“I was prepared to dislike Max Kelada even before I knew him”. W. Somerset Maugham’s opening sentence of the story “Mr. Know All’ is clear. However, in the  early years, when I still didn’t have a good pre-reading slideshow, my students would run into trouble understanding the story by the second sentence: “The war ..read more

  There. I’ve finally done it. I launched a YouTube Channel, called “Naomi’s Visual Lessons“. What’s a “Visual Lesson” you ask? A lesson that includes words to read, an audio narration of the written words appearing in the video, and LOTS of visuals that help clarify what is being explained. See/ Listen / Read Designed for clarity! Note: Some lessons include a link to a practice worksheet after the student watches the lesson. Hmmm, I wrote “lessons” in the plural form. I have several lessons in preparation, and decades (quite literally!) of materials waiting their turn to be upgraded, bu ..read more

Who shall enter? Naomi’s Photos If someone came up to me today and said “I’d like to buy you a few books, which would you like?” I wouldn’t know how to answer. In fact, I would get a bit stressed by the question. In recent months I have had no idea which books would suit my mood. I would hate for money to be wasted on a book that I dislike and abandon quickly! Yet I absolutely NEED to read. The “Libby” library system harbors no ill will towards me even if  I return a book the next day and immediately take another. No murmured complaint even when I quickly return the next book as well. Mor ..read more

  Make the right connections… Naomi’s Photos There are days when I think I should begin awarding  certificates for “long jumps” – some of my students excel at jumping! Jumping to conclusions, that is. This ability of theirs manifests itself in many varieties, but I’ve chosen  to focus on one particular issue and create a new “Visual Lesson” with a companion worksheet. “Line numbers” in reading comprehension questions are “eye catchers” for students. They can help the students find the correct answer or lead them astray if they don’t read the entire question carefully. Quite a fe ..read more

Different points of view / Naomi’s Photos I went through a “reading crisis” in the last three months. I had no patience for fictional characters and their fictional angst and read less than I usually do. The only two books I read were  both non-fiction: “Unraveling – What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater” by Peggy Orenstein  Who knew thread and cloth played such an important part in the history of humankind? I didn’t… I also related to her struggles to deal with her parents aging and ultimately passing away. The autho ..read more

Visualise It, by Naomi Ganin Epstein Sometimes you need to begin in the middle. Simply hone in on the problematic zones without starting at the top every single time. When it comes to essay writing, most of my advanced students are great at writing opening paragraphs of opinion essays. Their concluding paragraphs are coming along nicely as well, they’ve clearly grasped the principles. However, crafting the two “body paragraphs” in between is more problematic. The students are required to present their arguments clearly and support their claims with additional information and relevant examples ..read more

Feeling small… Naomi’s Photos With a very heavy heart, we teachers must now prepare for distance learning, amid the tragic events. Supporting each other and sharing materials is crucial, as none of us are at best (to put it mildly). Yet we have a deadline – school must resume, online. Here is a set of links to collections organized by level. In each collection, I am uploading material of mine relevant to that level. This is a space to follow, as I will continue uploading materials next week. There are guided reading tasks, vocabulary exercises, and some lighter activities. There are no grammar ..read more

What did you just say? Naomi’s Photos Some of my strongest Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students perk up and invest in a writing task if there is some snarky element involved. Many years ago The  Washington Post had some sort of competition where they asked readers (in honor of Valentine’s Day) to submit rhyming pairs of sentences, the first very romantic and the other emphatically unromantic.  For example: “I see your face when I am dreaming. // That’s why I wake up screaming. I made a note of the idea. Over the years, whenever I challenged such very bright students to come ..read more

So, you’re awake too? Naomi’s Photos I wasn’t sleeping well the last few nights before setting off on our big adventure –  a 17-day trip to South Africa! I was too excited/nervous/stressed – I’m sure you know what I mean. I barely slept on the flights either way. I also tend to wake up very early on trips (not at home!) so I read quite a bit before the trip, on the trip, and upon returning. Since arriving home, I have mainly been listening to audiobooks and reading print a bit less – when I have free time I go over my “gazillion” photos! After which I fall asleep as soon as my head hits t ..read more

Naomi’s Photos It turns out, that sometimes a veteran teacher, a “puffin”, needs some support from a lion. Who knew. Just to be clear, I’ll always remain ” a puffin”.  As a veteran teacher of English as a foreign language to Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students, knowing how to fly and swim has been a big advantage. Those qualities along with loving bright colors  (my students are certainly “colorful”, in the metaphorical sense!) have enabled me to stay in the profession for so long. Did you know that I’m beginning my 37th official year as a teacher? Everyone who corresponds ..read more