We all want a literacy-rich secondary classroom. How can we get there? Literacy includes so much more than reading and writing that defining and articulating that one word can be…
Teaching verbs with older students? Verbs are powerful tools in student writing and in their literature! Verbs: the backbone of sentences, the fun part of sentences, the words connected to…
If you, a student of yours, or a child of yours is completing the transition to high school, I have a few ideas. Perhaps you stumbled on this blog post…
Teacher organization on your mind? A little over ten years ago, I became fascinated by organization in the classroom. Teacher organization, student organization, organization techniques. I loved the topic so…
What grammar lesson do you want your students to see? The approach we take with each grammar lesson will influence how our students interact with future discussions concerning language. (I…
Increasingly, parents ask me what they should be doing with their older students during summer break. It makes sense: articles abound about preventing the summer slide and reading with teenagers.…
Teaching graphic novels? I have taught graphic novels and have them in my classroom library. The picture below illustrates how I feel about graphic novels: colorful, with appealing pictures and…
Are you intentionally modeling behavior for older students? Multifaceted. Layered. Complex. When I think of memorable teachers, of teachers who changed my life for the better, I now realized that…
Lately, a recurring question has shown up in my email: how do I survive the end of the school year? I’ll be super honest and tell my readers that on…
Writing graphic organizers are lifesavers with my students. Some students sit and write a paper. Other students need a bit of guidance. Another part of the class will enjoy writing…
