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
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
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
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
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
Teaching reading and writing together
There are too many things we need to teach in English. An outsider might look at the three strands - reading, writing, and speaking - as doable. Only three, right? But we all know that there are many, many layers to each of these strands, and it takes time for students to hone the skills they need … [Read more...] about Teaching reading and writing together
Active Learning Strategies: The Write-Around
One of the my favorite active learning strategies is the write-around. It's quick and easy to use, and it is perfect for building the skills that students need for analysis. Let me show you how and why it works. Start with an open-ended question A successful write-around starts with a question … [Read more...] about Active Learning Strategies: The Write-Around
Strategies for Successful Classroom Book Clubs
There's nothing better for an English teacher to walk around the classroom, listening to multiple groups of students excitedly talking about the books they are reading. That's what can happen when you run a book club with your middle or high school students. But how do you plan one? How do you keep … [Read more...] about Strategies for Successful Classroom Book Clubs
Dystopian Fiction
If you're wanting a meaningful unit that your middle or high school students will get into, you should seriously consider doing one that features dystopian fiction. Why? Dystopian fiction is a genre that has long fascinated readers - and movie-goers. Stories set in dystopian worlds became very … [Read more...] about Dystopian Fiction
Book Talk Hacks for Secondary Teachers
Let's get real here. Reading workshop is the greatest thing for getting students hooked on reading, but there are a lot of moving parts that can get hard to juggle, right? There are mini-lessons to give, and conferences to have, and close reading to be modelled. And, on top of all that we're … [Read more...] about Book Talk Hacks for Secondary Teachers
Reading workshop and full class texts
How do I find time to use full class texts with reading workshop? This is a question that I get at least once a week, so I thought it was time for a new blog post that explains that reading workshop and full class texts are NOT mutually exclusive. I say "new post" because I've written about this … [Read more...] about Reading workshop and full class texts
Making Text to Text Connections
Whenever I start a new text, I always begin with a pre-reading exercise that gets students engaged in the ideas we will explore in whatever it is we are about to read. I wrote about this process before, on this post, but now I'd like to tell you about how and why I tweaked it for making text to text … [Read more...] about Making Text to Text Connections