Blog

If you're teaching writing and are wondering how to begin the overwhelming task of getting students engaged in the process, I've got a tip for you: use more short assignments and fewer long ones. Is this less rigorous? Absolutely not. In fact, teaching writing with short assignments leads to better … [Read more...] about Teaching writing with short assignments

So you are all over the idea of independent reading. Maybe you've even decided that you want to ditch the full class texts and do reading workshop full time. You've stocked your shelves, and you have your mini-lessons and activities ready to go. There's only one problem: you are having a super-hard … [Read more...] about Getting students to read

How would you like to get your students engaged on the first day of school and make them really happy to be in your class? Instead of going through the typical back-to-school routine of explaining the syllabus and class rules, try something different that will capture your new students' interest … [Read more...] about 3 ways to transform the first day of school

One of the secrets to a successful independent reading program is helping students find the right book. And there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a once-reluctant reader eagerly turning the pages of a book they don't want to put down. So what can we English teachers do to make that … [Read more...] about Helping students find the right book

We English teachers have been struggling with plagiarism forever. It's nothing new. However, with AI, and ChatGPT in particular, it's getting much easier for students to pass in a paper they did not write. That doesn't mean the essay is dead, though. It just means that we need to change the way we … [Read more...] about Two ways to deal with ChatGPT in English class

Found poetry is a genre of poetry that takes words from another text. While Blackout poetry is one popular type, there are other ways to create a found poem that use fewer resources and time. Blackout poetry is fun. It looks cool and it gives students a chance to get creative. However, it soaks … [Read more...] about The blackout poem – a type of found poetry

A chatty class can be a big problem as we all know, but so is one where you can't get students to engage. In fact, based on my style of teaching, the latter is my least favorite issue to manage in my classroom. However, I have learned some strategies over the years that can jumpstart even the most … [Read more...] about What to do when students won’t talk

We all know that student apathy is at an all-time high. However, that doesn't mean we just throw up our hands and say it's pointless. In fact I've got one simple student engagement strategy that just might make a difference in your classroom. This strategy requires no prep, no photocopying, and … [Read more...] about Student Engagement Strategy: try this one thing

If you want students to produce quality good copies, taking them through the writing process step-by-step is key. And the more time you spend before they even start their first drafts the better because prewriting is an important part of the writing process. For all of my teaching career I as a … [Read more...] about Prewriting: an important part of the writing process

Are you tired of reading persuasive and argumentative essays that are superficial and poorly written? Would you like to inspire your students to think more deeply about their ideas? Follow these steps for teaching persuasive & argumentative writing- and get much better results: Start with … [Read more...] about Teaching persuasive & argumentative writing

Ok, English teachers. If you haven't heard already, there's a new tool out there that students can use to plagiarize - and it seems like a real game changer. It's all the talk in staff rooms and on social media posts, and teachers are worried. The hard reality is that as technology improves, the … [Read more...] about What can English teachers do about ChatGPT?

“Is this for a grade?” “Does it count?”  If you’ve been counting, you are well aware that you could retire early if you got a dollar for every time you heard one of those questions. The constant barrage of them may even have you believing that if you don’t grade something, your students won’t do … [Read more...] about Get students to do work that’s not graded