Sure, the winter blues might be a cliche, but as a teacher, I need help. I live in Illinois and last weekend, we had over ten inches of snow. I…
Posts Written ByLauralee
Romeo and Juliet Lesson Plans: Free Teaching Ideas
Looking for Romeo and Juliet lesson plans? Typically, teaching Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade is part of teaching freshmen. If you need Romeo and Juliet assignments, I wrote several out for…
Teaching Ideas for How I Resist
How I Resist is nonfiction book that provides multiple opportunities for use in a secondary classroom. This book is political and will inspire classroom discussions. It contains three dozen opinions…
Enhance Learning: Reading Aloud with Secondary Students
Have you tried reading aloud with secondary students? My results are positive! Many of you have followed me this school year as I work to create a literacy-rich secondary classroom.…
Teaching Research Papers with High School Students
Teaching research papers with high school students? Teaching students how to write a research paper is an important part of an ELA class. Here are guidelines to make this writing…
Engage Students: First Chapter Fridays Explained
First Chapter Fridays work well in my secondary classroom. Here are some tips I’ve learned. (First, I want to acknowledge that I did not invent First Chapter Fridays. I saw…
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: Young Adult Literature Book Review
Students will read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Here is why I have several copies of this dystopian young adult literature in my classroom library. Overall, most students enjoy dystopian…
Tips for Helping Public Speaking Students with Anxiety
Helping public speaking students with anxiety can be done! I am accustomed to having a public speaking class or specific speech units embedded within a class. These past few years,…
Building a Classroom Library Inexpensively
You’ve decided that building a classroom library is a priority. Inexpensive book finds are a must! Cheap books for classroom library can be found. Honestly, for years building a classroom…
Responding to Student Writing
What can an English teacher do when responding to student writing? What teachers say matters, and we should consider their internal dialogue. The more I teach writing, the more I…