My middle school students struggle daily with the task of identifying unknown words. Students who don't spend a lot of free time reading are especially at risk for lacking vocabulary knowledge. There … [Read more...] about Help! My Students Can’t Define Words Using Context Clues!
Why We Need to Read Aloud to Big Kids
“Reading is the skill.” –Doug Lemov, Teach Like a Champion. As kids get older, teachers tend to do fewer and fewer read-alouds. This robs students of a valuable experience and makes them feel that … [Read more...] about Why We Need to Read Aloud to Big Kids
Can America Teach Like Finland?
The teacher community recently came together on social media (with the hashtags #readlikeateacher and #teachlikefinland) over Timothy Walker's Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful … [Read more...] about Can America Teach Like Finland?
Five Free ELA Printables for Flu-Season Sub Plans
Flu season is upon us, so I wanted to compile some of my favorite free resources for last-minute sub plans. Everything I've chosen is 100% free and ready to print. These resources don't take a lot of … [Read more...] about Five Free ELA Printables for Flu-Season Sub Plans
The Hands-On Formative Assessment Strategy that Students and Teachers Love
Halfway through my first year of teaching, a student asked me, "why don't we ever do anything fun in English class?" I knew I had a problem. Next door, the math teacher was running games and … [Read more...] about The Hands-On Formative Assessment Strategy that Students and Teachers Love
