If you are like me and just getting started with Social Emotional Learning (aka SEL), then you may be hesitant to add yet another acronym to your English teacher toolkit. I get it. However, if you look at the tenets of Social Emotional Learning, you’re likely to discover that you are already doing SEL in ELA without even realizing it! Here are the five Social Emotional Learning ... Read More about SEL in ELA : Supporting Social Emotional Learning with ELA Curriculum
Fun ELA Activities the ABCs of ELA Engagement
Oftentimes the most time-consuming aspect of lesson planning is coming up with fun ELA activities that will engage your high school and middle school students. This reminds me of the dreaded question presenters often spring on people at trainings: “What do you like to do for fun!?” I can’t be the only person who draws a blank and then proceeds to have an existential crisis during the entire PD ... Read More about Fun ELA Activities the ABCs of ELA Engagement
Literary Wanderlust: Bookish things to do in the Lake District of England
One of the best things about books is that they can take us to world-wide settings without leaving the sofa. However, if you are eager to turn some of your favorite literature into real life locations, then I think you’ll enjoy reading my new Literary Wanderlust segment– starting with bookish things to do in the Lake District of England. But first, a short backstory: For the ... Read More about Literary Wanderlust: Bookish things to do in the Lake District of England
Building Book Love 2022 Year End Review
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
