What do you wonder? What are you passionate about? What would you like to learn? These questions are not ones found on tests. They are, however, the basis for inquiry-based learning where students are invited to be active, rather than passive learners. Inquiry allows students to explore and … [Read more...] about Blending Reading & Writing Workshop: Inquiry Questions
Teaching Literary Analysis: 5 things that really work!
Grading literary analysis essays has never been something I've looked forward to. Often, it's an exercise in frustration and a chance to feel like I've failed my students. But the last few days, I've been in the middle of grading final essays from my tenth graders, and I have to say I'm excited with … [Read more...] about Teaching Literary Analysis: 5 things that really work!
Descriptive Writing – Strategies for Teaching
I love teaching descriptive writing and I don't save it for creative assignments only. That is because the elements that make description so important in creative writing are the very ones that make for rich and engaging expository and persuasive pieces as well.I want my students to be able to … [Read more...] about Descriptive Writing – Strategies for Teaching
Teaching a novel with excerpts
It's a trend that I find disturbing: teaching a novel with excerpts and not expecting kids to read the whole thing. I don't say that to be condescending; trust me. I want to help because I think that by using excerpts we are robbing our students of the opportunity to learn to love reading. There … [Read more...] about Teaching a novel with excerpts
Redos: an essential part of the learning process
Years ago, I would have shuddered at the thought of asking my students to redo an assignment, envisioning myself chained to my desk for hours, buried under paper. However, several things made me change my mind about this and realize that redos were an essential part of the learning process. Giving … [Read more...] about Redos: an essential part of the learning process
Blending Reading & Writing Workshop
I love the fact that my students can choose from a rich array of novels when it's time to read. Reader's and writer's workshop has been such a game changer in my classroom because the kids are so much more engaged in reading and writing than they ever were before. And, there are so many … [Read more...] about Blending Reading & Writing Workshop
6 ways to get students to actually read
We give our students quite a gift when we allow them to choose which books they will read. However, independent reading and readers' workshop can be difficult for a teacher to manage. Many believe it's easier to keep kids accountable when they do a full class novel because everyone is - quite … [Read more...] about 6 ways to get students to actually read
The Literary Essay: A Guided Approach
In my last several posts, I've shared the work I've been doing to teach my kids to analyze literature effectively. It all culminated in an essay they wrote last week. I know from past experience that students find this type of writing very difficult, so I decided to walk them through it and let … [Read more...] about The Literary Essay: A Guided Approach
Teaching Students to Find Evidence in Literature: Part 2
I've made it my mission to explicitly teach my kids how to find good evidence to support their points in literary analysis. In my last post, I wrote about how I had students focus on finding evidence to support claims they made about one section of the book. The strategy in this post is one that … [Read more...] about Teaching Students to Find Evidence in Literature: Part 2
Teaching Students to Find Evidence in Literature
We're reading A Separate Peace in my Pre-IB class right now, and I'm drilling down on teaching them to write analytical statements -- rather than summary. I'm also spending more time teaching them how to find good evidence. My experience is that students can find a quote to back up a … [Read more...] about Teaching Students to Find Evidence in Literature
How to Teach The Process of Literary Analysis
Many secondary English teachers struggle with how to teach the process of literary analysis. Students often think they are analyzing a text when they are really just summarizing the plot. If we want students to write meaningful literary analysis, we need to explicitly teach the process and give them … [Read more...] about How to Teach The Process of Literary Analysis
Organizing Your Learning Stations
As you know, I love learning stations. I've made a lot of them. The problem is that they can be a little tricky to organize. In my first attempt, I used a binder with a combination of page protectors and the plastic sleeves that you use in photo albums. This worked as a way to keep everything … [Read more...] about Organizing Your Learning Stations