I invite you to view this TED Talk-Education clip featuring Sir Ken Robinson’s insightful and inspiring take on the future of education in America. Then, encourage you to reflect on your practice and decide what you can do over the summer to be prepared to nurture a climate of change built on curiosity and creativity [...]
April 22 is Earth Day as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2009. Here’s an English Language Arts activity you can incorporate into your lessons that will raise awareness of some of the issues important to humankind and especially to Michael Jackson as expressed in his “Earth Song“. Focusing on lyrics fits in nicely with [...]
Spend some time reading poetry and deciding which poem you like well enough to share with the class. (Please select a new poem; one not done for previous assignments or projects). Steps to Selection 1. Select a collection of poems (a collection by the same or by different authors). See our class anthology, Poems 180, [...]
Propaganda, Persuasion and Play-writing Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee Adapted from McDougal Littell Conversation: Lessons of History Includes links to Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Download Inherit the Wind Lessons Though based on the famous Scopes “Monkey Trail” where William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow clashed over a [...]
Do you find it tough trying to get yours students to be more precise and use just the right word to express their observations about the author’s tone in piece of writing , director’s tone in film, or the student’s personal response to that work? Here’s a list of terms my students found helpful. I’ve [...]
Valentine’s Day Activity Refer to the most recent reading or topic you’ve studied with your class. Ask students to consider way(s) that love could have helped resolve the issues faced by the characters/people in that reading? This, of course, should lead to discussion of different kinds if love – affection, friendship, eros, and charity. Consider [...]
Taking a Random Walk through the Book: An alternative way to introduce a new fiction on non-fiction reading *****Ask students to write on a piece of paper any ten numbers between the first and last page number of the book you are using. For example, 3,7, 27, 59, 78, 87, 115, 143, 205, 212 *****Next [...]
Here are samples of the Six Traits © Rubrics for Writing that has been customized to highlight specific requirements for specific assignments. When using the General Grading Guidelines for Writing, it’s important to show students what is required to earn each letter grade. Customizing the familiar rubric makes those requirements clear. Students can self-check before [...]
You can begin now and ensure that your students will be ready to do well on the semester exam. First, write in your own words specifically what plan to measure. Consider these ideas. (1) How well students recall what you’ve taught about ______________. (2) How well students can use vocabulary. (which?) (3) How [...]
I love to share ideas from others that I wish I’d thought of myself. Here’s one from Joe Bellacero who writes: I know that, as an English teacher, I wanted my students to read things outside of class so we could spend our time in class in more fruitful discussion and analysis. One of my [...]
