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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

The blackout poem - a type of found poetry - is popular these days. 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 uses fewer resources and time. Blackout poetry is fun. It looks … [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

The gallery walk was probably one of my most used teaching strategies. If fact, it was rare that my classroom walls weren't full of posters my students had created during a group discussion that ended with a gallery walk. Why did I love it so much? Because the preparation for it - as well as the … [Read more...] about The Gallery Walk

One question that I get a lot about reading workshop is this: what should my mini-lessons look like? There is no one-size-fits-all approach to crafting these bite-sized presentations, but there are some steps you can rely on. So, read on to get my five steps for a great mini-lesson. What goes in … [Read more...] about Five steps for a great mini-lesson

There are too many things we need to teach in English. An outsider might look at the three strands - reading, writing, and speaking - as doable. Only three, right? But we all know that there are many, many layers to each of these strands, and it takes time for students to hone the skills they need … [Read more...] about Teaching reading and writing together

We've all been there: you wake up feeling terrible, and you have no idea what to get a sub to do with your class. So, you drag yourself to school because it takes more effort to come up with a lesson plan. I'd love to help you stay home and look after yourself the next time that happens, so I'm … [Read more...] about Emergency Sub Plans