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It’s National Poetry Month! So it’s the perfect time to incorporate some poetry word play into your classroom. Maybe you’re like me and finding time is of the essence as the end of the year approaches. If so, these ideas can be done as part of a class rather than requiring a full or multiple …
Hello spring! We survived winter! That is always a huge accomplishment for me. Spring means more daylight, sunshine and warmer temperatures. It also means test prep season is officially upon us. Test prep season often brings a lot of extra stress, but it doesn’t have to. Let’s discuss some tips to make test prep season …
Are you looking for easy ways to increase student engagement and assess learning without spending a ton of time grading and working through complicated rubrics? Let me introduce 5 quick-win activities I’ve used successfully in my ELA classroom. Try out these ideas at the beginning of class for morning work or use them at the …
As we approach the middle of the school year, it is the perfect time to take stock your classroom library. When is the last time you’ve changed the display books? Updated your book review bulletin board? Added a new title to the shelf? Keeping your library looking fresh will keep students coming back to check out new books.
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 …
Do your students dread having to write? Do you struggle to get your students to write complete responses? I have a solution for you that has changed the way my students respond to text dependent questions: RACES. What is RACES? RACES is an acronym that gives students a step by step formula on how …
The Challenge(s) How many times has a student responded with “I don’t like reading” when you introduce independent reading or reading in general? This has been one of the biggest hurdles when I have attempted to bring independent reading into my classroom. Even after spending hours reading YA novels to be in the know and …
Book clubs are my go-to strategy for engaging students in authentic conversations about reading. It has been my saving grace this year as students have struggled to return to the classroom. Why do I love book clubs so much? Book clubs help put students in the driver seat of their own learning! I have found …
Before beginning any reading or viewing activity in my classroom, I always start with the “4P’s” – previewing, predicting, accessing prior knowledge and assessing purpose. Practicing each of these pre-reading strategies is a sure-fire way to amp up engagement and help your students become more active readers. Read on to see how I introduce each …
7 Strategies to Help Students Read Better
