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Beyond the Test: 10 Innovative Ways to Assess Secondary Students

Beyond the Test:  10 Innovative Ways to Assess Secondary Students

Are your students moaning and groaning over taking another test or writing another essay? While these are tried and true methods for assessing many skills, I have been on a mission to find more innovative, unique ways of assessing student growth and learning.

15 Computer Games to Target the Common Core in Secondary ELA

15 Computer Games to Target the Common Core in Secondary ELA

“Can you please tell my son to stop playing video games?”

I’ve heard this desperate plea from parent after parent during parent teacher conferences for the past several years.  “All he wants to do is play video games and not study,” they say in desperation.  

Setting up & Assessing Book Club in Secondary ELA: FOUR FREE GUIDES FOR SUCCESS!

Setting up & Assessing Book Club in Secondary ELA:  FOUR FREE GUIDES FOR SUCCESS!

Book club is now considered to be one of the “best practices” in English Language Arts.  Book clubs differ from traditional literary circles in that they are less teacher-directed.  The students take on the responsibility of selecting their roles, making their assignments, keeping track of their reading, and much more. 

The Romantics vs. the Imagists: A Comparison of Two Different Styles

The Romantics vs. the Imagists:  A Comparison of Two Different Styles

Contrasting literary movements as a pedagogical approach to teaching literature is a debatable method, but I have found that juxtaposing literary movements...

Acronyms for Literary Analysis: A Comprehensive List of Strategies

Acronyms for Literary Analysis: A Comprehensive List of Strategies

When I set out to write the blog article for this week, I didn’t intend on writing about the various acronyms for literary analysis.  In fact, I didn’t realize there were quite so many acronyms out there...

5 Tips for Getting Started with Teachers Pay Teachers

5 Tips for Getting Started with Teachers Pay Teachers

About three to four years ago, I opened my very first Teachers Pay Teachers account. I figured that since I was already putting the time and effort into creating curriculum content for high school English... 

3 Reasons to Teach Beowulf

3 Reasons to Teach Beowulf

Many teachers, scholars, literary critics, and even students have argued and continue to argue that there is no merit in studying the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.  However, there are three key reasons why Beowulf is a valid unit of study in high school English today.  

How to Craft Annotations for Deeper Reading

How to Craft Annotations for Deeper Reading

Active and purposeful highlighting and annotating is an important skill that can enable greater success in being able to comprehend a text.  Of course, there is an ongoing conversation as to whether or not highlighting in particular detracts from comprehension...

The Three Levels of Reading: A Strategy for Complex Texts

The Three Levels of Reading:  A Strategy for Complex Texts

One of the most important skills we teach across all content areas, not just in English class, is how to comprehend complex texts.  It is probably the most crucial skill that we can teach in our classrooms because... 

The Power of ONE: A New Approach for GROWING Your TpT Shop

The Power of ONE:  A New Approach for GROWING Your TpT Shop

First of all, this title has multiple meanings, but the purpose of this blog is to give some useful tips to teacher-authors who need help managing, organizing, and growing their TpT shops...

Last Minute Lesson Ideas for All Content Areas

Last Minute Lesson Ideas for All Content Areas

I always try to have a solid plan for my classes, but sometimes, a day sneaks up on me where I don’t have anything planned, and I’m scrapping to fill it with something enriching and meaningful.  And, if I’m being completely honest...

Teachers: Five Ways to Work in Exercise at School to Stay in Shape

Teachers:  Five Ways to Work in Exercise at School to Stay in Shape

Do you struggle with getting in at least three quality workouts during the week?  Are you like me and bring your gym bag to school everyday...

 

Five Creative Ways to use Evernote in the Classroom to Support Educational Content

Five Creative Ways to use Evernote in the Classroom to Support Educational Content

Recently, Evernote has been popping up in classrooms across the nation as a free tool to aid students and teachers...

 

Interactive Notebooks are NOT Just for English Class!—Why They Matter in Every Content Area!

Interactive Notebooks are NOT Just for English Class!—Why They Matter in Every Content Area!

I’ll be the first to admit that when I’ve seen other teachers doing interactive notebooks with their students, I thought of them as more of an “art project” than anything educational.  But then...  

How to EAT Healthy at School: FIVE Tips for TEACHERS

How to EAT Healthy at School:  FIVE Tips for TEACHERS

First thing is first with a blog title such as this!  I have to admit that it is most definitely a case of calling the kettle black that I am writing this blog article.  Why?  Well, because if there is a cookie, I will eat it.  If there is cake...

How to use a Writer’s Notebook in the Classroom While Integrating Technology

How to use a Writer’s Notebook in the Classroom While Integrating Technology

The Writer's Notebook is an essential tool for the ELA classroom as a facilitator for the writing process. It makes the teacher's job easier and more efficient to assign and assess work, and it helps...

Implementing the Writer's Notebook in the Secondary English Class: 5 Decisions for Success!

Implementing the Writer's Notebook in the Secondary English Class:  5 Decisions for Success!

The Writer's Notebook has become a cornerstone of the ELA classroom as a tool for facilitating the writing process.  The Writer's Notebook not only helps students have a central database for their ideas and drafts, but it also...

From MACRO to MICRO: Using Backward Design for Lesson Planning in Five Steps

From MACRO to MICRO:  Using Backward Design for Lesson Planning in Five Steps

Understanding by Design is one of the most fundamental texts and philosophies for planning a lesson and being a teacher.  We all know the importance of planning lessons around the skills objectives and learning targets...