If you’re a high school English teacher, you’re probably teaching Shakespeare. You also know that it can be difficult to get kids interested in reading him before they even start. This happens for a couple of reasons: Of course we know all the tricks: pull the plastic swords out of
Shakespeare presents an exceptional challenge for struggling readers. All the plastic swords and bad student acting will help get students interested in the content. But it won’t be enough for those who find everyday reading a significant challenge. Below I’ve outlines some steps that will help struggling readers get a
For many of our students, annotating is like making their bed. Annotation is something they do because someone in charge tells them to do it, not because it makes sense. After all, if you’re just going to get back into the bed at night, why bother making it at all?
In a virtual learning environment, cheating is inevitable. We aren’t around to monitor students’ progress and honesty. There’s a temptation to get wok done as quickly as possible so that they can do something else. Or, to be fair, some students are watching their younger siblings all day and are
Ask a classroom of third-graders how many of them are creative and every hand will go up. Ask a group of sophomores the same question and very few will raise their hands. What happened during over that period of time? The Lack of Creativity in Upper Grades Part of it
With all the emphasis on novels and non-fiction text, ELA teachers probably don’t teach enough poetry. However, there are compelling reasons why poetry should be included in the ELA curriculum, even if students struggle with it. I’ve worked hard over the past year to include more poetry in my curriculum.
We all know that discussions are an essential skill for students. However, we sometimes forget that it isn’t something that comes naturally to them, and must be taught. It can frustrating working through all dead silence and awkward pauses while we wait for the class discussion to take off. And
If you have an English teacher on your gift list, I’ve provided some suggestions below that are WAY better than gift cards. Or if you ARE an English teacher, here’s a list you can conveniently leave open on your laptop for your significant other to find. Or treat yo’self! No judgment.
Who hasn’t spent their time grading Works Cited pages with several mistakes? Here are some tips for helping students write magnificent ones.
A thesis statements is the road map through an essay. It’s important, yet many students struggle with them. Here are some tips for building better thesis statements.
