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As teachers we all know that giving students the opportunity to write regularly is key to improving their writing ability and stamina. With shorter class periods and so many standards to cover, how can it be done without creating more grading on your part and still be effective? I knew it wasn’t enough for students …
I love using picture books. Anytime I can, I do. I find that they engage and excite my students instantly. As teachers, we have the students who love writing and the ones who would rather be doing anything else. This year, my class is filled with students who despise writing. I am constantly trying to …
What are digital portfolios? Student writing portfolios are not new in the world of education, but digital options have made portfolios increasingly more engaging and dynamic in the last decade or so. Portfolios are essentially a collection of student work in various forms to demonstrate learning over time and to allow students to reflect on …
Vocabulary is one of the biggest struggles my students face in my room. They often just skip over unknown or difficult words because it is easier than trying to figure out the meaning. I strongly believe that using context clues is one of the biggest and most important lessons we teach our students. We need …
This week Samantha K is sharing how she tackles vocabulary in the upper-grade levels. It’s nothing fancy, but it is an idea to add to your toolbox. She works to balance the fun element of learning with the long-term skill focus with older students. When it comes to vocabulary, Samantha looks at the goals for …
This year for Teacher Appreciation week, we here at ELA Matters want to THANK YOU for your commitment to your students. We are gifting to you several ideas and freebies throughout this post to help you finish the year strong!
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 …
Happy March ELA Matters! March 1st means that March Madness is around the corner on the court as well as in my classroom. Our current focus on ELA Matters is to share ideas around writing skills. So this week, I am sharing how I engage students in reading poetry and practicing their analysis and writing …
Teaching students to write opinion pieces can be challenging for a number of reasons. For starters, students may not like having to be vulnerable by taking a stance on an issue, and even once they choose a stance, many will teeter between both sides of the argument, making their writing less impactful. Without the proper …
