This summer, I was honored to be interviewed for the National Association for Music Education. The editor, Tom Amoriello, a guitarist and educator, described himself as a longstanding fan of the Jazz Fly books. So he chose that focus for…
Since spring, with schools closed due to the new Coronavirus, teachers and librarians have taken to story time by remote. And my in-box has been filled with requests from around the country for permission to read my books, including The…
Since school closures began due to the Covid pandemic, I’ve received scores of emails from teachers asking permission to share my books with their home bound students. (Music teacher Jen Meyer of Iowa was the first to contact me with…
ZLOH…ZLEE…ZLOH-ZLEE-ZLOO! Create an original call and response chant to instantly focus children’s attention–in the classroom, library, over the intercom, or at home! Greetings teachers (that includes principals, librarians, parents and grandparents), With the start of school, it’s time to put an…
(This thematic round-up first appeared as a guest post on www.pragmaticmom.com) Hop. Boom. Skiddily-bop. Bing! Let’s start the new school year in rhythm, shall we, with 10 books that connect kids to this music we call jazz. The jazz picture…
Greetings Teachers, Librarians and Administrators, As schools gear up for another fall semester, there are still some days left to walk around in sandals, enjoy chilled watermelon, and daydream about how to make this year a great one for students….
Much as I love Dr. Seuss, elementary schools would do better on Read Across America Day to focus on poetry with more wide ranging vocabulary like Falling Up (Shel Silverstein) and It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles (Jack Prelutsky). I just…
Looks like Mr. Kelly’s “Jazz Fly students” at the Korean School in Yokohama, Japan outdid themselves! Highly imaginative project for English language learners : )
Happy New Year, MLK Day and Year of the Monkey early! Around this time, many schools plan literacy events to remind families of the myriad benefits of reading books together. Family nights, compared to teacher workshops and daytime assemblies for…
St. Patrick’s School Reading Week Committee from left: Parent Volunteer Jackie Johnson, Sister Maureen (Principal), Parent Volunteers Donna Cahill and Martha Pierce This post is in praise of school volunteers, the dedicated parents—and sometimes just caring neighbors—who take on…