After School at Imagine Learning Academy

Class is in session. No, we’re not a few months behind in our newsletter topics. Although many schools started regular classes a few months ago, students in Washington, Colorado, and Hawaii are starting something new this month — Imagine Learning Academy. So what is Imagine Learning Academy, and why are we all so excited about it?

What's Your Take on Idioms?

We all want to give our English learners a leg up in life, and teaching academic vocabulary helps them get ahead of the game. But if you really want to go the extra mile, breathe new life into the classroom by teaching idioms. Research shows that many languages share similar, if not identical, idioms, and students often need extra help to connect the dots. Read on for our crash course on idioms, complete with classroom tips, and you'll be good to go.

(If you're not yet convinced your English learners need to learn idioms, take a look at how prevalent they are, and you might change your mind. In this article alone, we've already used nine. At a loss? Make that ten.)

Thank You, Mrs. Ghessi

I still remember my first day of the second grade. I had just moved from California to Pennsylvania and didn’t know any of the other kids at school. The school was being remodeled and looked terrifying—all torn apart and covered in plastic sheeting like something out of a movie. It smelled like cement and new carpet, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. My mom held my hand as she walked me to the classroom, and I remember the surge of panic I felt when she let go. I also remember that as soon as her hand slipped away, another hand took its place. The hand belonged to a pretty, blond woman named Mrs. Ghessi– my second grade teacher.

I think we all have a teacher who is particularly special to us, and who had a huge impact on our lives. Mrs. Ghessi was one of mine.

Celebrating Halloween in Schools

Crisp apples and fat pumpkins, brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges waving from the trees, and cool, sharp breezes signal one thing: Fall is here. And that means costumes, candy, and more candy. Halloween is coming. Children across the country are drawing pumpkins and ghouls in their notebooks, planning their maximum-amount-of-candy routes, and creating their version of the coolest costumes ever. My daughter is no exception.

Yet for many school administrators and teachers, Halloween isn’t as much about enjoying the festivities as it is about surviving the battle. Charles Haynes, Senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, explains it well: “They’re caught in the crossfire between parents who support and parents who oppose Halloween observances in the classroom.”

Obama's School Year Expansion

When President Obama announced his plan to expand the number of hours students spend in school, he was met with mixed reactions. "I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president admitted. "But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan fully supports the idea. "Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Arne told the Associated Press. "I just want to level the playing field."

Tell Me an ExposiStory: Transitioning from Narrative to Expository Texts

Nothing captures a child’s attention like a good story—if only expository texts could hold the same attention. Starting in the fourth grade, and continuing into adulthood, informational texts are the most prevalent texts your students will encounter. How can you prepare them to comprehend exposition and enjoy the experience?

In the Wake of Katrina: An Unlikely Success

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest to ever hit the Gulf Coast, left thousands of people without homes, jobs, and a sense of security. Eighty-five percent of homes and 90 percent of schools in Pascagoula School District of Mississippi were flooded.

Says Glynda Smith, ELL Specialist at Jackson Elementary, "people were living in tents in their yards. Parents were tearing out their walls, and we knew we had to get the kids back in school. They needed to be safe, have something to do, and be out of their parents' way." Twenty-seven days after the storm hit, schools reopened their doors to some new challenges.