Ideas from the Blog

  We all know that kids need a lot of practice and reinforcement with writing skills. We also know that they all don't need to practice the same ones.  The trick is finding a way to help our students attain the skills that they need as individuals. But how can we keep them all working ahead … [Read more...] about Writing Pokes: The Perfect Tool for Review & Differentiation

We English teachers spend a lot of time teaching our kids to read and write, but I'm not sure that most of us (myself included) spend as much time explicitly teaching speaking and listening skills. Most times, we just assign a speech, presentation or debate and just kind of expect that our students … [Read more...] about Teaching Speaking & Listening Skills

Do your students struggle with the research process? Are you tired of reading poorly paraphrased work? You might like to try the process that I've fine-tuned over the last few years. It's not perfect, but I've been reading much better essays since I started doing this.The biggest problem I see with … [Read more...] about 5 Steps for Better Research Essays

During a stormy February, I was teaching my Pre-IB class about the power of words. We talked about avoiding tired words and using active, vivid verbs. I did lessons on connotation and tone, and on sensory imagery and figurative language. However, I didn't want my students to just be able to identify … [Read more...] about Writing Lessons: The Power of Words

Does it make you crazy when you spend so much time crafting great feedback for your students, only to see their rubrics or assignments in the garbage can? Or, worse, seeing them make the same mistakes over and over, even after you've shown them how to improve? We're teachers. We want our kids to … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Get Students to Use Your Feedback

I never dreamed that I'd have to write a post like this -- after all, I'm living in 21st century North America, during a decade that has seen so much positive social change. I teach in a school whose population is almost 20% refugee and immigrant students. I have a class with twelve of twenty-one … [Read more...] about Teaching in Turbulent Times

I wasn't planning to write a post today, but during my twelfth grade class this morning, I was reminded of how powerful our final assessment conferences are, and I wanted to share that with you.But first a little background:Our English department has, over the last number of years, developed a final … [Read more...] about Final Assessment Conference

  In a few short weeks, our semester changes,  and I will meet my new tenth grade Pre-IB class.  Next year, most will enter the International Baccalaureate program, and they will spend two years doing a great deal of focused literary analysis. My job over the semester will be to get them primed … [Read more...] about Lesson Planning: Using Workshop for Literary Analysis

  I'm thrilled to be joining The ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures, hosts of The Secondary Smorgasbord, as we spread some kindness, something the world always needs a little more of. Be sure to read to the end of the post to grab a freebie from me and many others! Our students belong to … [Read more...] about Room 213 Celebrates Kindness

Lesson planning is a complex task that looks so simple from the outside. Those of us who have seen lessons flop and fly know too well that a good lesson takes a great deal of time and thought. I'm in that thinking stage. In my last post I wrote that I was going to get more specific in this one, … [Read more...] about Lesson Planning: Build in Time for Productive Struggle

Lesson planning is a very important part of our jobs. I've had a number of readers comment that they'd like to know more about lesson planning, so I'm starting a series of posts about the process I go through when I plan mine. This first one is about the overall process that I use, and I'll follow … [Read more...] about Lesson Planning: Three Things You Should Consider

How do we get those tired teens ready to learn?Yes, I'm well aware that the person under the covers could be you. But it's likely most of your students too. After a long break, it's hard for all of us to get back in the game. Yet, when you teach in a semestered system, the transition from vacation … [Read more...] about Getting Your Students Ready to Learn After the Break