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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 …
The ELA Matters team has collaborated to bring you a range of fantastic back-to-school activities. These activities are not only designed to help you get to know your students on a deeper level but also to foster a sense of community.
Using collaborative posters is a fun, low-risk activity that is a great way to begin creating community in your classroom.
Why Include Social Emotional Learning in ELA? Creating a classroom community is essential at the beginning of a new school year as it fosters a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable and safe to express themselves and learn from each other, which can positively impact students’ social and emotional well-being. Social emotional learning (SEL) …
Writing is hard. Teaching writing is even harder. For some, it comes naturally. For others, it is quite a struggle. My favorite writing strategy is using a joint construct to help students understand what I am expecting in their writing. What is a joint construct? Let’s start from the beginning. A joint construct is when …
Do your students utilize your classroom library or has it become an expensive decoration in the back of the room? We here at ELA Matters understand the importance of having a classroom library, not just pretty books on shelves, but a library where students find books they want to read, they can relate to, they …
Summaries are something every teacher does year after year to introduce and then to reinforce the skill. After all, it is a backbone writing skill that applies to all subjects, not just ELA. But summary writing is difficult for students… and teachers too! My way around these difficulties is to use a mixture of activities …
I LOVE POETRY! Lesa from @Smithteaches9to12 I discovered this is not a common sentiment among teachers from chatting with many in real life and online. But hear me out, my love of poetry comes from language play. In my experience, getting students to familiarize themselves with taking (small) risks with their own poetry writing now, …
Whether you’re shifting online (again) or staying online for the time being, five of our contributors offer ideas to organize your online classroom, provide daily structure, get students collaborating and talking using Jamboard, Google Slides, Padlet, and waterfall chats. 1. Organize your digital classroom One of the biggest challenges that Samantha K from MissKEnglish has …
Have you ever been in a teaching rut and weren’t sure were to start looking for inspiration? Let’s face it, this year has been challenging and many of us have slipped into survival mode. As we finish this school year, let’s finish strong. Spring break is right around the corner and the perfect time for …
