Ideas from the Blog

It's the twenty-first century. Actually, it has been for some time now.  So many things have changed at lightening speed that it's hard (and expensive) to keep up.  However, one thing has been slow to keep up with all of the changes in our world: education.  Rows of desks, pen and … [Read more...] about 21st Century Methods of Assessment

Assessment for learning, not just of learning.  It's a catch phrase educators are well aware of--but it's much more than just a bunch of buzz words.  Assessment for learning is something we should be using on a regular basis for real growth in our classrooms.Unfortunately, for too much of … [Read more...] about Managing Formative Assessment

Last week I wrote about the process my grade ten class was following to "grow' an essay.  I found that, while they had a good understanding of the novel and knew what points they needed to make, they were struggling with putting it all together into a strong, cohesive essay.We started with … [Read more...] about Growing an Essay–an update

In that magical ideal world, our students would come to us, armed with sharpened pencils, eager to spend the period writing, writing, writing.  They would come to class early, turn to a new page, bend their heads and begin. We don't live in that world, do we?  The reality is that some of … [Read more...] about Writing Prompts

Ok, so the plays are over four hundred years old and the language is difficult.  Kids will let out an audible groan whenever the teacher announces that Shakespeare is next.  So why are his plays still on the syllabus in many high school English classes? It’s a question that a colleague of mine … [Read more...] about Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?

It's time for the Secondary Smorgasbord again, and this month's topic is fresh ideas.  So by now you may be scratching your head at my title.  An essay?  You might be thinking: There’s nothing fresh about that!However, it’s not the product that’s fresh in my room, it’s the … [Read more...] about What’s Growing in My Classroom? An Essay!

Welcome to my blog hop about what really matters in teaching.  Read on  and be sure to check out the other great ideas below!This year has been one for the record books.  As a Canadian teacher, I am no stranger to snow days and snow banks, but both piled up like never before this … [Read more...] about Snow Days, Ticking Clocks and Teaching What Counts

So much of what we do in English class requires students to do higher order thinking, especially when close reading. That's why I spend a lot of time at the beginning of every year teaching students how to analyze text. When I was in high school, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, my English … [Read more...] about Teaching Students How to Analyze Text

In honour of The Literary Maven's linky, I'm reposting this entry from my old blog:Like many teachers across the country, I just spent the last two days in meetings.  After a summer of relaxation and moving to the beat of my own wishes, I was required to sit for hours in a hard plastic … [Read more...] about Learning on the Move

I love free-writes and quick-writes and O'Connor's quote sums up why.  Students often struggle to express their ideas, often for a variety of reasons: they don't care, they don't want to take the time to think about it, or they just don't know.  When teachers give them these low-stakes and … [Read more...] about Free-Writes & Quick-Writes–One the Best Tools in a Learner’s Toolbox

When I assign a research paper—or any research assignment, we never start in the library or computer lab.  That’s because I want the students to spend time thinking about what they want to say in their papers. I don’t want to read essays that are just a stitch job, a weaving together of ideas, facts … [Read more...] about Getting Ready to Research