I love taking a moment to reflect on the past year before planning out the new one. Last year I pulled back the curtain a bit to show you how I plan out my monthly action tasks for Building Book Love. I stuck to that same method for the most part with a few small tweaks. For starters, I set out to do 10 actions each month instead of 7. However, I did a “roll over” method, meaning some months I did ... Read More about Building Book Love 2022 Year End Review
Independent Reading in High School with Whole Class Novels
Independent reading time transformed my high school ELA classroom and I’ve been singing its praises ever since. I taught on a block schedule and my classes were 90 minutes long, so allotting 10 minutes of free choice reading at the start of every class was easy to implement. However, I’ve often wondered how I would approach independent reading if I were more stretched for time or less autonomy ... Read More about Independent Reading in High School with Whole Class Novels
Using Picture Books in High School to Start an ELA Unit
The hook of a lesson plan or unit has always been my favorite part of the planning process. Standards: BORING. Mini Lessons: TIME-CONSUMING. Assessments: AWFUL. Hooks: FUN!!! I have a list of my favorite lesson starters, and one of those hook ideas is using picture books in high school to start an ELA unit. Picture books are for readers of all ages and can go far in sparking curiosity for ... Read More about Using Picture Books in High School to Start an ELA Unit
Literature Circle Novels in Verse Activities for Middle School ELA
Novels in verse are such a gift to readers of all ages, but especially young adults. For avid readers, YA novels in verse make for an engaging change of pace, and for striving readers, they make ELA skills more accessible. From a Literature Circle standpoint, YA novels in verse are the perfect genre because the word count isn’t as intimidating as a traditional novel, but middle school novels in ... Read More about Literature Circle Novels in Verse Activities for Middle School ELA
Updated Serial Lesson Plans : Teaching Serial After Adnan’s Release
On September 14, 2022 news broke that the subject of the Serial podcast, Adnan Syed, was predicted to get his conviction overturned. As millions of Serial podcast listeners reacted to the latest updates, many of us English teachers around the country immediately started getting emails, DMs, and tweets from former students who wanted to discuss the updated case just as they had years ago in class. ... Read More about Updated Serial Lesson Plans : Teaching Serial After Adnan’s Release
5 Middle School ELA Game Ideas
I believe some serious learning can happen in a classroom full of fun and games. If you are looking for fun ELA activities and games that middle schoolers love, then you are in for a treat! My last middle school ELA game post was such a hit that I wanted to provide even more ELA game ideas for middle schoolers! Cheryl Rizzo, a playful middle school ELA teacher in New York City, joins us ... Read More about 5 Middle School ELA Game Ideas
