Needing short story unit ideas for middle or high school classes? Read about how you can differentiate, provide choice, and meet standards.
Using learning stations is a fantastic way to increase engagement in the English Language Arts classroom. Learn more in this blog post.
Reading a whole novel over the course of a few weeks can leave students drained and exhausted. By the time students complete the book and go to take the final exam or quiz over the book’s contents, they may have forgotten some essential elements. If this sounds familiar, you will love these novel review activities! Take the time to review each novel with your class before assigning the final test. When I plan my schedule, I usually have students take the test after they turn in their essays. Not only does this help students review, but it also gives me a class day to grade essays! Here are four critical topics to cover in your class novel review.
Find ideas for teaching middle school with these full year lesson plans for middle school ELA.
Are you a teacher looking for ways to prepare your middle and high school students for advanced reading and writing? Look no further. This post will give you the top four skills all ELA students should learn. Inspired by AP English Literature and Composition skills and objectives, you'll learn strategies, tips, lesson ideas, and more for effective and efficient English language arts instruction.
Teaching vocabulary to your gifted students is something you ay have pushed aside, but it is SO important for them! Read this second post in my series about how I teach vocabulary from start to finish!
Book Talk For English Teachers and Other Lovers of Reading
Tackling vocabulary instruction in any classroom is a complex challenge. Add in students who function above or below the mean, and suddenly trying to meet everyone's vocabulary needs can feel pretty daunting! If you've ever felt overwhelmed by trying to figure it all out, you're not alone. I feeeeel ya! It took me some time, but over the years, I feel like I ended up with a sort of "system" of differentiated vocabulary instruction that worked really well for both me and my students. In the next few posts, I'd like to take you through my complete setup. In the Series... We'll start here with pre-assessment, and move on to instructional strategies here. Next up is independent learning activities, as well as some formative and summative assessment strategies used to measuring student growth. There are so many fun and simple things you can do with vocabulary instruction, I can't wait to share my ideas with you! I hope you'll join me as I spell it all out. If you have any questions along the way, free to leave it in a comment for me at the bottom of the post or send an email to me: [email protected] I would love to hear from you! First Things First Before I go around passing out new lists of words to my class, I spend time on something super important: FINDING OUT WHAT STUDENTS ALREADY KNOW! Ahh, sorry to shout at you there, but it's something that is SO important to me as an educator of any student, but especially gifted and talented learners who may come to you already knowing up to 80% of what you're planning to teach on any given day. There are many ways to quickly pre-assess. It can be as simple or as involved as you like. KWL charts, concept maps, graffiti walls, and formal pretests with multiple choice or short-answer prompts are some of the ways to check on students' prior knowledge. {Want to know more about this? Pop on over to this post here for more detailed information about pre-assessing student knowledge, including explanations for twelve different ways to do it.} My preferred method for pre-testing vocabulary is having students self-rate their knowledge of the word list. This is a research-based strategy credited to several authors (Blachowicz, 1986; Young et al. 2002, and Stahl & Bravo, 2010). The Self-Ratings Scale With a self-ratings scale, students are presented with the words and are asked to rate their knowledge and understanding of the words on a spectrum. It makes SO much sense if you think about your own understanding of words. Some words you have seen a zillion times, used them in your everyday vernacular, and could teach someone else about them in your sleep. Other words you may have seen and been able to infer the meaning in context enough to get by, and some words are completely new to you and you have approximately zero ideas of what they mean. Truly, we are the only ones who know the depth of our own understanding, so why not use this to our advantage in the classroom, and trust that students can be empowered to do the same kind of self-reflecting? Using a self-ratings scale can be done very informally using a fist to five-finger rating, with zero fingers up (fist) reflecting that a student has never heard or seen the word, all the way to a five-finger rating, meaning the student knows the word and it's definition and can teach it to someone else/use it in a meaningful sentence. For me, though, I like having a paper record of which words students are familiar with, and which ones are not known as well. It's nice for me to hang on to for my records, and it's fun for students to see their own growth before/after the unit. For the paper version, students are presented with a word (or words) and then they take a moment to reflect on their current understanding of the word. Then they give themselves a rating--this can either be done with a number scale or on a chart. Ratings range from students never having seen the word, to seeing it before but not really knowing what it means, to seeing it and being able to define it, to knowing it so well that they can both define the word and use it in a meaningful sentence. When students indicate knowing the word, it's meaning, and the ability able to use it effectively in a sentence, I do prefer them to prove it by defining the word and using it in a sentence so that I can judge whether they truly know the word or not. However, if we were ever short on time (who isn't?!), I developed a quick color-coding system for students to use. With their highlighters, students marked words with red (or pink), yellow, and green to indicate how well they knew each word. If they didn't know it well enough to define and use the word, it was highlighted red, if they kind of knew it and/or could figure it out in context, they marked it yellow, and if they 100 percent understood and could use the word, they colored it green. Words rated red or yellow or marked below 4 or 5 (students being able to define and use words in a sentence) became the targeted words they were responsible for learning during that vocabulary cycle. You can make your own ratings sheet or develop your own system, but if you're short on time, feel free to check out the one in my free resource library by clicking the image above or click here for your copy. *Just to be clear, by clicking to get the freebie (and instant access to the growing collection of free resources in my library of subscriber exclusives), you're also agreeing to be added to my email list, where I'll send occasional messages with fresh ideas, tips, and other resources straight to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.* You may be thinking that students might try fib a little on these self-ratings scales so that they have fewer words to study. I'm sure someone might try it, but because students knew that they were really only hurting their own learning, in the end, I really never had a problem with it. Thanks so much for stopping by today! You can find the next post in the series here. Don't forget--if you have a question or comment, feel free to leave it for me below. I love hearing from you! SaveSaveSaveSave
An essential skill for secondary English Language Arts is the practice of argumentation. Some writers view all modes of writing as arguments; thus, rhetorical skills are key to crafting persuasive messages for targeted audiences. This game targets persuasive speaking, argumentative writing, and rhe
Are your students bored of poetry? Get kids excited with Poet vs Poet basketball style brackets. Students read poems in competitive match ups, rating the poem quality based on the meaning, mood, form, and language the poet uses. Students learn to analyze poetry, and they become obsessed with their favorite poems. My kids LOVE this activity! JUST ADDED: Version Two Poet vs. Poet with even more exciting match ups! I kept some popular match ups the same, but added new match ups like Edgar Allan Poe vs Emily Dickinson. Choose the original Poet vs. Poet or the Version Two! 2020 Update: Digital Brackets! You can now share the brackets with students through Google Classroom. Students can click and advance poets through the brackets. Each poet is also linked to their poem. Students can click and read the poem saving you from printing the whole packet! Poet vs Poet includes two different versions of 16 poems by 16 different poets in flip book form so students can match up different poems, analyze and rate them, and decide which poet advances to the next round. Choose to implement using a printed packet OR share poems using the digital bracket. Everything you need to implement a fun poetry March madness theme is here: Student Guide 16 flip book style poems (Two versions! Choose your favorite!) Digital brackets with clickable links to all 16 poems. Share with students through Google Classroom and display on Smartboards/Projector screens Rubric rating system for students Short answer practice questions based on poetry match ups Teacher rubric for short answer grading Theme, mood, and figurative language task cards PowerPoint copy of the packet and task cards for whole class instruction Letter to the teacher with ideas for implementation and differentiation Bulletin Board Brackets with all of the poems and poets! Track your students' top picks on a class version of the poetry brackets for even more fun and discussion. Enjoy seeing your students toss around the names of poets as if they are their favorite basketball players! Poems included: The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes Songs for the People by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Deep in the Quiet Wood by James Weldon Johnson Songs of the Spavinaw by Ruth Muskrat Bronson After the Winter by Claude Mckay Swallows by Leonora Speyer A Day by Emily Dickinson Alone by Edgar Allan Poe If-- by Rudyard Kipling Passers-by by Carl Sandburg By the Stream by Paul Laurence Dunbar Interim by Lola Ridge Willow Poem by William Carlos Williams To the Thawing Wind by Robert Frost If You Should Tire of Loving Me by Margaret Widdemer Bound by Aline Murray Kilmer Check out another favorite poetry activity: Let it Snow: Winter Poetry Analysis For more on your feet products, check out my escape rooms: The Tell Tale Heart Escape Room Escape Room Bundle
Check out the top picks for games and activities for advanced English conversation classes. Teach higher-level learners in style!
Here are 15 engaging and creative TV episodes to use in ELA to teach genre, narrative techniques, characterization, and more. (Blog post)
This post explores the connections between Classic texts and modern texts. They explore the following connections: Lord of the Flies & Hunger Games, “The Necklace” & Nonfiction Pairings, Macbeth & Long Way Down, Night & Between Shades of Gray + Salt to the Sea, The Scarlet Letter &
Teaching rhetorical analysis is one of my absolute favorite units to complete with my students. I love teaching my students about rhetorical strategies and devices, analyzing what makes an effective and persuasive argument, and reading critical speeches with my students. Here is a quick list of some of my favorite speeches for rhetorical analysis.
The workshop model is a great way to differentiate your instruction for all learners in your classroom. This post focuses on workshop for gifted students.
7th Grade Ela Worksheets Printable from 9th grade english worksheets , image source: homeshealth.info
Since I talked about timed expository/informational essays on Instagram , there has been some interest in an explanation of what it is, and how and why you should use it. I thought, instead of trying to explain it to each interested teacher, I would just write a post about the technique that has truly changed… Continue reading Have Your Students Been Drafted?- Using the 11 minute essay to teach expository writing
Learn how to teach your students tone and mood in writing, and get access to exercises to help them practice – read on to find out more!)
Try out this ESL Speaking lesson plan template. It's basic, but robust enough to use in all TEFL speaking or conversation classes.
Archetypal criticism is a perfect way to introduce students to repeating character types. Simplify the process with these 10 texts!
In my last post, I made a case against the five paragraph essay as an appropriate analytical structure for high school students. The closed thesis, redundancy, and built-in limitations to critical …
If Montezuma had an Instagram account, what would he say when Cortez arrived in…
Literary analysis is a particularly important skill in middle school and high school English Language Arts. In fact, all of our lessons in ELA center around analyzing literature-- from fiction to poetry to nonfiction. We use literary analysis as the vehicle for teaching reading, writing, speaking,
Review the Common Core Standards and literature skills in just a few minutes each day. Original passages and questions are included. Each week includes a checklist of the reading skills that were covered in the week. Click Here To Access Grade 6 Click Here To Access Grade 7 Click Here To Access Grade 8 This series is available across most grade levels. Access a middle school grade level. Click Here To Access Grade 6 Click Here To Access Grade 7 Click Here To Access Grade 8 Use these as the question of the day or question of the week. Grade 6 Daily Common Core, Grade 7 Daily Common Core, Grade 8 Daily Common Core,
As I graded 500+ essays for the 2020 exam, I created a skills list of roses and thorns (positives and negatives) to help inform our instruction in AP Lit for the upcoming school year using the new rubric. I have compiled a list of important writing skills that we need to focus on in the upcoming sc
Beowulf is a challenging text: it's long, dense, and old. With these strategies, you can make this text relevant for all students!
I love this poem. I love the imagery, the title, the metaphor, but most of all, I love how teachable it is. The poem has a great deal of mystery and room for debatable discussions about author’s intent, but it’s also accessible to students who might feel intimidated by poetry - or even just inti
By The Daring English Teacher When teaching a novel, I love to mix things up and throw in a fun, creative, or collaborative activity that engages students as they analyze and interpret the novel’s theme, characters, symbols, or conflict. This allows me to enhance my students’ understanding of the novel, and it gives them a break from the day-to-day routine of reading and reviewing that often accompanies novel studies. Providing students with fun and engaging, yet still rigorous, activities enhances their understanding and fosters a love of reading. Here are three fun activities that you can easily incorporate into any novel study. This is one of my favorite, go-to collaborative activities. Collaborative posters are a great way to review key concepts, analyze symbols and motifs, and brainstorm for essays, and they require little planning. Before class starts, write one character, symbol, setting, motif, or element from the novel in pencil in the corner of each paper. When class begins, have students form groups of 2-4 students, and provide each group with one of the pieces of paper. Then, instruct your students to record the item, information, and quotes from the book on the poster. For this assignment, you can focus on the author’s use of symbols within the novel. You will select a variety of symbols in the novel and assign the symbols to different groups. It is okay if multiple groups are assigned the same symbol. Instruct each group to title their poster with the symbol, write as many details about the symbol as they can think about (this includes what it stands for), and record up to two different quotes illustrating how the author uses the symbol in the novel. I recently did this activity with my Romeo and Juliet unit, and it was a hit. The students were prepared for their essays, and they developed a deeper understanding for the play. Once students are done with the posters, display them throughout the classroom and have the students complete a gallery walk recording the information. This activity is great because it requires students to analyze their assigned topic, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of collaborative work. Even better, this activity gets students up and moving! As an alternative to making posters, this assignment also works very well with post-it notes. Simply provide your student groups with multiple post-it notes, and have the groups write information on the post-its. Then, have students post the notes on the board for the gallery walk. This option is especially beneficial when you want to have a gallery walk, but do not have the time for making posters in the classroom. You can also read about collaborative brainstorming ideas in this blog post. A fun and creative character analysis project you can complete in your classroom is a mock job fair in your classroom. To prepare for this activity, students either select or are assigned a character from the novel. They assume the role of this character and create a resume for this character listing strengths, accomplishments, and skills. To prepare for this activity, I usually teach students about resume writing, provide them with a list of power verbs, and give them a resume template. After students create their resumes, I host a mock job fair in my classroom for one day. During the mock job fair students are assigned to one of two groups, and the groups rotate between interviewer and interviewee. The students assigned to the interview role are given a set of interview questions to ask their candidate. As the candidate responds, the interviewer records the responses. After the interview is over, the students switch roles. This is one of my favorite activities for my Of Mice and Men unit because the students get to explore the characters on a deeper level. Once the activity is over, students write a brief argument piece about whether they would hire that character for the job. After I read an essential chapter with my students, I like to take a day or two to reflect on the reading, analyze what happened, and make sure that my students understand the importance of what they just read, and a creative comic strip assignment is ideal for this. One of the best times to assign this activity is right after a major conflict or at the peak of the story so that students can really analyze the novel's conflict. I like doing this activity with my students when we read Fahrenheit 451 because it helps them understand the conflict more. When assigning a comic strip assignment, make sure students focus on more than just drawing pictures by requiring them to include quotes from the novel as their dialogue. In addition to quotes, students should also write narration, cite their quotes in MLA format, and dedicate an entire box to the novel’s conflict. You can download this FREE, EXCLUSIVE resource to use in your classroom with your next novel study! For more fun, yet rigorous, activities that you can use with any novel study, check out my Novel Unit. This resource is 99 pages and is filled so many activities that you can use them throughout the year for multiple novel studies. From introductory activities to use before reading, to differentiated writing prompts with built-in scaffolding to use as you read, to post-reading cumulative assignments, and everything in between, this novel unit is my go-to resource when I'm in a pinch and need an activity. Click HERE to check out this resource. Here are some additional resources to help you teach the novel! The SuperHERO Teacher - Workbook for Any Novel Unit Study Grades 7-12 Addie Williams - Novel Study Package - Use with ANY NOVEL Presto Plans - Assignments for Any Novel or Short Story Secondary Sara - Chapter Study Guides: Student-Made Activity for ANY Novel
My favorite teaching units are my research and rhetorical analysis unit. I love teaching rhetorical analysis and assigning students a rhetorical analysis PAPA square. Read on to learn more about the rhetorical analysis PAPA square activity and to sign up to receive your own free copy! I love providing my students with the knowledge and resources they need to critically read and analyze text, know why it is powerful, and understand how the author crafted it. I feel that truly understanding the language and the text, primarily through rhetorical analysis, is something that makes all of my students critical thinkers.
Help the learning process with these simple strategies for making studennt thinking visible. Perfect for middle and high school English classes.
One of the very best close reading strategies I teach is questioning using Costa’s levels; however, students sometimes need to build familiarity with what effective questions actually look li…
Help students master Ask & Answer. Find teaching activities, anchor charts, lesson plans, ideas, tips, and more!
One of my favorite lessons to teach in my short story unit is the Hero’s Journey. I enjoy teaching the hero's journey because I love seeing my students’ aha! moments - the moment when they get it, and they start making the connections between the content I am teaching and their favorite books and movies. Their faces light up, and faint chatter about Harry Potter, various Disney movies, and other stories slowly fills the room.
Are you looking for a creative but low-prep project idea for your novel study unit? Then, keep on reading.I had been brainstorming engaging final project ideas for my grade 9 ESL learners to wrap up our novel study unit on Restart by Gordon Korman, but I realized that I would have neither the energy nor the time to prepare a project booklet for them. So, as an alternative assessment idea, I decided to have my learners prepare a gamified quiz for the novel they read in class. This activity may b
The Georgia Department of Education English Language Arts division has its very own Twitter account and has been hosting a weekly series this academic school year of “Twitter takeovers”…
In this post, I break down how I approach teaching literary analysis writing to my students in an introductory children's literature course.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize just how much I love wonder tales. And, apparently, I’m not alone. Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Bridgerton are just a few of the many famous book series turned television series that are/were wildly popular. So, when it came time to teach a unit on Beowulf to my
This is a lesson using Disney's The Beauty and the Beast and examining the elements of rhetoric and the rhetorical situation during the song "Be Our Guest"
In 2014 I wrote what would be my most popular blog post ever. Little did I know what impact (both positive and negative) this post would have in the educational
Tired of the same old Halloween-themed TV shows, I've opted for a more engaging approach to infuse rigour and creativity in my ESL classes during the Halloween season. In this blog post, discover two creative writing activities that not only captivate students' imaginations but also provide a unique twist to traditional fairy tales. Whether it's the spooky season or any time of the year, these activities will spark creativity and enrich the learning experience in your ESL classes. Fairy tales wi
