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"At the end of Lord of the Flies, there is a section titled "Notes on the Lord of the Flies," in which William Golding says, "The theme [of the novel] is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable." I asked students to design a thematic art gallery that explored the truth about human nature. Because art often serves as a mirror reflecting people, society and life, I thought this would challenge students to confront the realities of human nature-the good and the bad. It also allowed students to contrast this theme in the text with this same theme in art. Although I used this project to explore the theme of human nature, it can be done to encourage students to think deeply about any theme they are studying."

"It's always exciting to see your hard work finally pay off. Waddington35 and his buddy tirelessly worked to build a homemade remote control airplane made out of nothing but cardboard. Finally, at the moment of truth, they threw the plane into the air and it flew! Their giddy excitement is palpable. Now this video has gone viral with over 630,000 views!"

"Summer is fast approaching; this is the time of year when teachers are preparing students for exams and trying to keep their classes from descending into the Lord of the Flies. When it finally arrives, summer is an important time for busy educators and allows them to relax, recharge, and often work on honing their craft in both formal and informal professional development. With the more flexible work schedule of the summer, it is also a great time to build up your Professional Learning Network (PLN) - especially one that expands beyond the walls of the classroom. Here are a few resources to help you do just that:"

"Have you ever seen a movie in which a superhero flies through the sky? You can see all the skyscrapers whizzing by in the background, and it looks so cool. Have you ever WONDERed how movie makers film such shots? Well, we're here to tell you the secret. And the secret is: there are really superheroes and you just have to catch them in action! OK, not really, but the special effects professionals who work on movies are like superheroes, because they have invented some incredible ways to create special effects shots that will knock your socks off! You don't have to watch a superhero movie to see special effects in action, though. All you need to do is turn on the news and watch the local weather forecast. Have you ever noticed how the meteorologist sometimes stands in front of a map with moving graphics? Those scenes are created in much the same way that those cool movie special effects are created."