We all know the challenge of keeping students busy during the days leading up to the holidays. Whether they celebrate Christmas or not, they know a nice long break is looming, and they get a little hard to engage. But there are ways to keep the learning at the forefront, ones that students will … [Read more...] about 5 ways to keep students engaged before the holidays
Strategies for teaching theme
As far as I'm concerned, most roads lead to theme in a middle or high school English classroom. Yes, we teach students about many literary elements, but we do so to help them understand the life lessons that writers want to get across. We also teach them to have a message in their own writing, … [Read more...] about Strategies for teaching theme
When your students don’t know what to write
You are an English teacher, so I know you've heard this phrase many times: I don't know what to write. It comes from a student who is staring at a blank page, unable to start an assignment. This can be due to a lack of attention or effort but, most often, the student is sincere and really doesn't … [Read more...] about When your students don’t know what to write
Three ways to teach students to make inferences
I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I used to love teaching students to make inferences. Learning to analyze an author's purpose is a key skill for middle and high school English students, but many of them see it as a mysterious process that's hard to do. That's why I loved teaching it … [Read more...] about Three ways to teach students to make inferences
Teach writing by showing not telling
It's something that we teach our students all the time: you need to show your reader, not just tell them. But do we always practice what we preach? I know that during the first part of my career, I did not. And no matter how well I "told" my students what to do for writing assignments, they didn't … [Read more...] about Teach writing by showing not telling
Teaching writing with short assignments
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
Getting students to read
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
3 ways to transform the first day of school
Looking for ways to make the back-to-school season less exhausting? Wondering how to get your middle or high school English students engaged on the first day of school and make them happy to be in your class? Instead of going through the typical back-to-school routine of explaining the syllabus and … [Read more...] about 3 ways to transform the first day of school
Helping students find the right book
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
Two ways to deal with ChatGPT in English class
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
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
What to do when students won’t talk
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