It’s not clear how much time has passed between “Too Much Salt and Pepper” and “How’s Inky?,” Sam Campbell’s first memoir. Campbell helps us by telling us that WWII has begun, Bobby is fighting in the war, and Campbell has married. This time gap is important because Inky plays a role in “Too Much Salt and Pepper.” Because he shows up here, clearly not enough time has passed that a porcupine would not be able to still be alive. The Campbells (Sam and Ginny) have […]
Differentiation: From Planning to Practice, Grades 6-12
“Differentiation” by Rick Wormeli explains what differentiated instruction is, how to incorporate it into your classroom, and what it looks like once implemented. Differentiated instruction is a pedagogical method in which students are allowed to choose how they will engage with the subject/topic/material you are teaching. It’s based on the multiple intelligence theory that we have certain ways we learn and when we are taught in a way that speaks to our learning intelligence, we will learn better and retain more. A great way to […]
How’s Inky?
When I was a kid my mom would always read to my brother and I before we went to bed. One of our favorite series to read through was a series of books written by naturalist Sam Campbell. “How’s Inky” is the first in the series, although there’s no strict chronology to them. In each book Mr. Campbell recounts his adventures in natures and with animals during a season as his cabin in a nature sanctuary. Doing some research, I found out this sanctuary is […]
An Atlas of Countries that Don’t Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States
I’ve been a geography nerd since I can remember. It used to be limited to ordering atlases from the Scholastic Book magazines in elementary school. Now it’s books about the history, politics, and cultures of regions that fascinate me. “An Atlas of Countries that Don’t Exist” was right in my sweet spot for geographical books. Nick Middleton chooses fifty unrecognized states and gives a brief history of what was, what is, and what the states want to be in the future. Some of the states […]