Journal writing is a great way to incorporate more writing into class, but is it enough to improve student writing skills? I love journal writing for a variety of reasons but mostly because it gets students writing and writing often. We all know the more students write, the better they can develop their skills but …
Poetry is fun and there is a way to make it fun. Have you ever heard of a Poetry Party? Basically, students memorize a poem that they will then present to their classmates. How is that fun you ask? Well, students can be as creative as they want with their presentations and you might be …
Teaching poetry as a separate unit can be a great way to introduce students to different voices and cultures, but it also encourages creative thinking and inference skills which can be applied to a whole wealth of ELA stadards.
Adding a classroom library to my classroom was one of my best strategies I’ve used to promote literacy and connect with students about the books I was reading. It doesn’t matter how big or small your classroom library is! Even a few books on a shelf is incredibly powerful to foster a community of readers. …
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, …
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. …
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 …
Writing instruction can be difficult under the best of circumstances. Among the challenges 2020 has ushered in has been teaching writing in a variety of formats. Whether you are teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or fully virtual, writing instruction has needed a serious upgrade to keep up with the obstacles this year has presented. Below are five …
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 …
