“This was the best money I have ever spent on a teaching tool.” ~ a teacher in Wisconsin

Arizona ELA Standard: 2.SL.5

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Holiday Emoji Story ⛷️
Holiday Emoji Story ⛷️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Holiday Emoji Story 🍪
Holiday Emoji Story 🍪
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Holiday Emoji Story 🚚
Holiday Emoji Story 🚚
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Emoji Stories 🚚
Emoji Stories 🚚
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Emoji Stories 👁️
Emoji Stories 👁️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Emoji Stories 🤖
Emoji Stories 🤖
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Squiggles Collection 3
Squiggles Collection 3
Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?
Squiggles Introduction
Squiggles Introduction
What do you see in this squiggle?
Squiggles Collection 1
Squiggles Collection 1
Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?
Squiggles Collection 2
Squiggles Collection 2
Everyone starts with the same squiggle. No two drawings end up the same. What do you see?
Random Emoji Prompt Generator
Random Emoji Prompt Generator
Click up an interesting, visual writing prompt suitable for any grade or purpose.
Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”
Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”
Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles’ song Help!?
Drawing An Impossible Triangle
Drawing An Impossible Triangle
Here’s how you can draw The Penrose Triangle, an example of an impossible shape.
Drawing Knots, Level 3
Drawing Knots, Level 3
How to draw the final version of the twisty Henri Matisse knot!
Drawing Knots, Level 2
Drawing Knots, Level 2
How to draw a more complex version of this twisty Henri Matisse knot!
Parabolic Curve Art
Parabolic Curve Art
Create mathematical art with curves that, well, aren’t curvy.
Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness
Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness
Look closely at Twilight in the Wilderness. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.
Art Lesson: Two-Point Perspective
Art Lesson: Two-Point Perspective
Let’s get students’ art really popping with two-point perspective!
An Escher-Style Tessellation Project
An Escher-Style Tessellation Project
Create a piece of repeating art in the style of MC Escher!
Self Portraits Part One: Line Drawings
Self Portraits Part One: Line Drawings
Anyone, yes anyone, can create a (somewhat) realistic self-portrait using these steps. Anyone!
Self Portraits: Pointillism
Self Portraits: Pointillism
Turn your students into a bunch of Monets with q-tips and some tempera paint.
Writing Sample: The Velveteen Rabbit (The Toys)
Writing Sample: The Velveteen Rabbit (The Toys)
A passage from The Velveteen Rabbit to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Remixing A Holiday Poem
Remixing A Holiday Poem
Let’s take a classic Christmas poem and remix it to work with another holiday!
Improving Presentations 4: The Big Day
Improving Presentations 4: The Big Day
How do you mentally (and emotionally) prepare yourself for the big day?
Improving Presentations 3: The Storyboard and Slides
Improving Presentations 3: The Storyboard and Slides
It’s time to turn that outline into a storyboard and then some actual slides.
Studying and Remixing “The Raven”
Studying and Remixing “The Raven”
Ready to push kids beyond the boring, old ABAB rhyme scheme and into something a bit more complex?
Educational Valentines
Educational Valentines
Let’s make valentines with an educational twist!
Introduce Symbolism with Pixel Art
Introduce Symbolism with Pixel Art
Create a pixelated icon that represents the essence of a character!
Reduce Anxiety: Brain Plate (Tool 3)
Reduce Anxiety: Brain Plate (Tool 3)
When a student’s brain is full of worries, everything feels urgent. Brain Plate helps them sort what’s real from what’s noise — and actually do something about it.
Greekymon
Greekymon
Rather than just memorizing word parts, students will use those word parts to create four possible products.
Add Layers To Direct Instruction
Add Layers To Direct Instruction
Take direction instruction beyond a monotonous practice of the same skill over and over.
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
We open our unit on narrative writing with a big idea: “structure increases creativity.” I show how this is true by bringing in examples from across all disciplines.