Ideas from the Blog

Whether you've already finished your school year, or like me you have a few weeks left with the kids, it's always good to start planning for the end -- of next year.  I know we still have to get to the light at the end of this tunnel, but for most of us we've already set those plans in motion. … [Read more...] about PLANNING FOR THE END OF THE YEAR…NEXT YEAR, THAT IS!

Elementary students get to make cards and crafts and gifts for their parents and guardians during this time of year.  Most mothers and fathers have a stash of these from their little darlings, but as their children grow older, the stash gets smaller.Older students can make cards too; they still … [Read more...] about Mother’s & Father’s Day Writing Assignment for Teens

If you follow me, you know I went a little station crazy this year.  My students loved them, so I just kept making more, with every new thing we did. I now have quite a collection of station titles, task cards and task sheets, and they were starting to spill out everywhere.When I was at Staples … [Read more...] about ORGANIZING YOUR LEARNING STATIONS

TEACHING STUDENTS TO THINK: Last night at supper, my fifteen year old referred to me as "just a transferrer of knowledge." I retorted that he was wrong; I was a facilitator of learning. You know fifteen year olds, so you can totally picture the eye rolling that occurred across the table. I … [Read more...] about GETTING STUDENTS TO DIG DEEPER

I'm a big fan of the gradual release model: modeled instruction, guided practice, independent practice. It removes the mystery, gives students a chance to practice in a risk-free way, and then lets them go it alone, once they've built some confidence.Last week I wrote about the "tortoise and the … [Read more...] about A Guided Release Essay

Six English teachers with a love for Shakespeare are hosting a giveaway in honor of Shakespeare's birthday. (It's also the 400th anniversary of his death.) One lucky winner will get six great lessons that can be used with ANY Shakespeare play. So what can you win? Click on the links to get a preview … [Read more...] about SHAKESPEARE GIVEAWAY!

WOW. It's been 400 years since Shakespeare's death (and 452 since his birthday).  To celebrate this amazing man, all of my Shakespeare products will be 20% off today. … [Read more...] about SHAKESPEARE 400

SPEAKING & LISTENING I've been making a conscious effort to do more speaking activities in all of my classes.  First of all, the curriculum demands it, but secondly, and even more importantly, I know that speaking is a powerful tool for thinking.  When I need to figure something out, I need … [Read more...] about SPEAKING & LISTENING AS PART OF THE PRE-READING STAGE

Last week I wrote about a "eureka moment" that some of my students had while working on their group presentations.  I told you that there was a part two to the assignment, and here it is:After my students did their presentations, I had them summarize their conclusions, and wrote them down to … [Read more...] about The Joy of Leaning: Part Two

There's nothing more frustrating than a class full of apathetic students who don't want to do anything. Use these strategies to create an environment for student engagement and learning. How can you increase student engagement? We all know that there are many ways to make our students happy: no … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Increase Student Engagement

It was one of those learning moments that I wish I could have captured on video.My tenth graders were working on a group presentation for the novel A Separate Peace.  Each group was give a question that started like this: How and why does John Knowles use... None of the questions had a … [Read more...] about THE JOY OF LEARNING: Helping your students think critically on their own.

Writing a literary essay can be difficult, especially if the student doesn't approach it as a thinking process that takes some time.  Many students just want to write in one sitting, skipping over the all-important process that will help them create something good.I've written before about my … [Read more...] about ESSAY WRITING: REMOVING THE MYSTERY