Discover effective ways to incorporate reflective writing into your ELA classroom to help students develop critical thinking skills and self-awareness. Explore techniques like journaling, response journals, progress reflections, goal setting, and peer feedback reflections.
If you had asked me earlier in my career whether I wanted my students to use a tool to correct their grammar, such as Grammarly, my answer would have been heck no. However, after a few years, I have seen the benefits of Grammarly as an excellent tool for students in my high school English …
One of the most effective ways a teacher can help students build a stronger vocabulary for their writing is through regular vocabulary-building exercises and activities. These can include assigning weekly vocabulary lists for students to learn and use in their writing assignments, as well as encouraging them to read widely to encounter new words in …
“I’m done!” This is one of the most common phrases I hear in my ELA classroom. Ninety-nine percent of the time, my students are far from done, especially when it comes to their writing. I am always trying to tell my students that step one is to get all our ideas out. It doesn’t need …
Keeping writing fresh in high school can be a real challenge. We all have a variety of tips and tricks for teaching writing; in fact, we’ve written a bunch of them on this very site! But what about how to take writing to a next level? There are additional aspects of style and rhetorical elements …
This semester I decided to change my approach to teaching poetry from covering a stand-alone poetry unit, to sprinkling poetic activities throughout the course. For example, creating a blackout poem using pages from a short story or novel study, or pairing a text with a poem of similar theme or devices. Another way I included …
Including poetry in English classes is a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few quick ideas you can add to the rotation for any text you’re studying. One of the best ways to include poetry before reading a novel or play is to use it as a vehicle for background …
I think we can all agree that as reading teachers, we’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our students’ understanding and engagement with the texts they read. While individual reading exercises are essential, collaborative groups can be a game-changer. Peer work helps foster a deeper comprehension and discussion of complex texts. Students are exposed to …
Today Miss K is kicking off our quarter of posts on teaching reading. Reading is a built-in norm in all our English classrooms. She continually tells students that reading makes you a better writer and writing makes you a better reader; they go hand in hand. It is most likely a similar discussion in your …
How do you keep your students engaged in a read-aloud? The read-aloud looks a lot different in a secondary classroom. It’s not like the days when I was teaching six and seven-year-olds who ran to the carpet squealing with delight because it was read-aloud time. Many secondary students enjoy a read-aloud because it’s an excellent …
