This morning I opened my laptop, and in my inbox, there were two article titles on reading levels that immediately gave me anxiety. Why Minnesotan kids lag in their reading level, and what can be done to help Half of elementary students not reading at grade level I immediately shut my laptop and went on […]
reading
We Put “To Kill a Mockingbird” on Trial
Books Are Meant to Be Discussed, Not Banned Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Last summer, I served on the jury of my first murder trial. We heard all kinds of griping testimony, viewed extensive forensic evidence, and witnessed dramatic outbursts from the defense lawyer, […]
Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here’s How to Set It Up.
Diverse Classroom Library: Our classroom libraries are in trouble. Just as more teachers are learning that their libraries need books that reflect their student populations, they also have to fight policies at the district and state levels that ban many of these same books from their libraries. Florida, for example, is banning certain materials in classroom libraries […]
6 Reasons to Use Read-Alouds Daily
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! The purpose of a read-aloud can be both entertainment and academic. From the academic perspective, read-alouds help build important foundational skills. Read-alouds provide a model of fluent and expressive reading, as well as an introduction to new and content-specific vocabulary. […]
What Every Teacher Should Know About the Science of Reading
This is Part 1 of a series on effective literacy instruction Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! My fondest memories of teaching first grade were watching my students grow as readers and feeling pure joy when they accomplished their reading goals. Every September you are […]
Reading is the Cheat Code: Why Reading Must Have a Place in Schools
Jessica Fitzpatrick is a high school librarian in Houston and is in her eighth year of education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Houston and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas. She is the 2020 TLA Branding Award Winner for Community […]
Teaching with Integrity: “Politics” in English Class.
Reading the News One of the things I love most about teaching English is the broad range of source material I can pull from. I love lesson planning and I dislike being bored, so my teaching is constantly in flux. My students read novels, analyze popular song lyrics, write poetry, watch Ted Talks, and everything […]
Is it Time to Kill Mockingbird and Embrace Mercy?
Is it Time to Kill Mockingbird? Until recently, To Kill A Mockingbird was one of few classics I actually liked. I’ve usually pushed back against the canon, but I could get behind a story about a precocious young tomboy who helps her father fight against racial injustice. But, as I read it once again with […]