I’m adding this infographic to both The Best Sites For Learning About Mother’s Day and to The Best Father’s Day Sites:
Source: H&R Block
May 12, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Infographic: “Mother’s Day Vs. Father’s Day”
Blog Archives
May 12, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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More Resources On Immigration Reform
Here are some new additions to The Best Resources About The New Push For Immigration Reform:
Preview | Immigration: The pathway to now is a preview to a multi-part video series The Washington Post is publishing on the last thirty years of immigration reform. It will start on May 14th, and is embedded below:
Immigration reform: The five most important issues is from The LA Times.
Boomers need immigrants is also from The LA Times.
May 12, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“No Longer Lost To History” Is A Good Lesson Idea
The New York Times is soliciting contributions to a “No Longer Lost To History” project.
They invite readers to “Tell us about a person you knew or admired who you think put a wrinkle in the social fabric.”
It’s an interesting idea and is connected to a story about an overlooked professor in history.
It could be an intriguing lesson in a variety of classes, including social studies, ESL, and IB Theory of Knowledge. Having students read the article, discuss what is meant by “social fabric,” and then propose someone who fits the bill has the potential of being fairly engaging…..
May 11, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Interactive Infographic: “What Career Should I Choose?”
What Career Should I Choose? is an interactive that lets you pick a career and then shows you how it ranks in “potential salary, competition and market stability.” Obviously, other criteria need to be taken into account, but it still could be useful.
I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Students Exploring Jobs & Careers.
![What Career Should I Choose? [Interactive Graph]](http://thumbnails.visually.netdna-cdn.com/what-career-should-i-choose-interactive-graph_518d2b20e3a97_w587.png)
May 11, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Video – “Guatemala genocide trial: witnesses of atrocities tell their stories”
The Guardian has just published an excellent video called Guatemala genocide trial: witnesses of atrocities tell their stories.
Guatemala: Voices of the Genocide is a series of videos on what occurred in Guatemala.
Efraín Ríos Montt Sentenced to 80 Years For Genocide Of Guatemalan Mayans is a good overview of the trial from Fox News Latino.
I’m adding them to The Best Resources For Learning About Genocide.
May 10, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Quote(s) Of The Day: “When Helping Hurts”
When Helping Hurts is a useful column in today’s New York Times, and it’s useful to both parents and teachers. Here’s an excerpt:
It’s another way of saying the famous “Iron Rule” that governs the community organizing work of the Industrial Areas Foundation, where I worked for many years prior to becoming a teacher:
You might be interested in The Best Sites To Learn About Saul Alinsky.
May 10, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Genocide In Guatemala
If you are an English teacher in Guatemala, and would be open to be interviewed as part of my Hot Spot Interview series, please leave me a comment.
Having studied Spanish in Guatemala years ago in an area populated primarily by indigenous people, I was pleased to learn of today’s guilty verdict in the genocide trial of José Efraín Ríos Montt.
Here are some resources related to his actions that I’m adding to The Best Resources For Learning About Genocide:
Rios Montt Guilty of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity is from The PBS News Hour.
Guatemala: Why We Cannot Turn Away is also from The News Hour.
“Granito: How to Nail a Dictator”: New Film Tracks Struggle for Justice After Guatemalan Genocide is from Democracy Now.
Here’s the trailer from that movie, and you can learn more here:
Watch Granito: How to Nail a Dictator – Trailer on PBS. See more from POV.
May 8, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Infographic: The Environmental Footprint Of An Average American
Even though it doesn’t quite fit, I’m adding this infographic to The Best Online Carbon Calculators:
May 7, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“Possibilism” — Maybe A New Word For “What If?” History
Regular readers, and readers of my latest book, know that one of my favorite lessons is having students develop “What If?” history projects (see The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons).
Readers might also remember a post I wrote about economist/philosopher Albert Hirschman (see “Exit,” “Voice” & Schools).
Well, a review of a new book about Hirschman’s life that just appeared in The New York Review of Books (see An Original Thinker of Our Time) has, surprisingly — at least, to me — brought the two together. Here’s an excerpt:
Hirschman was suggesting that doubt could be a source not of paralysis and death but of creativity and self-renewal….He insisted that human history provides “stories, intricate and often nonrepeatable,” which “look more like tricks history has up its sleeve than like social-scientific regularities, not to speak of laws.” He was interested in “the many might-have-beens of history,” including “felicitous and surprising escapes from disaster.”…
Hirschman was delighted by paradoxes, unintended consequences (especially good ones), the telling detail, inventories of actual practices (rather than big theories), surprises, and improvisation. In his view, “history is nothing if not farfetched.” He invented the term “possibilism,” meant to draw attention to “the discovery of paths, however narrow, leading to an outcome that appears to be foreclosed on the basis of probabilistic reasoning alone.” In his lifetime, one of many such outcomes was the abrupt collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, which almost no one anticipated.
I’m going to look more into what he may have written about this topic, and see how I can incorporate it into my “What If?” history lessons. If anyone has more info, please let me know.
May 7, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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State Of The World’s Mothers — 2013
Save The Children has created a website, including an excellent infographic, analyzing The State Of The World’s Mothers – 2013.
I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Mother’s Day.
May 6, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“Civil War 2013: Photographs From the Grisly American Conflict”
Civil War 2013: Photographs From the Grisly American Conflict is a video and article from The New York Times.
I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About The American Civil War.
May 6, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Quote Of The Day: Heritage Foundation Makes a $5.3 Trillion Mistake
The Heritage Foundation today published a report that has gotten a fair amount of media attention. It says that the immigration reform bill being considered by the U.S. Senate would cost the government $5.3 trillion.
Uh, no….
Ezra Klein demolishes the report in the Washington Post. Here’s an excerpt:
I’m adding it to The Best Resources About The New Push For Immigration Reform.
May 5, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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A Different Perspective On Cinco de Mayo
Gustavo Arellano, creator of the “Ask A Mexican” series, has a different perspective on Cinco de Mayo. I’m adding these pieces to The Best Sites For Teaching & Learning About Cinco de Mayo:
‘Ask A Mexican’ columnist: Cinco de Mayo is “pointless”
May 5, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Infographic: “The International Influences of Cinco de Mayo”
May 1, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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More On May Day
Here are some new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About May Day:
May Day Decoded is a slideshow from MSN.
May Day protest is a photo gallery from The LA Times.
Around the world on May Day is from The Sacramento Bee.
April 26, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Quote Of The Day: “The Boston Bombing and Immigration”
The Boston Bombing and Immigration is a great short column in today’s New York Times. Here’s an excerpt:
I’m adding it to The Best Overviews Of The Boston Terror Attack.
April 26, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Rwanda Lesson & Writing Prompt
Geography is one of the classes I teach to Beginning and Intermediate English Language Learners, and we’re just finishing up our unit on Africa (see A Beginning List Of The Best Geography Sites For Learning About Africa).
We’re studying the Rwandan genocide (see The Best Sites To Learn About Genocide In Rwanda) as part of that unit, and American University has an excellent lesson on it, including readings for small group “jigsaws.”
In addition to that lesson, students watched the movie Hotel Rwanda.
I’ve previously posted about our school’s use of AWPE Writing prompts, and decided to integrate them into this Rwanda unit. Students watched the movie yesterday, and began work on this prompt today:
What does the movie Hotel Rwanda say about courage? To what extent do you agree with the movie’s message? To support your opinion, be sure to include specific examples drawn from your own experience, your observations of others, anything you have read, and scenes from the movie.
The Beginning students aren’t responding to it, but the Intermediates are working hard on it — with the support of peer tutors.
They’ll be posting their final essays at our class blog soon, so you’ll be able to see the results….
April 26, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Today Is Arbor Day
Today is Arbor Day in the United States.
You might be interested in The Best Sites To Learn About Trees.
April 25, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Mother’s Day Resources
Mother’s Day is celebrated in the United States and in many other countries on the second Sunday of May.
I’ve just updated The Best Sites For Learning About Mother’s Day, including adding this infographic:
April 24, 2013
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Free Posters for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month From Teaching Tolerance & The Smithsonian
Teaching Tolerance and The Smithsonian have developed eight cool-looking posters to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and they’ll send them to you for free!
You can order them here and learn more about the project here.
You might also be interested in The Best Sites For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
