Doug Savage's Savage Chickens "comics" are a single-frame comic drawn on a sticky note that illustrates the life of chickens whose experiences reveal the "savage" truths of the human existence. Teaching satire in secondary ELA is a high-interest and humorous way to engage studen
Are your students disinterested and tired of the traditional ways of learning characterization? Have you been searching for a really fun, student-centered, interactive way to eliminate their boredom? Well, look no further! I present to you a wonderful student-collaboration activity that will get your students involved and excited for a character analysis for any novel, […]
Movement in the classroom is beneficial for many reasons. First and foremost, getting up to move in the classroom might help anxious students relieve stress.
Have you been wanting to try stations in your Secondary ELA classroom but aren't sure where to start? Read through this quick post where we share 8 station ideas and how to use them with your ELA students.
Teaching symbolism for literary analysis: symbolism is throughout literature and once students understand the concept, they appreciate reading more.
This past school year was a great one. With every school year that passes, I like to take a moment and reflect on activities that were successful in the
Introduce students to a few important critical reading lenses. The appraoch can be simple and engaging. Try these lessons with high school students.
Are you looking for ways to make learning more meaningful in your Secondary ELA Classroom? Check out these twenty five creative project ideas that I have found to be meaningful and successful while also motivating for learners.
Are your students disinterested and tired of the traditional ways of learning characterization? Have you been searching for a really fun, student-centered, interactive way to eliminate their boredom? Well, look no further! I present to you a wonderful student-collaboration activity that will get your students involved and excited for a character analysis for any novel, […]
This blog post will introduce you to six simple, fun, and enriching project-based learning ideas for your English Language Arts classroom.
Get your students reading poetry in remote learning. Teach close reading, annotation, and other valuable skills while you're away from your students.
With final exam season right around the corner, many teachers are thinking about what they plan to do. While some schools might be a little more relaxed and
I totally forgot to tell you about this great item I made because I started making it over April Vacation stopped and didn't finish till the first days of summer. Labor of Love!!! I have found that many of my kiddos struggle with writing a claim because they just can't recognize one themselves. I created these task cards to help them. On each task card, students are given two to three pieces of evidence supporting one side of a contemporary debate. Using the evidence, students have to choose the best possible claim from three possibilities. This is great as a quick review, a launch to claims, or remediation for your struggling writers. Head on over and check it out!!!
Doug Savage's Savage Chickens "comics" are a single-frame comic drawn on a sticky note that illustrates the life of chickens whose experiences reveal the "savage" truths of the human existence. Teaching satire in secondary ELA is a high-interest and humorous way to engage studen
Now that the 2017-2018 school year has come to a close, I am spending some time reflecting on my practice as an educator. While there were some lows of the
Looking for games to play with a classroom? This list of English games in the classroom is exactly what you need to engage students!
There are many benefits to using movie trailers as an alternative assessment in English class. The main one: students genuinely enjoy them!
This blog post explores innovative and engaging lesson plans for any novel unit... ranging from task cards to book instagram pages to a novel podcast project. Student choice is key here, and students can find something they would like to complete in order to convey their reading, comprehension, and
I recently assigned a one pager final project to my sophomores for their culminating Night project. I wanted to combine as many rigorous ELA content ideas as possible, while also designing a fun project for students that provided them with a bit of choice. This Night one pager project was the perfect way to finish the memoir!
"Why even do this?", students might ask when they are not sure why they need to complete certain tasks. Student motivation and engagement are possibly the most important variables in the learning process. Identifying clear objectives and providing students with a purpose for carrying out various activities will more likely engage them as they will see the benefits of completing the proposed tasks. Because most of my high school ESL learners need a lot of motivation in school, I like to assign di
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
A lesson plan! A lesson plan! My kingdom for a lesson plan!
Looking for a way to get students to have fun learning new words AND remember them longer? Try these brain-based vocabulary activities.
Visual note-taking is becoming such a valuable tool in our classrooms today. If you aren’t familiar yet, instead of copying word for word from the classroom whiteboard or projector, visual note-taking allows students to draw their notes. They get to create graphics and images that replace the standard word-only notes. The benefits of visual note-taking […]
This 6-page "lesson guide" is a great resource for teaching your students the art of persuasion! You could also use this in a Rhetoric Unit. This document is an easy supplement to your Pathos, Ethos, and Logos lesson. Present this to your students or print for them to use as notes. It includes writ...
Conflict activities for literary analysis: add to any novel, short story, or piece of literature. These low-prep activities help students with literature.
Hello? Hello? Is this mic on? Anyone out there? Friends, it has been a MINUTE!! The end of the school year was, as always, bonkers. The first two weeks of summer was double bonkers!! And
I recently asked my 7th grade students to share the titles of their favorite books of the school year so far. I asked them to do this in response to some posts I had recently seen on facebook and t…
Learn about how to add more cross-curricular learning ideas and lessons into your middle and high school English Language Arts classrooms.
Filler Activities for ELA (blog post) What can you do with five extra minutes in secondary ELA? Here are a few ideas to engage students until the bell.
Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour
Student choice is a cornerstone of student engagement. When students can take charge of their learning and can pursue topics of interest, they will be more engaged and more inclined to do the work, and their work will become more meaningful. This blog post explores different ways to integrate studen
Looking for games to play with a classroom? This list of English games in the classroom is exactly what you need to engage students!
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.
Full of fresh ideas, diverse pairings, and helpful resources, engage high school students with these fun activities for teaching Beowulf!
I finally nailed teaching symbolism! Using candy was both engaging and efficient - a major win that students remembered all year long!
Persuade, Inform, and Entertain
Looking for the “must-read classic books” you should be including on your high schooler's reading list? Here's a list to get you started.
