Joel Swagman (Reviews / TESOL)

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Amphibians and Reptiles Vocabulary

* Kenji's Nature Walk--Created from this chat here (Made using Google Gemini Storybook)

* Slideshow: slides, pub (I used this slideshow to present the vocabulary, and also to do a board race. I also print them out and use them as materials for quiz quiz trade.)

* Kahoot: Amphibians and Reptiles

* Flippity Quiz Show: docs, pub--playable link

* Baamboozle: Reptiles and Amphibians (This is a game that I found. I didn't make it. It's not perfect, but it works with some support.)

[Note: This vocabulary is based on the vocabulary from pages 122 and 123 of Oxford Picture Dictionary for the Content Areas. But I believe this material could also be used independently for any lesson on animal vocabulary, so I'm posting it here.]

Badlands: Movie Review

This is part of my so-called "Scripted Review" series, in which I make a Youtube video based on an old blogpost. For more information on what this is and why I'm doing it, see HERE:

https://youtu.be/HgneyXvRI04

and HERE: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2018/12/vlog-scripted-book-reviews-i-ramble-on.html

In this case, the old blog post is here: https://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2014/02/badlands.html

Related Playlists:

Movie Reviews playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6N06WoIoV2fLb6xRYrepTk&si=EDHi2_Y41ACLnCmA

Scripted Movie Reviews playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x49ts8TV1DbXQo8zN_e65us&si=_gzqGAmaz337NVCP

Scripted Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5BKcEIufNKlS58JHU_glyL&si=Pje0KQqIqOgWGGUI

Movies I Saw in 2014 Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4WRnfM_TDQClWj8OOCg9f_&si=Uu6SYX9o1qm1Ndhc

3 Stars Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x70ViGYftDcGCPIKZHYqBYd

The newest of the Oldest Stories Podcast is out now. (For my review of the whole series, see here.)

Babylon Had It Coming

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

1st Grade Wida Familiarization Lesson Plan

(TESOL Materials--Test Familiarization)

Google: docs, pub

Overall Link

Listening:

Teacher Demo Part A (Estimated time: 2 minutes just to do the test, probably 5 minutes with explanations)
Students do Part B and Part C

Reading

Teacher Demo Part A (estimated time: 2 minutes–show highlighter, magnifying)
Students do Part B and Part C

Speaking

Teacher Demo Part A
Students do Part B and Part C

Breton Downs Playground, East Grand Rapids (Early Spring)

(Travelogues--West Michigan)

Breton Downs Playground, East Grand Rapids (Early Spring)

Address: 2500 Boston St SE, Grand Rapids, MI

Related Playlists:

Travelogues Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x71JnPJ1gs_uaswSALX-7V9

West Michigan Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4D-0HPmovcbB6cCqlVVGEL&si=IEFmZ3UMgJxI0F4F

Kent County Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5EOMa9ZWDBtdpQFwtlk_ev&si=t8952PnDfrJQTvBY

East Grand Rapids Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4KzrY_X3Lrj6zpoVK-mjuu&si=BLTDWllEWDlf4MaU

Monday, April 20, 2026

Creekside Park, Lowell City (Early Spring)

(Travelogues--West Michigan)

Creekside Park, Lowell City (Early Spring)

Address: 1698 Gee Dr, Lowell, MI

Related Playlists:

Travelogues Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x71JnPJ1gs_uaswSALX-7V9

West Michigan Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4D-0HPmovcbB6cCqlVVGEL&si=IEFmZ3UMgJxI0F4F

Kent County Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5EOMa9ZWDBtdpQFwtlk_ev&si=t8952PnDfrJQTvBY

Lowell City Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6JK-WmrKUTEnZ_Tc2BhvOi&si=S6sO0HzGus38tSsS

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Matching Cards for CVC words with -ug

(TESOL Worksheets-- -ug Word Family)

Google: docs, pub

I use these cards in several stages.
I start out with some of the alphabet cards from this previous activity. I take the "U" card, and ask students what sound it makes. Then I take the "G" sound, and ask what sound it makes, and then put the two cards together, and try to get students to tell me the sound.
I then take out several consonants, and get the students to tell me the sound, and then put these consonants together with the -UG to make different words, helping students to sound them out.

At this point I put out the picture cards, and as we do different CVC -at words, I get students to identify the pictures.
Once all the words and pictures have been identified, then we play a memory card game to match the words and pictures.
Lastly, I put away the word cards, and just show students the pictures. The students have to write down the word on their mini-white boards.

bug
dug
hug
jug
mug
pug
rug
tug

This Week in Booktube: April 19, 2026

(These are the Booktube videos I watched this week. As always, I encourage you also to check out each of the videos I've linked to down below. Support Booktube. And let me know what you've watched this past week.)

Google document: docs, pub

Abby Reads The Quarter-Year Crisis Tag

Steve Donoghue 10 Years on BookTube: Some Things I've Learned!

Bucky749 Seriously well read book tag

Bookish Dear Conservative Booktube

Steve Donoghue Epic Comic Book Wednesday Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow

Alison Talks Books I Don't Want to *OpTiMiZe* My Booktube Channel

Library of a Viking BookTube Just Changed… And No One Is Talking About Why

jim's books reading & stuff The Seriously Well-Read Tag

Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri

Bucky749 Magazine review : Sherlock Holmes mystery magazine issue 22 .

Started: Animal Farm by George Orwell (This is a reread. I've read this book several times before, and I've mentioned this book on this blog before here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. But I've never reviewed it on this blog before, so I figured it was time to read it one more time, and give it a proper review.)