Sandra Cisnero’s “My Name” is a wonderfully short vignette, and I knew the moment I read it that I wanted to put it in front of my reading class. I love my reading class to death, but as the name suggests, sometimes getting them engaged in reading and writing can be difficult. These are students that have been burned by education before or just have not been able to focus on school for one reason or another.
I know when October comes around, I want to do all the festive, scary Halloween things. This is why I…
Writing can be extremely fun or exhaustingly challenging for both students and educators. Most people think of English class as…
Literary elements refers to the concepts that make up a story. There are five main literary elements that students should know: plot, setting, conflict, character, and theme. These five elements are essential to a students understanding of a story beyond comprehending the narrative.
The first week of school is so exciting! And if you are anything like me, you start thinking about what fun activities for the first week of school you can try out with your new students.
Maker spaces in the high school English classroom lead to students that are more engaged and active in their learning process
Teaching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet does not have to be a headache. There are a few things I have learned make teaching this timeless classic easier for both teachers and students, like chunking material with workbooks, using rap battles, and gif dialectical journals.
Teaching grammar using an English textbook can be dry and dull. If you want to engage students while improving their grammar and challenging them to try more creative elements, using mentor texts is perhaps the best approach for both the teacher and the students.
The end of the school year is one of the most exciting times for teachers and students. It is a time of transition and reflection. Best of all it is a time of celebration. Keep students engaged with these six creative and fun end of school year activities for high school.
1. As soon as you can, write down your timeline.
2. Figure out what skills students need to learn
3. Determine what skills students need already have to learn grade level skills
4. Create an essential question
5. See what articles or texts you can use to teach skills
6. Determine if you can fold everything into one unifying idea, like a project or novel
