The Creative Classroom by Mitchell Lopate, M.A.T. = Academic humanities advising-mentoring, tutoring, writing support: 25 years college & university and middle-elementary education in-class/online with a B.A. in psychology and a masters in education. (PS: it's fun.) Cross-curriculum humanities concepts, career counseling, MBA instruction, composition and research methods, and values, ethics, and writing. “Learn by example, succeed by effort." mitchLOP8@yahoo.com / 840-216*1014
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
Grammar Planet for complete lessons and skills!
https://grammarplanet.com/#/
It is fast, responsive, and fun. Only 15 minutes per day!
GrammarPlanet is a comprehensive and completely online grammar, punctuation, and usage curriculum. GrammarPlanet will help you or your students master the mechanics of English, become a more confident writer, and even prepare for high-stakes testing.
How does it work?
Students log in and complete units on specific subjects (see the unit outline). Each unit begins with a teaching video and a PDF of notes, which we highly recommend be printed. Students then complete a series of activities culminating in a test of that subject. The system is responsive, meaning that students who take a little longer to "get it" will get more practice before the test. There is no time limit and students can take as much time as needed to master the material.
GrammarPlanet is aimed at students from 10 to 99 who want to improve their English. It can be used by students in school, students at home, or adults individually or as a group.
Our Team
GrammarPlanet is run by a group of passionate professionals who have either worked or volunteered their time to serve children and adults through
Children International
Habitat for Humanity
Hospice
Cub Scouts
Georgia Governor's Teacher Advisory Council
The United States Air Force
Monday, June 24, 2019
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Friday, May 24, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Monday, May 20, 2019
Monday, May 13, 2019
Elementary School in Japan: quite different!
I liked this video very much for social studies and social comments about teaching, education, foreign cultures, and how they differ from our lifestyles here in the U.S. I spent two-plus years in China and Japan, and although I only visited schools in China, I found it very interesting. I liked the opportunity here to see how young students learn in Japan.
For my students, I asked them to consider the following ideas:
* How are schools different in Japan from the U.S.? Be specific.
* From those differences, why do you think they work?
* Which differences do you think would be useful in our country? Be specific when you say "why" for your answers.
* What are some of the main ideas being taught in Japanese elementary schools? How do the students like these ideas?
For my students, I asked them to consider the following ideas:
* How are schools different in Japan from the U.S.? Be specific.
* From those differences, why do you think they work?
* Which differences do you think would be useful in our country? Be specific when you say "why" for your answers.
* What are some of the main ideas being taught in Japanese elementary schools? How do the students like these ideas?
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Friday, April 26, 2019
Today's Lunchbox Lesson: HUNG or HANGED?
HUNG is the past tense and past
participle of the verb "to hang" most of the time. For instance, last
week you might have "hung upside down on the monkey bars" or
"hung your head in shame over a simple grammar error."
HANGED is the exception to these
forms when the verb "hang" means "to put to death by
hanging." The past tense and past participle of "hang" in this
meaning is "hanged." This is the *only* sense in which hanged is used.
For example,
"‘We will not be free from unfair competition till one of these fellows is
hanged for an example!" ~ Heart of Darkness
Random House Unabridged
Dictionary suggests that "hung" is becoming more common for all uses,
but the majority of books still agree that the standard English usages of
"hung" and "hanged" are those mentioned above.
New Fowler's Modern English
indicates that in Old English, there were two different words for hang (hon and
hangen). The use of these two words -- plus an Old Norse word hengjan -- is the
reason for the existence of two past-tense forms of the word "hang"
in today's English.
TIP: There's an old adage,
"curtains are hung and people are hanged" which may help you remember
which word to use. But in most cases, it will be HUNG.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Keep Trying and Go for Gold
Believing in your goals can be a challenge--and the sweetest accomplishment when it finally comes true. This is part of a speech I took from the internet which my Chinese Speaking & Listening freshman classes were encouraged to do as an assignment. They were so afraid of not pronouncing words correctly and embarrassing themselves--and I told them they could already speak one of the world's hardest languages. Many found true courage and accomplishment in standing before their peers and sharing these thoughts. I hope you find the same in turn. Again, in a prior post, I admit to anyone: I once had terrible stage fright. And now I thoroughly enjoy public speaking. I kept trying--and found it worked!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Three Feet From Gold: Keep
Trying!
You have
to have passion, talent, take action, associate with others, and keep your faith
in your dreams. Chances are you have found something that works for you. I have
realized that when people find what is important to them, then that’s where
things move. If you are following someone else’s dream, chances are you will
fall short. If you follow someone else’s passion, chances are it’s not yours,
so you will give up. It’s the people that find their own success equation and
do it all out: those are the people that truly live a life of purpose.
Three Feet from Gold
The story
idea is about R. U. Darby, the gold miner who gave up three feet away from the
largest strike in history. (It may or may not be true—but it’s the idea that
counts here.) It reminded me that most people quit when things start getting tough.
So I went on this mission to meet amazing people, and the very first person was
a guy named Dave Liniger. People don’t know his name, but you might know his
business. I asked Dave if he wanted to quit when he was getting started in real
estate back in 1970, and he said every day.
He said
it was so bad for two years that every phone call that came in was from a bill
collector. The third year it got so bad he was sent to jail and called a fraud
and a liar. I asked him what he did. He said he took his attitude from trying
to prove everyone else wrong and do something more important just to prove he
was right. He called the bill collectors back and told them he didn’t have all
the money, but he had $50. He sent it to them with a promise that he wasn’t
going to quit and asked them to not give up on him. He called every bill
collector. In the fourth year someone believed in him and, bought the first
business. Now that’s called RE/MAX Real Estate Corporation. It is the largest
company in the U.S. now for the sale of homes and land.
The moral is how many times have we or someone
we know given up right before the miracle happens. I went and met with the
president of NASCAR (National Association of Race Car Drivers) and also Mrs.
Fields Cookies, and I asked them all how they avoided from keeping themselves
from talking themselves out of the dream. One of the greatest wisdoms came from
a guy name John Schwarz, who invented String Theory in physics. For 10 years,
everyone said he was crazy and out of his mind, but he figured it out. When I
asked him why he didn’t quit when everyone else thought he was crazy, he said
it’s because he knew he was right. He said the secret of success is to never
let another person talk you out of your dream.
He said that if you want to be successful,
successful people seek counsel and failures listen to opinions. Opinion is
based on ignorance, lack of knowledge, and inexperience. Counsel is based on
wisdom, knowledge, and mentorship. John Schwarz said if we would spend our
daily lives only seeking counsel and ignoring people’s opinion, that’s the day
your life would change.
The whole
idea of writing this book was to help everyday people put themselves in this
circumstance. When you’re flipping through the pages, you realize you are not
alone. Each and every person we talk to, you see yourself in their circumstance,
saying, if they did it, you can too.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Believe in yourself: you can accomplish anything!
I used motivational videos for my students because they were struggling to learn very complex financial courses in another language (English)--AND also learn Speaking, Listening, and Business English concepts. It was extremely difficult for them because the subjects (accounting, economics, linear algebra, finance) are not what they would have chosen for their careers. Their parents and a very tough high school exam are the deciding factors. So this is dedicated to the sophomores and freshmen at Jiangxi University in Nanchang, China, whom I taught and others who will follow, many of whom have already seen this. Keep going--and believe in yourself. You can succeed in your coursework and your plans.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Successful hints for a scholarship essay
A hint for an idea about "weaknesses into success": what have you learned to do that took effort, time, and concentration? What was it that you learned to do that made you stay with the idea? For example, I used to have terrible stage fright--and I was afraid to speak in front of an audience. I learned to do this through a career in sales and later, in education. And I love to get up front or on a stage now! I even did a stand-up comedy routine at a school where I taught! In costume! (Yes, that picture of me as a 6th-grade student teacher: I did that at a parochial school talent show. My kids were stunned!) I've used this as a "I've learned to make a weakness into a strength and help empower others" speech.
Labels:
Scholarship essay,
writing,
writing for college
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Maths Chase for Multiplication skills!

About Maths Chase
Welcome to Maths Chase. We aim to make math learning more fun for everyone. We have found that our simple game really helps children learn their times tables. Our games help children learn by repetition and also increase their speed gradually as they become more skilled. Maths Chase allows you to increase the speed you need to answer questions as you become more confident in a fun and engaging way.
Maths Chase web site
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
The Sting - Revisited: A classic movie review on Amazon.com
Now available on Kindle or paperback at Amazon.com: (From the back cover):
It was a way of life: grifting, and the art of the con--to swindle someone out of a sum of money. For Johnny Hooker and his friends, it was all they had--until the game turned deadly. And then it was up to a pro to show Hooker how to play for BIG money--with a mark who was a crime boss who would kill a grifter for pride if he found out he was cheated. However, he was rich--and greedy. Doyle Lonnegan was a banker, a cheating card player, and a malevolent man who ran a tough numbers racket out of Chicago. His life was focused on winning at any cost--on his terms.
When one of his men lost $11,000 in a bait-and-switch scheme, he took immediate revenge. He never expected to encounter the likes of Johnny Hooker--or Hooker's efforts to get his own revenge, even if it might cost him his life. But the temptation was too strong--and the money was too good. And the Sting was on (again) with the help of some clever con men, including the masterful Henry Gondorf and their "Office."
Follow the dialogue and scenes from the 7-Oscar Award-winning-movie in detail, full, rich language that captures their emotions, thoughts, and...creative ways of taking a half-million dollars!
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Some Latin phrases in English
For anyone planning to study law OR medicine: know your Latin. And add to this list: Quid pro quo (loosely translated, "I will do you a favor in exchange for one done for me.")
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Academic Writing styles and requirements: Here!
This is a fantastic resource for instructors of writing and students! Look here for advice!
Saturday, January 26, 2019
MLA and APA formats for papers
- MLA is for English papers.
- APA is for Psych or medical papers, or for certain business formats.
MLA has a Works Cited page.
APA has a Reference page.
If you USE the source in the paper, list it. If not...DON'T list it.
MLA works cited page sources are NOT numbered.
APA bibliography page sources ARE numbered.
- In-text citations should back up an idea being explained or presented.
=========================
In-text formats (the easy way):
- Try to use as much of an intro for the source to lead into the quote itself.
- If an author's name is available, use it to emphasize the value of the source.
- If the source itself is identifiable (book, magazine, web site), illustrate that too, along with the relevant info.
- If ENOUGH "intro" is offered, that's fine. It should still match the Works Cited (or Bibliography) listing.
In his online article "Inside the College Classroom," Mitchell Lopate, instructor at Brookdale Community College, illustrates several techniques for "the art of effective writing by any student who wants to improve his or her grade."
If NO intro is provided and the quote itself is made, put the author's name (IF AVAILABLE) AFTER the quote:
"College students need more work on research papers" (Lopate).
=========================
No author?
but the article title is available?
but the article title is available?
Same as above, but put the
article title in quotes AFTERWARD:
article title in quotes AFTERWARD:
- "College students need more work in research papers" ("Campus Writing").
- ----------------------------------------------
Is the source in a printed/hard copy format?
If it's in print, the page number itself follows the author, but NO comma between name and page #:
If it's in print, the page number itself follows the author, but NO comma between name and page #:
- "College students need more work on research papers" (Lopate 13).
**APA is a bit different; this is where you use the comma if it's a print source:
"College students need more work..." (Lopate, 13.)
Friday, January 25, 2019
A proper college paper's presentation DOES matter

This is a good example of spacing for margins, a header, title, and citations.
Needed ingredients:
(1) Header set-up; title
(2) Page numbers
(3) Margin and double-spaced
(4) Thesis: What is the idea of this paper? WHY is the thesis relevant? (What are you trying to endorse/points to prove/discuss/explain/argue)? (How does it affect something in real life/another relevant idea? Why does it involve the world-at-large and how does it have an impact?)
(5) Topic sentences which open each paragraph that offer a GENERAL idea that will be explained later by...(6).
(6) Examples. Details. Quotes. Facts: they reinforce the thesis and are summarized in each topic sentence.
(7) Conclusion that restates thesis/shows results.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
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