Monthly Archives: June 2010

Sometimes you just have to think on your feet and be creative. When you see that your loosing your student’s attention, it is time to pull out that metaphorical bag of tricks. I always like to combine something practical with something fun.

One particular lesson springs to mind, I cooked it up while standing in line at Panera Bread. Panera Bread is a chain in the eastern portion of the US that serves a wide range of soup, salad, and sandwiches on freshly beaked bread.  Anyway, I decided to buy a some bread. After much thought, I decided sourdough and ciabatta bread. I then went to the library and got several books on baking bread. We sampled the bread and walked through the step by step pictures on how to make the bread. This was a great conversation starter activity because most the ladies had made bread at home before. We discussed how to activate the yeast and how long it takes for the dough to rise, how to make flat bread/pita bread and so forth. Also, I picked up a nonfiction book that told us why the ciabatta bread has holes in it, as well as, the history of sourdough bread.

So the point of this post?

Always be looking for ways to connect with your students and keep it fresh! If you keep your mind engaged, you can always cook up an interactive lesson plan that will be fun for all.

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