Students should not be surprised about what they are expected to know and be able to do on an exam.  As you prepare the  summative assessment or final exam for your course consider ways you can help your students review effectively and then use exam time efficiently. The outline below is designed to guide the [...]

 The opening days of school can be overwhelming, even for a veteran English Department Chair, mentor, or student-teacher supervisor. Inevitably, you’ll have new administration goals for the year that must be implemented and clarified for returning teachers. There are the inherent problems of adjusting classroom assignments, the frustrations of locating missing textbooks, the tedium of [...]

Starting along the career path as a new teacher, one can avoid pitfalls by following the advice of veterans who have your best interests at heart.  Marsha Ratzel, in this article, “Teaching Secrets: 10 To-Dos for New Teachers,”  writes, “College commencements are in the air, and while the thoughts of some new teacher graduates are [...]

Hamlet? Yes, Again! In all five states in which I’ve taught, Hamlet has been on the required reading list for seniors. So, after teaching Hamlet for umpteen years, I continually have to remind myself that for most of my students this will be their first and maybe only time, reading this canonical favorite. I want [...]

Education Oasis – A spot for Graphic Organizers GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS – Looking for different ones for different purposes for students who learn in different ways? Check these out. EDUCATION OASIS. It’s OK to adapt successful strategies used by elementary and middle school educators.  If they worked for the youngsters, they’re likely to work for your older [...]