English Language Arts

With the rise of independent reading and workshop approaches, many secondary ELA teachers are looking for mentor text recommendations. How can we encourage students to connect whole-class lessons to independent…

For the longest time, I thought anchor charts were for elementary classrooms. I’d see photos floating around on social media, but I never gave them a second thought in terms…

I’ve written a lot about how teaching vocabulary can be engaging as well as how to help students retain new word meanings. In this new post, I’m writing about specific…

Structuring an ELA curriculum is similar to wardrobe shopping. We all have our personal preferences, our go-to pieces, and our timeless shirts, skirts, or pants. Yet, shopping with friends is…

Whether your students are engaged in whole-class texts, literature circles, book clubs, or independent reading, you’ll need to gauge their analytical thinking. There are traditional assessment tools, like summary writing,…

Considering diving into reader’s notebooks with middle and high school students? You’ll have some decisions to make! Reader’s notebooks are not a new concept, but recently, I’ve had several discussions…

Wondering how to help students improve their writing skills and confidence? Model writing by writing aloud! To be honest, when I began teaching, I had very little idea how to…

This post is part of a series about reading instruction. To start from the beginning, read about getting to know your readers. When teachers plan reading curriculum in secondary, the…

Searching for ways to teach reading meaningfully in secondary? Welcome! This post – Getting to Know Your Readers – is the first in a series about how to teach reading…

Nearing the end of the school year? Keep students engaged. Try these end of the year activities for secondary ELA. Sometimes teachers feel guilty about incorporating fun lessons at the…