Valentine’s Day Ideas to Love for Middle and High School
Valentine’s Day is approaching..and it’s a bit polarizing! Some people love it, but others find it cliche and groan worthy. Regardless of the camp you fall into, there are some…
Using Student-Created Graphic Organizers to Elevate Learning
Inside this Post: Need to deepen student investment in graphic organizers? Try differentiating. One of the highest levels of choice we can offer is student-created graphic organizers. Find the details in…
5 Helpful Ways to Use TED Talks in the Classroom
TED Talks are videos that present engaging ideas in 18 minutes or less. Their compact, visual format makes them a great vessel for the middle and high school classroom! Truly,…
4 Essential Purposes that Drive Strong Vocabulary Instruction
Ever wondered where to start with vocabulary instruction? Sometimes, it can feel like we are throwing darts in the dark. The target has to be out there somewhere, and if…
How to Tackle Test Prep Writing Prompts in 3 Easy Steps
Does it ever seem like standardized test writing prompts are intentionally wordy and confusing? If you have stumbled upon this post after finishing your testing for the year, enjoy! For…
8 Ways to Make Student-Led Discussions More Productive
Looking to improve student-led discussions? While these conversations may be packed with some of the most powerful skills we can teach students, they certainly pose plenty of challenges. Consider, for…
Best Practices | English Language Arts | Instructional Strategies | Lesson Design | Reading | Writing
How to Use Text Sets to Build Background Knowledge
Searching for engaging ways to build students’ background knowledge? Perhaps you need an activity to help students prepare to read a complex text, to write an essay, or to engage…
15 Fun Ways to Freshen Up Your Independent Reading Activities
Inside: Is your choice reading program feeling stale? Are the independent reading activities falling flat? We can engage students and keep book love fresh by weaving in new ideas from…
Why We Need to Say Good Riddance to the Reading Log Forever
Inside: Have reading logs on your mind? Still wildly popular, reading logs have serious negative impacts on our students’ relationships with reading. This post is full of honest answers about…
9 Questions that Help Students Analyze Diversity in Literature
Inside: Wondering how to help students analyze diversity in literature? This post includes nine reflective questions to help guide conversations. It felt gigantic. The more she thought about it, Hailey…
Creative Reflection Technique: Everyone Wins When Students Map their Learning
Inside: A meaningful end-of-year reflection technique for older students that combines the power of student-led learning with brain-based associations… Ever wish you could just find a rainbow that will lead…
How to Cite Quotations in MLA Format: Teaching Ideas
MLA is fussy. When teaching students to cite quotations in MLA format, it can feel like we are really nit-picking at details. And, I suppose we are. Students need to…
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