Someone, somewhere, once said that necessity is the mother of invention. That is an adage we had to lean into - hard - in 2020. It was a year that challenged us in so many ways as we desperately tried to transfer what we know about good teaching from the classroom to the screen. One way I did that … [Read more...] about One-Sliders for Analyzing Text
Reading Workshop and Classroom Management
Today's post is all about another issue I hear a lot about: reading workshop and classroom management. Giving kids the ability to choose their own books can be a beautiful thing. However, a lot of problems can ensue if they choose not to read them and choose to distract others instead. I've been … [Read more...] about Reading Workshop and Classroom Management
Do I have to read all of the books for reading workshop?
Do I have to read all of the books for reading workshop? How do I assess students if I haven’t? I get these questions a lot, and they are ones that I definitely had myself when I started reading workshop. I used to worry that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of the books that my students … [Read more...] about Do I have to read all of the books for reading workshop?
Speed Dating with Books
I tried something new this week, and I'm so glad I did. I was ready to launch reading workshop with my new tenth grade class, and I decided to let my students do "speed dating" with books I have in the classroom. This speed dating activity worked so well to help each student find the right book for … [Read more...] about Speed Dating with Books
3 Reasons Why Your Mentor Texts Should Not Be “Perfect”
MENTOR TEXTS BUILD THE HABIT OF REVISION There are a lot of good reasons for using mentor texts with our students, but you know what? There are three really good reasons why your texts should not be "perfect." The idea of using mentor texts was one of those game-changing ideas for me. … [Read more...] about 3 Reasons Why Your Mentor Texts Should Not Be “Perfect”
Starting reading and writing workshop
Welcome back to the second part of my series where I'm giving readers a closer look at lesson planning in Room 213. Yesterday, I shared a spoken word poem by Matthew Foley to get my students thinking about being truly "present" in class - as well as to see what they knew about word choice and using … [Read more...] about Starting reading and writing workshop
End of the Year Activities for English Class
The end of the school year can be an exciting time - but it can also be exhausting. Everyone is feeling pretty tired, drained from the work of the year. And it can be such a challenge to keep students motivated through those last few weeks of class. It's not an impossible task, though, especially if … [Read more...] about End of the Year Activities for English Class
4 Ways to Make Time to Conference
I'm on a mission to help other teachers use this wonderful strategy, so I'm sharing 4 ways to make time to conference. I'm a huge fan of conferencing with kids. There are several very good reasons for that: conferences allow you get to know your students, to teach more effectively, and to reduce … [Read more...] about 4 Ways to Make Time to Conference
Differentiation with reading workshop
Last week, I wrote a post for The Secondary English Coffee Shop about why and how I use mentor texts with my students. I received several questions about differentiation with reading workshop, so I figured I need to write another post. The simple answer to whether or not you can differentiate … [Read more...] about Differentiation with reading workshop
Final Assessment for Reading and Writing Workshop
What do you do for a final assessment for reading and writing workshop? Do you still give an exam? My department has been going through an evolution with this over the past number of years, and I feel that we are finally at a point where we have an authentic final assessment for workshop that … [Read more...] about Final Assessment for Reading and Writing Workshop
Reading, Writing & Awareness with Nonfiction
Despite the fact that our students are very connected to the online world, they are not always aware of what's happening outside of their own circle of snaps and texts. So, I decided to come up with a way to teach reading, writing, & awareness with nonfiction. I've been working to find ways … [Read more...] about Reading, Writing & Awareness with Nonfiction
Managing the Multi-Genre Project
The multi-genre project, as I wrote in my last post, is an amazing vehicle for critical thinking (Click here to read why). However, it can seem like a daunting task when you haven't done one before. I've tried it enough times that I have some suggestions to help you take on this project without … [Read more...] about Managing the Multi-Genre Project