What would your English teacher have to know about you to find that “just right” book? Lesesne makes explicit the complexity of adolescence and the hard work it takes to match readers and books. There is no short cut to knowing your students as individuals or being well-read so that you can indeed “make the match.” You have to put in the time and effort, but she helps teachers with many book suggestions, lists, strategies, and stories.
Originally published on December 13, 2015, this is by far the most read and shared post of Ethical ELA in its first year. How has it impacted your practice? How will it impact your practice for the 2016-17 school year? By Lisa Nassar I do not …
From Train Wreck to Triumph! My Experience Teaching ELL Students in a General Education Classroom….We. Can. Do. It. by Sarah Dollah-Said I have been a teacher for over a decade now. I’m totally aging myself, but in that decade I have seen trends in education go …
Teachers often try to hook students by finding books that “they can relate to” and what that usually translates to is books that deal with the same issues or kinds of people that teenagers encounter in their daily lives. But I often try to search out books that kids can’t relate to, at least not entirely. I want to expose them to lives that are nothing like theirs.
In the beginning, we were learning how to talk about learning without numbers or letters. Now, we are just talking about evidence and learning. I think I have worked out some effective and efficient routines to confer for final reading grades, so I thought I would share five routines that have helped make this final conference with my seventh graders the most honest, positive conversation we’ve had about learning.
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 …
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. …
“You can’t just declare that you have a growth mindset,” said Dweck. “Growth mindset is hard. Many educators are trying to skip the journey.” To do it right, Dweck says that many teachers have to change how they teach, offering more critical feedback and giving …
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 …
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 …