Audio files of students’ discussions are artifacts of evidence, evidence of thinking and making meaning that is difficult to capture in a written assignment or test.
A Letter Home about “Grades”
It is the end of my second quarter minimizing grades and focusing on feedback. Here is the letter I emailed to parents explaining what the letters mean for our reading class on the grade reports going home today. 7th Grade Reading Hello, Parents, Guardians, and …
Getting on the Bus by Donalyn Miller
“For the children we serve, we may be their only reading role models. Even when family members read, many parents rely on teachers and librarians to recommend books for their children. If we are charged with fostering children’s literate lives, it follows we should know …
“English not only helps us understand the world, but ourselves.”
by Fidan Malikova As a 15 year-old freshmen in high school, I have had quite an experience with writing. I write for the newspapers at my school,which is called Cutlass. It is an amazing experience in which I get to work with such wonderful people, and …
Assessment in the Reading Workshop without Grades: What did you read? What did you do with your reading? What did you learn?
Your assignment is a 2nd Quarter Summary blog post to me and your parents about what you’ve learned and how, using the standards and evidence from class. That is the first line of the “final exam” I wrote for our second quarter, seventh grade reading class. …
Letting Literature do the Work: How I Started an Inclusive Literature Workshop
I have taught middle school ELA for over a decade. My first year, I tried Nancie Atwell’s reading workshop model. My second year, I tried it again. I struggled to implement Atwell’s model. I followed her guide from In the Middle, but there seemed to …
Reading as Activism: Bearing Witness to Trauma and Genocide in YA Lit (NCTE)
Reading as Activism: Bearing Witness to Trauma and Genocide in YA Lit Saturday, Nov. 21st, 11:00-12:15 PM, Minneapolis Convention Center, 205CD Five teachers discuss the importance of reading global literature, share their experiences reading unimaginable stories of genocide alongside students, and lead round table discussions …
I have an announcement to make
Dear Sarah, I’m writing with the good news that your contract for Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Rhetoric, Witnessing, and Social Action in a Time of Standards and Accountability has been fully countersigned. Indeed, friends, I have a signed contract to publish my …
Let Them Read Comics by Paul Brzegowy
Why encourage students to read comics in English class? Because reading comics is reading. Because comics are art. Because comics examine humanity and what it means to be vulnerable. Lifetime comic lover Paul Brzegowy talks about the story and art of comics.
Classroom Library: Tips from a Librarian
Setting up a middle school classroom library with the help of Erin Linsenmeyer of the Downers Grove Public Library.