Inquiry Mindset & Inquiry Live Last week I listened to a fantastic Inquiry Live conversation on Instagram between Rebecca (@inquiryteacher) and Laurie (@mrsmacskinders). I had to quickly grab the nearest pen and paper (which happened to be my gratitude journal from Dr. Jody Carrington that I was so fortunate to win along with a ticketContinue reading “Exploring Student Interests in the Early Years”
Tag Archives: Instagram
Social Emotional Learning in the Early Years
It. Is. Everything. It’s in our conversations, our classroom setup, our read-alouds, and the activities we do, and it is a key lens to look through as we plan for learning. Here is a sketchnote from a professional development session I attended (virtually) in early May that shows some important examples and ideas of howContinue reading “Social Emotional Learning in the Early Years”
Self-Portraits in the Early Years
One of the first things that I (and many of my colleagues) invite Kindergarten students to do at the beginning of the school year is to draw themselves. These first-day drawings are such a special piece of developmental evidence, and they become even more remarkable when seen alongside subsequent drawings from that school year andContinue reading “Self-Portraits in the Early Years”
Remote Learning Resources & Ideas for K/1
Now that I’ve lost track of which week of remote learning we’re on, here is a post highlighting a few of the resources and activities my Kindergarten and Grade 1 students have found particularly engaging. Each week I make a Kindergarten learning choice menu, and collaborate on a Grade 1 choice menu with my incredibleContinue reading “Remote Learning Resources & Ideas for K/1”
Connecting with “Why?”
I’ve been thinking a lot of this idea of my “Why?” – raison d’être as we say in the French Immersion biz – this week because I took part in a fantastic webinar on Saturday with Dr. Jody Carrington. I made this Sketchnote because I LOVE making and sharing Sketchnotes, and I was thrilled with the positiveContinue reading “Connecting with “Why?””
#100DaysofMixedMedia: Day 1
This is my first piece for #The100DayProject. I will be sharing my project through the tags #BallenMixedMedia, and sharing the #100DaysofMixMedia with a few other artists. I love mixed media art, but I have not spent much time creating it. This project is a way of challenging myself to stretch my artistic range. I willContinue reading “#100DaysofMixedMedia: Day 1”
Madame I Am 