Most teachers I know love planning and teaching engaging lessons that reveal the power of reading and writing. They just lack enough time and bandwidth to do so. This is where I love to support teachers.

I have used many methods to teach English until I realized through a lot of research and trial and error that teaching reading and writing is pretty simple with the following foundational components: knowledge, structure, purpose, and connection.

Knowledge
Recently I read two books that had a profound impact on me. Those books are 7 Myths of Education by Daisy Christodoulou and The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler. Both these books made me realize how critical knowledge is in our classrooms especially if we as teachers want to promote educational equity.

Wexler and Christodoulou argue that students (especially underserved students) need access to more knowledge about the writing process, history, science and current events. Students who are armed with more accurate information are better readers and writers. The current research about how people learn proves this. So, we must expose students to challenging nonfiction texts. This must be a foundational aspect of all we do in our English classrooms. Students must be given opportunities to read, discuss, and write about topics that are important for all humans to be knowledgeable about!

But, what are those topics? There’s a lot of debate about this that I won’t go into here. E.D. Hirsch has many ideas about what topics all Americans should know. What I know is in my English classroom, we read a lot together…nonfiction articles from reputable, non biased, peer reviewed sources, primary resource documents, graphs, tables, stories from other time periods, cultures, and by diverse authors, op-eds, TedTalks, challenging poetry, and pop song lyrics. We don’t just read canned curriculum excerpts or class novels!

Structure
There are many ways to run a classroom but what is most vital is having a consistent structure in place. There are many to choose from (PBL, the workshop method, direct instruction, the novel approach, cooperative learning, flipped learning, inquiry based learning, demonstrations, simulations, Socratic Seminars etc.).

For many years I relied heavily on reading and writing workshop. The reason being that workshop allowed for choice and flexibility while also maintaining a predictable structure we could depend upon. That structure consists of a mini lesson, work time, time for conferences, and closure.

But, I don’t follow the workshop structure every single day. I change things up based on what makes the most sense for the students in front of me. Every class I’ve had over the course of my career as a teacher has been completely unique. They each had differing strengths, challenges, and needs. The through line when it comes to the structures you choose throughout a school year is that it provides consistency and familiarity for students and teachers. These elements are so important in a classroom of 30+ students!

Purpose
I learned about Project-Based Learning early in my career. I was immediately hooked. Students should feel what they are doing is worthwhile, that it matters, that it will not be thrown in the recycling bin, placed in a filing cabinet, stamped without a second glance or stuffed into a take home mailbox. PBL and simulations provide memorable learning experiences and the end results are something students can be proud of. I don’t always follow PBL step by step or simulation lessons completely. But, the philosophies behind both these methods of teaching guide much of what I do in the classroom because purpose in writing and in all subjects should be at the forefront of all teachers’ minds.

Connection
I haven’t always loved writing and only recently considered myself a writer when I started blogging on this website. But, I’ve always loved telling students stories from my childhood, writing what I expect them to write, telling them about the books I love, and sharing details about my reading and writing life.Sharing my experiences, my stories and my process with students has been the key to connecting with them on a very real level about what it takes to be a reader and a writer.

I’ve always believed the following about instilling a love of reading and writing in my students:

• Writers need to be able to choose topics they feel strongly about
• Readers need to be able to choose books they are excited to read
• Writers need to feel their stories, experiences, and opinions matter
• Readers and writers need passionate teachers who write and read alongside their students
• Teachers need to ask students what they think and really listen to what their students have to say
• Teachers need to involve students in the creation of a community that values the beauty and joy of reading and writing

Personal

My husband, daughter, extended family, and friends all support me in countless ways. I love being outdoors hiking, biking, and skiing. Nature, yoga, and meditation keep me centered, calm, and kind. I thoroughly enjoy learning about subjects I’m passionate about, some of which are education, psychology, brain science, neurodiversity, social justice, and entrepreneurship. I always make time for reading and writing. I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humor and especially take pleasure in making my family, friends, colleagues, and students laugh.