Ideas from the Blog

When we teach a whole class novel, we have several traditional assessments to use with our students: response journals, tests, essays, etc.  We know the novel very well, and we develop ways to keep our students accountable and on task.  Marking is never fun, but we are in control and know what to … [Read more...] about Reader’s Workshop Assessment

While I love the reader's workshop concept and what it does for student engagement, I also see the value in a full class study. But, there's only so much time in the semester, and we high school teachers teach with the incessant ticking of the clock in our ears, pushing us to get it all done before … [Read more...] about Balancing Reader’s Workshop with the Full Class Novel

Reader's Workshop is not as common in high school as it is in the earlier grades.  One reason for this is the pressure to prepare students for post secondary studies.  English teachers in the upper grades spend a lot of time on literary analysis, teaching kids to understand author … [Read more...] about Reader’s Workshop: Planning and Skill Building

One of the best things about reader's workshop can also be seen as one of its biggest obstacles: you need a classroom library with a variety of books at a variety of reading levels, so your students can have lots of choice. Teachers envision themselves having to spend their own money to stock the … [Read more...] about Five ways to stock your classroom library

(This is a repost from last year)I like to start the year with a bang, with activities that not only set the tone for the semester, but also ones that students find engaging and relevant. This year I will be doing Reader's Workshop three days a week, but the other two will focus on specific genres. … [Read more...] about Get Your Students Engaged Right From The Start

I am so very lucky to teach in a district that is promoting a reader's workshop approach in our high school English classes. In fact, over the last two years, they have stocked our classroom libraries with multiple copies of many best selling YA books.  We have different genres, different subject … [Read more...] about Three Reasons You Should Do Reader’s Workshop in High School

It would happen every summer, just a few weeks before I'd head back to school: the recurring dream. I'd be in front of an out of control class, trying desperately to speak and no words would come out of my mouth.  I'd wake up with an uncomfortable feeling that would stay with me all … [Read more...] about Tips to Prevent Behavior Problems in the Secondary Classroom

I like to have a "theme" for the year, a guiding idea or question that keeps students focused on a reason: why are we doing this?  With my twelfth grade class, most of or texts and activities centre around the power of persuasion. We read non-fiction articles with the intention of discovering … [Read more...] about Create a Guiding Question for the Year

When I heard that Harper Lee was publishing a new book, I was so excited.  To Kill a Mockingbird has been a favourite of mine since I read it for the first time thirty years ago as a student; it became more beloved when I began to teach it, mostly because of the wonder that is Atticus … [Read more...] about On heroes and humans

On June 15th, we took possession of our new home, just blocks away from the one we lived in for twenty years.  We've been looking for a few years now, waiting for the perfect house, one that is in the same neighbourhood and, most importantly, at a price that would allow us to do any necessary … [Read more...] about Somewhere between before and after

It happens every year.  I hear it in the grocery store, at church, on the street, even from my friends and extended family: "It must be great to be winding down!"  BAM.  My back goes up and I want to ask, "Are you freakin' serious?"  But I push down the sarcasm, smile and say, as nicely as I can at … [Read more...] about One Sentence You Should Never Say to a Teacher in June

When students write, they want to get 'er done.  The grab their pens or laptops, sit down and begin, often without spending a whole lot of time thinking about what it is they want to say. They just want to complete the assignment and pass it in.  As a result, their writing process looks like the … [Read more...] about Writing is a Thinking Process