Check out this simple guide on how to be a more fun person using 9 tips that are easy to implement. Learn to make each day count.

Do you wonder how to have fun because you can't even remember the last time you felt entertained? These simple ideas will help!

Teaching The Canterbury Tales can be fun for both you and your students when you discover ways to bring the Medieval text into the modern age!

Top Ten Signs You Might Be a Geologist Two Geologists inside a huge Gypsum geode in Almería, Spain Dig Into Geology with us for m...

Teach your students to better understand the main idea with the ideas and printables including organizers and anchor charts.

Many organizations have adjusted their company cultures to be more accommodating to Millennials. But now that Generation Z is hitting the workforce, those culture rules are being turned upside down all over again. Here's how to make sure you stay relevant with the newest generation.

Hi! My name is Mira! I have been trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle for a few years now.

There are more ways to demonstrate understanding than just taking a test. Read this list of 72 ways for students to show what they know and get ideas!

Liven up your next Socratic Seminar with these fun games and strategies to get students talking about ANY text!

If you empty yourself of yesterday's sorrows, you will have much more room for today's joy.

A commonplace journal is not complicated and doesn't need to be fancy. It is simply a place where notes and quotes from our reading are kept. The simpler

This 6 Week Self-Esteem Counseling Group resource contains games, activities, task cards, and worksheets designed to boost self esteem in children ages 9 to 14. According to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA), "Group counseling, which involves a number of students working on shared tasks and developing supportive relationships in a group setting, is an efficient, effective and positive way of providing direct service to students with academic, career and social/emotional developmental issues and situational concerns." Group counseling is a great way for students to learn and practice self-esteem activities that will help them learn to value themselves. When children know that they are of value and are important, they perform well in school and are more likely to find success later in life. The resources included in this self-esteem building product give kids an opportunity to develop a growth mindset to challenge the negative feelings and thoughts they have toward themselves. This product helps kids: Develop a positive self-image Develop a healthy self-esteem Identify and embrace their positive qualities Included in this product: An informational workbook on self-esteem (Self-Esteem Workbook) 6 Week group lesson plans (Includes Activities) Lesson 1: Introduction/ Group rules Lesson 2: What Is Self-Esteem? Lesson 3: How Does Self-Esteem Develop? Parents/Caregivers and Self-Esteem Self-Talk and Self-Esteem Social Media and Self-Esteem Lesson 4: Developing Self-Awareness Lesson 5: How to Boost Self-Esteem Develop a Positive Body Image Learn to Be Assertive Stop Comparing Yourself to Other People Lesson 6: Closing/Review 48 Self-talk scenario cards in color and black and white 24 Self-Esteem Task Cards in color and black and white Group Rules worksheet If you like this product, you may also like these products: Character Education RESPECT Stress Management Activity Bundle Please follow my store for future product launches and freebies. Remember to visit kiddiematters.com for additional counseling and parenting resources. Thanks for stopping by!

Would you rather be in class or at the park? Go to space or explore the ocean? Have a party or just relax around the house? "Would you rather" questions are an excellent way to give your ESL students practice with both grammar and speaking. I...

A name map is a nice icebreaker for the first week of school; it's such an interesting and fun way to get to know your students and build community, that you can plug it in any time during the year as well. The completed activity makes a wonderful bulletin board too! Do a personal one of yourself, s...

Three fun and engaging Lord of the Flies introduction activity ideas that will hook students from day one!

Next stop: Mile High Club!

I know a lot of us teach novice learners and that sometimes it can be hard to find listening activities for them that are accessible to novices AND fit into a topic we want them to listen to. You’ll find a great video and then they can only understand like..10 seconds of it. Don’t get ... Read More about Listening Library for Novice Learners

If you're teaching Shakespeare's Macbeth, you need to purchase this massive bundle, with more than 95 files and 150+ pages! Included in this bundle: • 56 task cards analyzing the play's figurative language • Close reading passage activities • Sample pacing calendar • Common Core aligned unit map • Drama activities • Primary source readings • A 46-slide introductory PowerPoint on Shakespeare • A 23-slide Macbeth Introduction PowerPoint • Movie guides and activities • Anticipation guide • Creative writing activities • Quotation analysis study guides for every act • Essay and short response writing • Final creative project with sample pictures • Lesson plans for the entire play • Characterization charts for eight characters • And so much more! This bundle is carefully organized to make finding materials easy. There is a folder for each act, which contains related files. Each file is labeled with the act and scene number (for example, 1.5 is Act One, Scene Five). Most files are in Microsoft Word, so you can format to suit your class, if needed. The font used on most of the files is HamletOrNot, and can be downloaded online for free. Materials were used in a high school setting, but could be adapted to middle school. The bundle covers six weeks of teaching materials. Check out my other Shakespeare resources: Shakespeare Introductory BUNDLE: Insults, PowerPoints, Task Cards Romeo and Juliet Unit Plan, Worksheets, Projects, PowerPoints, Essays Othello Bundle: Worksheets, Study Guide, Task Cards, Projects The Tempest Worksheets, Handouts, Projects Shakespearean Insults Activity Cards Clip art provided by Illumismart

In third grade we played Careers Taboo (you can download the cards here) to introduce the topic of careers! I split the class into 2 teams and had them sit in a line. The student at the front of the line would draw a card and try to describe the career on the card without saying any of the "hush" words. Their team had 30 seconds to guess the name of the career. While they were describing the career, the student at the front of the line on the opposing team would look over their should to make sure they weren't saying any of the off-limit words. Teams were awarded points by guessing correctly in the time limit. If a team was not able to guess the career, the other team had an opportunity to steal. Each team took turns describing and guessing. We had a great time and there were lots of laughs to the difficulty of not saying the hush words!

This post originally appeared on bakadesuyo.com People have enormous respect for ancient wisdom. They just don’t read it. Funny thing is, we’re more likely to live happier lives when we visit the classics section than the self-help aisle. So how do we get the skinny on what one group of brilliant dead guys — The […]

I LOVE using the game Head's Up. It's great for teaching circumlocution skills. Sometimes students aren't ready to play in the language on their own. So, here are two ways that I tweaked some games to be similar for my classroom, but with a little more help than usual!

Remember those awesome cool TV show apartment layouts I showed you a few weeks ago? (If not, you've gotta check them out here). Well... they were so popular, the artist, Inaki Aliste, was kind enough to share two more with us!

Here's some playful practice with adverbs!

Now that my HSK exam is past, I have really been able to focus on learning more conversational words and phrases these past few months, so I thought it would be fun to share the phrase and word sheet I use as a guide to give me an extra boost when speaking Mandarin. These phrases…

Get Your Dyscalculia Toolkit Today Extensive research has shown that children learn best when they are engaged and having fun. That’s why every activity in this guide is designed for children to have fun while learning to do math. This is especially important for the child who has dyscalculia! The conundrum is that children with …

Well, I recently went and got a mammogram. Good times.....not! But really, it wasn't too bad this time, and that was a welcome change. I'd been putting it off because I'd had some bad experiences with mammograms before, so the fact that it was pretty easy this time was a great relief. So the experience itself was okay, but I was on pins and needles waiting for the results. I won't keep you in suspense...the good news is that the results were normal. Huzzah! What's the big deal, you ask? The big deal was that I hadn't had a mammogram in a long time, a controversial thing for a woman in her 40s. Tsk, tsk! Deciding when and how often to get a mammogram is such a personal and difficult decision, and one we don't talk about enough as women. Moreover, it's one in particular that we fat women don't talk about enough....so I decided to bring the discussion up here on my blog. This will be a two-part series, and I encourage you to share your own experiences with mammograms in the Comments sections. A couple of caveats first. First, I don't pretend to be an expert on breast cancer or the pros and cons of screening. Frankly, I'm still learning about the subject. Please always do your own research and consult your own healthcare providers. And second, please note that I'm certainly not trying to tell you what you should do about screening in your life. All I want to do is open a dialogue about breast cancer screening, what that means for us as women, and what that means in particular for us as fat women. This will be a two-part post. Today's part will discuss my own experience with mammograms and trying to improve the experience. The next post will discuss the controversy over screening guidelines (when and how often), and how "obesity" may or may not affect screening frequency choices. Background Info I should give you a little background to understand my decision-making process on this. I had a number of mammograms in my 20s and 30s because I have fibrocystic breasts that are chronically lumpy. This makes doing a self-exam difficult because there are always lumps there, and they frequently go up and down in size and tenderness. Not having any access to my family medical history because I was adopted, I have had difficulty deciding how aggressive to be about such lumps. They are quite likely to be benign, but since we couldn't know if there was any family history of early breast cancer, we didn't know how seriously to take them. So I'd been through a number of mammograms already by the time I'd reached 40. And frankly, some of those mammograms were very unpleasant experiences. Some squeezed so hard I was in a lot of pain. Others had very insensitive mammogram technicians and I found the whole process incredibly humiliating. Not exactly the kind of experiences that encourage you to want to do more testing. I remember one mammogram in particular in my late 20s. The screening facility was for all kinds of diagnostic tests, so men and women were mixed together in the waiting area and in the halls. They had me take off my shirt and bra, put on a gown that didn't fit very well, and then walk down a bunch of halls, past all kinds of men staring at me as I walked by, bra-less and in an ill-fitting gown. I tried to cross my arms and walk slowly so there was less jiggling, but that was hard when I was trying to hold the damn gown closed and the aide was trying to hurry me down the hall. I was absolutely mortified. I'm not just a little busty, I'm a lot busty, and walking around like that was very embarrassing, and honestly, very physically uncomfortable. And then the ultrasound tech wasn't prepared for someone well-endowed. After looking me over, she decided the plates weren't big enough, so she went to the doorway and shouted down the hall for another technician to bring her the "really large" plates. OMG, I wanted to sink through the floor at that point. And then there was the considerable pain of the mammogram itself, followed by the jiggling walk of shame back to where my clothes were. Not the worst experience in the world compared to other experiences you could have, but not positive for someone who had an insecure body image at that time. When I left, I was in tears. I didn't go back for a mammogram for quite some time after that. To be fair, not all my mammograms have been bad. Some have been fine. And I'm a lot tougher emotionally and mentally now than I was then, so I am less afraid to stand up for myself and find ways to make the experience a bit better. But the negative experiences I have had have left an indelible impression and make me more reluctant to get regular screening. You just never know which type of experience you're going to have. I did get a mammogram in my early 40s because I wanted another child and needed to make sure all was normal before proceeding with another pregnancy. It wasn't a horrible experience, but it still was fairly painful. Again, not something I looked forward to doing. After my child was born, I was too busy taking care of four children and my dying mother to bother with a mammogram for a long time. My mother had sooo many doctor appointments and hospitalizations that I really needed a break from all things medical for a while....so I procrastinated getting another mammogram. So when the US Preventive Services Task Force came out with their statement a couple of years ago, saying that it was okay to wait till 50 to start regular mammograms, I was a willing audience for that message. I finally got the mammogram this month because I'm now in my 50s (gulp!) and it's officially time to start all those lovely screening tests. Also, I have had 3 women in my circle of friends and family be diagnosed with breast cancer in the last couple of years, and I've seen firsthand how this has devastated their lives. I know this cancer is very survivable if found early, and that's certainly a potent motivator for getting screened. But what finally got me going on the mammogram is the fact that I have an enlarged lymph node under my chin, one that has been persistently enlarged for some time now. It's probably just fibrotic tissue from a really bad bug I had a couple of years ago...but it might not be. When I brought this up to my GP, she didn't panic but did note that this could be a symptom of cancer somewhere and we should rule that possibility out, despite the fact that my bloodwork is all reassuring. She pushed me to get the mammogram going (I had already scheduled one at that point) and to do some other testing (a colonoscopy, oh joy). If both of those are negative, then we can wait a bit longer and watch it, or decide to do a needle biopsy of the lymph node, just in case. So I bit the bullet this month and went and got my mammogram. And I'm thrilled to say that it actually was a pretty decent experience. And of course, I'm even more thrilled to say that my results were normal. Improving the Mammogram Experience So what did I do to make the mammogram experience better? First thing I did was schedule it in a lab that only does mammograms etc. so I was very unlikely to be dealing with men waiting around in the facility too. Doing it in a place that specializes in mammograms also increases the chances that their techs really know what they are doing and can minimize discomfort. So that's my top recommendation to others. Second, I scheduled it during the first 2 weeks of my menstrual cycle, about a week or so after my period, when my breasts are less sensitive. This made a huge difference in my pain levels. So scheduling the timing carefully is also a major recommendation from me. [Someone also suggested that I take ibuprofen beforehand, but I forgot to do that, and honestly, was fine without it. Another common hint is to avoid caffeine for several days beforehand, but since I don't "do" caffeine, this wasn't an issue for me.] Third, when told to take off my top and bra, I told the aide that I would be keeping on my bra for my own comfort level and would take it off once I got to the testing room. They were a little surprised but didn't argue or hassle me about it, and the mammogram tech was also fine with it. That was a small thing, but it really made a difference in my emotional comfort level. I had no idea before that it was even an option...but I will do it every time now! Finally, I told the tech that I'd had some very bad experiences with mammograms before and I was trusting that she'd help me have a better experience this time. She was sympathetic and took a bunch of time to explain how the machines had been greatly improved since the last time I had a mammogram and now used less force and less squishing. She was honest and said it would probably still be uncomfortable at times, but would probably not be nearly as painful as in the past.....and she was totally right. I still find the experience embarrassing, mostly because there's no getting past the fact that a stranger is handling an intimate part of your body as if it were a slab of meat, pushing and pulling and hauling it all over to get the pictures just right. I don't think I'll ever be "fine" with having any part of my body handled like that. Gah! But she was very matter-of-fact about it, which was helpful, and I know she was just doing what she had to do so we didn't have to repeat any pictures. And in the end, the mammogram was much shorter than it had been in past years, MUCH less painful than it had been in the past, and really wasn't that big a deal. I was in and out of there very quickly, and all was well. HUGE relief. Bottom line, I will be less likely to avoid mammograms after that experience, compared to my previous experiences. And that's really important now, especially at my age, when frequent screening becomes part of the landscape. Next post: The Mammogram Screening Debate for Women in Their 40s Resources General Information About Mammograms http://cancer.about.com/od/commonmedicaltests/p/mammogram.htm - basic info about mammograms http://breastcancer.about.com/od/mammograms/ig/Mammogram-Images/Breast-Tumor.htm - image of a mammogram, showing the difference between normal tissue and a tumor http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-a-Mammogram - how to prepare for a mammogram http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/answering-your-questions-about-mammograms/4076/ - answers to common questions about mammograms, including questions about radiation exposure, how breast implants affect mammograms, and whether there are good alternatives to mammograms Improving the Mammogram Experience http://cancer.about.com/od/mammograms/tp/painmammogram.htm - the usual hints for lessening the chances of a really painful mammogram http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/14/how-can-i-make-my-mammogram-hurt-less/ - many of the usual hints but discussed in a bit more detail http://www.helium.com/items/1530997-do-mammograms-hurt - all the usual hints plus they advise lowering your salt intake beforehand, perhaps taking a vitamin E, and drinking "green juice"

Hereford is an idyllic little city that’s very much off the beaten path as English towns go. Having been born there, it’s amazing how many people — even people from neighbouring Bristol and Cardiff —

Growing up I was totally one of those kids that read early, talked early, all that jazz -- but hated math. I can't even pretend that I just strongly disliked it, as my feelings were those of straight-up loathing. If I have to place the beginning of this hate-hate relationship, I can safely say it started when I got my first B in sixth grade in algebra.

First day of school activity ideas and classroom management tools for French class - ice breakers, assigning seats, and classroom rules

These are two super ESL games and activities for verb tense review lessons. If you are going to do verb tense review lessons, this printable and editable resource is perfect for you. Instead of reviewing dried grammar rules, students can learn, play, interact and have fun with each other. It is suitable for young learners, adults and homeschoolers. These games and activities cover 9 tenses (present/past/future simple; present/past/future continuous and present/past/future perfect). They are designed to help students review o verb forms, helping verbs in those tenses and their uses. Your students can also practice various skills from writing to speaking with this resource. Instructions for each activity is included. Two games are: 1. Basketball sorting game - Shoot the basket (colour and black and white versions) 2. Helping verb dice (colour and black and white dice templates) with 114 common English verbs. This resource is printable and editable. You can edit the content on Google Slides. All templates are provided. Suggested uses for the activities: 1. Sorting activities: You can use the basketball templates for your sorting activities when teaching parts of speech and other grammar rules. 2. Four-in-a-row: Instead of cutting up the verbs into small pieces, you can keep the whole table and play four-in-a-row (or tic-tac-toe) games with your students. Please check the preview for more details of the resource, I hope you enjoy the resource. Please read the Terms of Use carefully. Click the Green ★ to follow my store and get notifications of new product launches and freebies! ------------------------------------- Customer Tips: How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • You can earn credits by leaving feedback on purchased items. Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to log inV-ing). Beside each purchase, you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a review for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I highly appreciate your feedback as they are useful suggestions for my development as well as my products. And I look forward to hearing your feedback after using this material. ------------------------------------- Also available: ESL Activities: Present Continuous Booklet - Worksheets and Charts ESL Activities: Present Continuous - Presentation and Quiz ESL Activities: Articles - Worksheets, Quiz and Posters ------------------------------------- Follow me on Blog Instagram Pinterest

Need a fun way to get your ESL / ELL / EFL students to practice speaking? Here are 20 engaging picture prompts (2 sizes) plus 20 conversation task cards. The pictures and questions are appropriate for all ages. There are 2 levels of questions so you can use these task cards with various levels and throughout the year. Suggested Uses: • Conversation Practice: Students will work in pairs. One student will look at the picture as the other student asks the questions provided on the task card. I recommend having all students begin with Level 1 questions. This activity is a great way to start a class. Have the pictures and task cards on the desks as the students walk in the door. • These picture prompts can also be used in a number of other ways. Students can practice sequencing words, cause and effect, journal writing, generating questions and assessment of oral language. There are two levels of questions: Level 1 questions include present tense, present progressive, simple past, yes/no questions, giving descriptions and "wh-" question words. Level 2 questions include future tense, giving explanations, providing opinions, "why" questions, compare/contrast, "if", and "should". Set 2 is available here: ESL Conversation Activities: Picture Prompts for Speaking Practice (SET 2) This speaking activity is also included in the following bundle: ESL Speaking Activities: Bundle Looking for more ESL Activities? You may like: ESL Bell Ringers ESL Activities: Picture Prompts for Writing Practice ESL Activities: Physical Appearances ESL Activities: Maps and Buildings ESL Activities: Rooms of the House ESL Activities: Action Verbs and Verb Tenses ESL Activities: Food Unit ESL Activities: Bingo! Irregular Past Tense

55 Worksheets For Social Skills 14

Standard and Limited Edition print of a papercraft artwork. All limited edition sizes are printed, numbered and signed by artist on fine art matte paper with archival ink. White bordered artwork is intentionally left uncropped to allow purchaser to have full flexibility with matte and framing. This print has public permission by the author to sell to you wonderful fans! ----- Voted in my Patreon as July 2021's Sketch-a-Wish! A scene from From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout where Hawke catches Poppy on a window ledge pilfering a scandalous book (oh, how I now yearn to illustrate the scene immediately following of Hawke reading it aloud in front of a scandalize Poppy!) Such a super fun perspective for one of the more hilarious scenes in the book!

Be more like Canada's best (fictional) export.

Yesterday, Deadline’s TV editor Nellie Andreeva posted a piece titled “Pilots 2015: The Year Of Ethnic Castings – About Time Or Too Much Of Good Thing?”

This is a foldable that can be used for teaching about Ancient Chinese Geography and Agriculture. It is ready to print and includes easy step-by step directions. The foldable has information based from a particular textbook, but I feel it could be used with many different materials. Its sections require students to: *Draw and label the Huang River on a map *Fill in the Blank *Draw a levee *Create their own recipe using foods from Ancient China I have also included an answer key for your use with this assignment. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this product more suitable for you! I hope you enjoy!

Photo Source: tlc.howstuffworks.com Columbus Day is observed a week from today {Monday, October 8th} and, if you're planning some special activities and crafts for the day, be sure to check out this fun compass tutorial from TLC Family! Just as Christopher Columbus relied on navigational instruments on his voyage across the Atlantic, your little explorers can use their newly created compasses to practice 'navigating' themselves around the room, school yard, etc. Not only can they use their new tools during pretend play - and, of course, learn a little more about the science of how a compass works as they help construct it - there are tons of games that can be played with a compass! While you'll have to be mindful of your students' skill level, here are a few sites where you can find compass games/activities: Queen Anne Cub Scouts and Compass Learning Games {from eHow}. Don't forget to visit TLC Family for this fun Columbus Day science activity!