behavior at all times; however, there are ways to observe your child’s social media escapades and numerous sites dedicated to helping you keep your child in line while online.
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Florida Bullying Case

October 17, 2013 • Education in the News • 20981

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When two girls, aged 12 and 14, were arrested in a bullying-suicide investigation in Florida, many wondered: Where were their parents and should they be held responsible?

The mother and father of the older girl went on national TV and defended their daughter — and themselves. They said they often checked their daughter’s social networking activity and don’t believe their daughter bullied Rebecca Sedwick to suicide, as authorities have charged. Continue Reading
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