The end of the school year can be chaotic, so keeping students engaged and having fun is incredibly important. I have used the project detailed here every year I've taught and it never fails to keep students loving their school work and writing until the very end. Here are the steps to get this project rolling... 1. Activate Prior Knowledge Explain that it is fun to … [Read more...] about Encyclopedia Memoirs: The Best Way to End a School Year!
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5 Simple Ways to Differentiate Writing Instruction in the Middle School Classroom
Teaching writing is tough and differentiating writing instruction is tougher! Student writers have so many varying needs. What do you do when Steven can crank out a well organized, thoughtful literary essay in twenty minutes and John can barely write a paragraph? What do you do when Cindy says she is confused about how to develop a claim and Sarah says she needs help organizing … [Read more...] about 5 Simple Ways to Differentiate Writing Instruction in the Middle School Classroom
10 Ways to Make Reading & Writing Joyful Before Break
December is a month full of fun and anticipation for the upcoming break! It can be incredibly challenging to keep things running smoothly and continue the teaching and learning during this time. Here you'll find ten ways you can keep the learning happening while also remembering minds may be elsewhere. These are engaging activities to inspire joy in your classroom before … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Make Reading & Writing Joyful Before Break
How I Teach Reading & Writing Workshop in 54 Minutes
Writing and reading workshop are powerful methods to teach English. But, how can secondary teachers, who have less than an hour with their students, do it all?!?! I think I have found the solution! In this article you'll find my exact schedule and how I work both reading and writing workshop into one period! Join the Secondary Series Facebook group to get more live videos … [Read more...] about How I Teach Reading & Writing Workshop in 54 Minutes
5 Ways to Use Google Classroom During Writing Workshop
In the last two years Google Classroom has definitely transformed my teaching practices. It is such a simple system to use. At first I used it in obvious ways, create a Google Doc, type directions in that Doc and post it as a class assignment. But as time went on I began to see it as a store-house of writing workshop tools and resources! My hope is that this article inspires … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Use Google Classroom During Writing Workshop