Tag: education

Alternatives to the Essay: Sociograms

Sociograms: An Alternative to the Essay

Sociograms are visual representations of the interaction of characters in a novel. They are a wonderfully flexible assessment tool and can be used in all grade levels. Best of all, they require the same sort of critical analysis that you would use in writing an essay. If you’re looking for

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classroom library

Adding Free Choice Reading to Your Classroom

In a previous post I discussed the reasons why you should add free choice reading to your English class – even if you teach upper level AP classes like I do. There’s a good chance that over the course of their high school careers they have lost a lot of

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why students hate annotation

Annotation: Why Students Hate It (And How To Fix It)

  Annotation is a common reading strategy used to promote active reading. Annotation is a skill that helps students comprehend what they are reading and leaves a trail of “bread crumbs” for students to follow if they have to respond to the text in writing. Ideally, it will help students

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online discussions

Online Discussions: Make Them Sizzle With These Ideas

Teachers have been using online discussions for a while, way before the “flipped classroom” was even an idea. They can be a valuable tool for extending learning and allowing kids to interact outside the classroom. But how do you get the most out of online discussions? Here are some ideas.

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grade faster

How to Grade Faster

I don’t know a single teacher who would rather grade than teach (and if you do, give me your address. I’ll send you a large package with a self-addressed stamped envelope with some essays. Thanks!) However, grading essays, tests, and homework is part of the responsibility of being a teacher.

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What Makes a Book Great?

If you’re a high school English teacher – especially of the AP variety – it’s easy to get smug about books. We believe that some books are better than others and that every student should believe that Hemingway is a better author than Sparks or Rowling. We may not believe

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Why Read Books?

This summer I had two wonderful experiences reading books. The first was reading War and Peace, which took me the better part of the summer, but was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I have ever had. The second was The Importance of Being Earnest, which I read in an afternoon, laughing

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More Lessons From Yoga for Classroom Teachers

I recently did a post about what classroom teachers could learn from the way that yoga teachers run their class. Here are some more lessons that come from my experience doing a ton of yoga over the summer. (I have to give a shout out to Yoga on High, which

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