Some educators may balk at combining English and Math under the heading of language arts, while some students might unhappily conclude that learning math is like learning a foreign language. There’s truth in the latter view considering, for example, that the basis of solving word problems algebraically is translating words into math expressions. Math is […]
english
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Use Holidays to Teach Apostrophes
One thing students – and adults, for that matter – struggle with is the use of apostrophes. It’s difficult to watch people of all ages butcher the proper use of this fickle piece of punctuation, but it seems to baffle those young and old. A simple way to teach apostrophe usage is to use holidays. […]
Posted inCulturally Responsive Teaching
Tea, Bannock & Poetry – A Teacher’s Tale
I pulled into the parking lot and parked in my usual place. I was always early, and there was only one other car in the parking lot. I hopped out and got my extension cord to plug in the block heater. The cord was still frozen and had to be carefully untangled. The drive to […]
Posted inPedagogy
Freshen Up Your National Poetry Month Lessons with These New Releases
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As an English language arts teacher of many, many years, poetry has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach my students. Poetry brings out the best in students’ language abilities and challenges them to write in a way […]
Posted inOpinion
I’m a High School English Teacher. I’m Not Scared of ChatGPT
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I remember the first time I questioned whether a student paper was actually theirs. In an age before advanced plagiarism checkers, a colleague suggested that I Google a key phrase from the paper. I put the phrase in quotation […]
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 inInstruction & Curriculum
How Amanda Gorman’s Poetry Inspired my Lesson
On January 20th or Inauguration Day, Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet, a young black woman stood in front of the United States and blew us away with her moving words, and her beautiful delivery. As an educator, a young black woman, and an immigrant, I felt invigorated by her words. One line, in particular, […]
Posted inBack to School
In Defense of Fairy Tales in High School
Last year, I taught The Princess Bride in my classroom, which is a fairy tale satire. To make sure my students understood what, exactly, William Golding was making fun of, we spent about six days taking a deep look at fairy tales. I was amazed at the conversations we had. Students were struck by how the place […]