I originally started my blog as a resource to update parents on our classroom activities. Through the years it has grown into place to share ideas with other educators. This section contains the most read and shared posts from my ELA teacher blog.
Every summer, my inbox fills with the same happy request: parents and students asking me for book recommendations. Because I know these readers well, I can usually fire off five or ten titles I know their middle schooler will love. In hindsight, though, I should …
My classroom is the home away from home for my students and me, so I try to make it as welcoming, inviting, and inspiring as possible. A few years ago, I decided to change things up and try DIY bulletin board ideas to get my …
“Why do I have to read aloud? I hate reading aloud!” This reaction from a struggling 6th grade reader usually has less to do with hating read-aloud time and more to do with reading fluency. A number of years ago, when my school district began our …
If you haven’t added an ELA word wall to your classroom yet, definitely do it today! It is the easiest way to transform classroom wall space into a perpetual learning resource. Word walls have been a staple of my classroom for many years, and I’m …
In this post, I’m sharing the five components I use in every novel unit, plus a free character trading card template you can download and use with any book. But first, a quote many teachers can relate to… “A writer only begins a book, a …
POEMS? That 5-letter word will send shivers down the spines of middle school students. Add in the suggestion of “poetry analysis,” and the moans and groans can be heard throughout the hallways! If all this sounds familiar, I have a few teacher tips to help …
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