In the high school English classroom, one assessment continues to reign supreme: the essay. Informative, argumentative, and narrative essays have stood the test of time and for good reason. Essays allow students to showcase a multitude of skills across the common core, from research to literary analysis, creative writing to conventions. Not to mention the metacognitive […]
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Posted inEnglish Language Learners
Using editorials to engage students in writing in middle and high school
As a high school English teacher, it was nothing for me to grade 120 five-paragraph essays every week. If it was a particularly rigorous unit, you find me wading through five to seven-page literary analysis in my Advanced Placement Literature class. If I was quick, I could have the papers graded within a two-week period. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Writing to Secondary Students is Hard, But It’s Necessary
During my first year of teaching, I had a brilliant student named Joshua*. Joshua was a Junior who was wise beyond his years. He loved to talk about books. He loved to debate different topics in class. However, it wasn’t until we read the cult favorite, The Color Purple, during the first nine weeks when […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Writing About Resistance: A Q&A with author Rann Miller
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Black History Month is drawing to a close, but educators know that Black history should be a yearlong part of their curriculum. That’s why I can’t think of a better time to announce Rann Miller’s new book Resistance Stories […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Jump Start Student Writing with Google Docs
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a young teacher, I spent a lot of time bemoaning the fact that my students didn’t follow even the smallest instructions. I told them how to format their papers using careful MLA guidelines, and they would turn in […]
Posted inPedagogy
Why I Stopped Using Writing Rubrics
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In my English and writing courses, I always love to share the following Anne Lamott quote with students: “…writing needs to breathe and move.” To further expand on this quote, I explain that writing cannot be constricted in a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Tips for Supporting Multilingual Learners with Writing
Caitlin Johnson is a K-5 teacher of multilingual learners in Minnesota. She loves learning about her students’ cultures and languages. She is currently studying to obtain her master’s degree in literacy education at Concordia University, St Paul. If you are a teacher, you’ve seen the look of a reluctant writer. You’ve probably witnessed the eye-rolling, […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
Paving the Way: Teacher Modeling to Improve Student Writing
by Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar, Ed.D. Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar is an associate English professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania teaching first-year writing and secondary education English classes. She previously worked for fifteen years as an English teacher in Delaware public schools. She received her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership with a Literacy Specialization from the […]