Mentor texts are one of the most powerful ways to teach writing because they offer students both a model to follow (in other words, build in scaffolding) as well as inspiration for what to say. If you’re looking for fun and engaging ways to incorporate mentor texts into the secondary ELA classroom, read on for …
If you’re looking for an engaging way to get your students writing daily while supporting your students’ Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), give daily gratitude writing a try. What is Gratitude Writing? Gratitude writing is simply the practice of spending time each day physically writing down the things we’re grateful for. Some people use bullet lists, others …
Icebreakers and community building activities can be fun… so fun, in fact, that it can be easy to get carried away. If you’re like me, there’s been more than a few years you’ve made it to week 3 only to realize your way behind on your pacing guide. One of my favorite ways to build …
We’ve all had this experience: You hand your students a copy of the text and invite them to “annotate the text.” You’re expecting to see margins filled with student writing – making their thinking visible to both you and them. Instead, you see clean crisp margins. Not a written comment in sight. If you’re lucky, …
Early on in my teaching career, I fell in love with teaching the writing process. So much so, that I require students to follow the four steps of the writing process for nearly every writing assignment they complete – no more timed writes or sloppy first drafts! What is the Writing Process? The writing process …
7 Strategies to Help Students Read Better
Whether you’re a first year teacher or a veteran teacher with decades of experience, back to school season is always a busy time. From breaking the ice and getting to know students to establishing norms and setting boundaries, there is SO much to get done. That’s why I’m sharing my list of the top 5 …
The end of the school year is an exciting time… but it can also be overwhelming for teachers. There’s so much to get done and there’s nothing worse than running out of time on a cool project or unit. And of course, as much as we look forward to a restful summer and a much …
One of my favorite genres to teach my students is poetry. It’s often short and wildly varied and I love that poetry allows authors to break all the rules of grammar, punctuation and convention to create something totally unique. Some of my favorite authors to teach include Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and William Carlos Williams. …
Welcome to the inaugural post from ELA Matters, a collaborative blog focused on all matters of English Language Arts! We are a group of middle and high school educators working together to share our ideas and expertise with the secondary ELA world. Below you’ll find a list of our top 5 favorite reading strategies for …
