First, let’s get something obvious out of the way. Black history is American history. It shouldn’t be relegated to one month out of the year. It should be taught every day. That said, that’s just not happening in K-12 classrooms today. So until that happens, I feel Black History Month is not only worth celebrating, […]
literacy
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Common Core, Educational Apps, English Language Learners, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Inquiry Based Research For John Steinbeck's Novel 'The Pearl'
I want my 8th-grade students to learn more than just the standards – I want them to learn strategies to learn, and how to utilize the best tools to show their learning. I remind them that in high school, college and careers they will be responsible for making decisions about how they create projects, and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Ain’t No Party Like a Publishing Party
Celebrating Student Work with an Authentic Audience Last month my students finally finished their book reviews. It was our first full writing unit of the year, and at times it was difficult for them. It was a very different type of writing than anything they’d done before. When their confidence or interest flagged however, I […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
The Four Benefits of Bilingual Education
Language is a subject matter of much controversy in our country. Are you “American” if you speak another language? Well, many of our students come from homes where the parents do not speak English, so regardless of whether or not you think all Americans should speak English, the fact remains that we are a country […]
Posted inElementary School, English Language Learners, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, The International Teacher
Diaries of an English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan: Christmas is Love in Action
During the writing workshop that I facilitated last Friday, a participant shared with me that she’d almost committed suicide, but that one of her best friends had helped her out of depression to find happiness. To this day, Macy (name given to protect her identity) is determined to become a social worker, so that […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Reading Logs Have to Go
“Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school.” ~Beverly Cleary Reading Logs: On the first day of school, I welcome my 8th graders to my English class with a survey about their reading life. I ask them to be extremely honest, so I can gauge where […]
Posted inEducational Apps, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Series, Technology
Adventures in Going Paperless: Step Two, Navigating Digital Feedback
After realizing my endless stacks of grading were threatening to swallow my sanity, I took the leap into embracing technology. However, what I found initially was that while stacks were fewer and my desk cleaner, my anxiety levels were not lower. In my quest for a new organizational system, I moved to using Turnitin.com for […]
Posted inHigh School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Social Studies
Presenting Missing Histories
How do educators balance teaching in an area of expertise while knowing that what they know might not be enough? Media scrutiny and traditional practice of being the “sage on stage” for determining necessary content coverage for standardized tests thwarts the better practice of modeling inquiry and discovery. Teachers worried about the uniformity of content focus more […]