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 …
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 …
Throughout the year we use a variety of desk configurations to help with solo, paired, and group work. But like many of you I share a classroom with other teachers. This means I often have to reset the room at the end of a class period. And let’s be clear moving a ton of desks …
I’m all about working smarter and not harder, especially as we near the end of the school year! So a lesson that accomplishes more than one goal is amazing! And I have one for you today! It’s National Poetry Month meets grammar lesson meets end-of-year wrap-up! Seriously, all of these elements are in one lesson …
ELA Matters is a collaborative group of middle school and high school teachers who love to help all teachers. Here are some of the latest posts from our contributors that focus on middle school reading and high school reading with text suggestions, activities, and test prep options too! Carolyn from Middle School Café One of …
In my pre-teaching life, I studied journalism and did freelance work for different publications, including writing editorials. I love reading and knowing the news and I think it’s important to know about the world around us. So when I turned to teaching as a career, it was important to me to incorporate news and media …
Do your students struggle with compare and contrast activities? Maybe they rely on the obvious at the expense of analysis? Are thesis writing, constructing outlines, and plagiarism a problem? If you answered yes to any or all of the questions, you’re not alone! My students struggled big time with comparative essay writing, so I had …
I think we can all agree that poetry can be intimidating for students AND teachers! But I think that might be because we keep it hidden away. Students don’t see or read or study poetry often so it just isn’t familiar and therefore can’t be comfortable. So the question is how do we add poetry into …
This summer you might be pre-reading or re-reading some novels you’ll want to teach next year in any number of your ELA classes. While you’re brainstorming ideas for these units of study, consider how you might offer a tech twist on your vocabulary instruction using self-marking Google Forms. In grade 11 students at my school …
I must admit that formal vocabulary hasn’t been a core aspect in the classes I teach. Certainly, I facilitate and encourage students to look up words they don’t know and to maintain their own vocabulary lists. However, I don’t assess or test this vocabulary, nor do I really check in on those lists. More often …
