education
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Fun, Easy Classroom Time Fillers to Kickstart a New School Year
I got a new desk this year! The hugely obnoxious, impossible to move monstrosity that I inherited when I moved into my room is gone and I’m very excited to have a sleek new model. It’s even on wheels so I can rearrange on a whim, if I feel like it. When I cleaned… Continue reading
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24 Years in the Classroom Taught us to Prioritize These Back to School Routines
Walk into any secondary ELA classroom, especially during Back to School season, and you’ll find teachers juggling a thousand priorities. We want students to become stronger readers, more confident writers and, of course, thoughtful speakers and critical thinkers, too. The challenge isn’t knowing what matters… it’s deciding how to do it in the most efficient… Continue reading
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Teaching Poetry in Middle School ELA: 11 Ideas to Make Poetry More Engaging and Accessible
If you’ve ever announced a poetry lesson and heard a collective groan from your students… you’re not alone. Poetry can feel intimidating for both students and teachers. The structure is different from the texts that we usually read, the language can be dense, and students often worry that they’re missing “the right answer.” But when… Continue reading
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20+ Ways to Use Poetry All Year (Not Just in April)
Hey-ooo! This post is part of our Teaching Poetry Fest collaboration, bringing you tons and TONS of ideas for teaching poetry in your secondary ELA classroom as we prepare for National Poetry Month. But here’s the thing, poetry should be a thing all of the time. I love that it gets a month so that… Continue reading
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Teaching Like Normal (Even Though It’s Test Prep Season)
The Moment I Realized Teaching Was About to Stop I’ve never really done test prep. It’s not because I don’t care about the state exams. It’s just that my philosophy has always kind of been, if the students are doing hard work (reading challenging texts, analyzing syntax, wrestling with figurative language… you know things that… Continue reading
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10 Ways Wipebooks Transform Small-Group Work in Secondary ELA
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through my links. But that comes at no additional cost to you. The Wipebook Reusable Flipchart is one of the most used supplies in my classroom! If you’ve heard of them or seen them in action, you know how cool they are…… Continue reading
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Teaching Romeo and Juliet Through a Research Lens
In case you missed it, I have moved to a 9th grade classroom after over a decade in middle school. I have been loving the new texts that I get to help students understand but Shakespeare presents an interesting challenge. Besides the fact that it is a completely different English language than what we currently… Continue reading
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The Reading & Writing Olympics: A 2-Week Secondary ELA Skills Training Unit
When students struggle with reading tasks, it’s easy for us as secondary ELA teachers to assume the issue is purely motivation. They just don’t want to read. But for many secondary students, the real barrier is that they are missing key foundational skills. They’re missing the reading and writing muscles they need in order to… Continue reading
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Effective Word-Level Interventions for the Secondary Setting
Decoding skills are foundational for reading proficiency, but many secondary students still struggle in this area. These students don’t just struggle academically. They often exhibit behavior problems, as well, as a way to mask their inability to read. Their difficulty with decoding makes it impossible to engage with and comprehend grade-level texts across all subjects.… Continue reading
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Engage Deeper with Nonfiction Texts Using Notice and Note Signposts
The “Notice and Note” signposts for nonfiction, developed by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst, are a set of strategies designed to help students engage more deeply with the texts that they read. These signposts highlight key elements and moments in a text that can trigger deeper thinking and comprehension. By identifying and discussing these signposts,… Continue reading
