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Sentence Combining in Workshops
Combining sentences is a putting-together approach instead of the taking-apart approach that has dominated much of the worksheet or drill work of grammar instruction. Tried-and-true classroom practice as well as...
The Power of Mystery Series for Teens and Tweens
It’s what every book lover dreams about: finding a book with wonderful characters and a gripping plot, only to discover that the story doesn’t end with this book. You do...
A Tool Worth Exploring: Sentence Combining
A high school teacher tells me, “The students aren’t coming from the middle school with the grammar skills we expect of them.” The middle school teachers ask me, “Are elementary...
Reaching Boy Writers
"What would you do if the second you got into an airplane bathroom, and you REALLY had to go, the pilot turned on the 'fasten your seatbelt' sign?" This was...
Helping Teachers Learn to Love the Common Core Standards
Loving something or someone involves knowing that thing or person very well . . . Chris Lehman and Kate Roberts (Falling in Love with Close Reading) I have been...
Throw It In, Stir It Up, See What We Get: English Language Learners Tackling Complex Texts
“Being able to read complex text independently and proficiently is essential for high achievement in college and the workplace and important in numerous life tasks.” Appendix A, Common Core English...
Engaging That Class
As a second-year teacher, I had an impossible freshman sixth-period class. I cried after school most days. By contrast, I had three other sections of engaged, fun ninth-grade classes with...
Deeper Writing: The Story Behind the Selfie
My students tend to skim the surface with their writing, covering a lot of ground in not a lot of detail. Come to think of it, my young adolescents are...
Coaching Minute: Pinterest
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan share the many ways Pinterest has enhanced their professional development with teachers. Here is the link to their Pinterest boards: http://pinterest.com/tammyandclare/
Literacy and Technology: Changing Structures
Thirty years ago, in the cracked cinder-block rooms of my small, rural elementary school, the teaching protocol was standard and simple. We walked into school. We put our backpack where...
Inviting Teachers into the Digital World
When I became a writing teacher who wrote, I believe I became a better writing teacher. I better understood what my students felt when I asked them to share their...
Making the Most of Short Texts
The Common Core State Standards are still on the horizon for 5th grade in my district. But, like the first time you see the distant, shadowy shape of Pikes Peak...
Infusing Technology into Writing Celebrations (Grades K–2)
I understand that I am fortunate to work in a building that has a 1:1 iPad environment in grades 3–8. However, this hasn’t stopped some of our younger students and...
Confessions of a Struggling Beginning Reader
If you had the chance to learn to read again, would you take it? Well, I leaped at the opportunity. I was so excited! I expected to gain all sorts...
no i don’t think you need to shave
I’ve been conducting an experiment this year. It began on the first day of school. I don’t generally “do content” on the first day of school. Traditionally, I like to...
Coaching Excellent Teachers
“I have no idea what to do with her,” whined Judy. “She’s freaking AWESOME!” Judy, a middle school literacy coach, was struggling with a problem that would be wonderful to...
Children’s Literature for the Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics are about to get underway in Sochi, Russia. Soon the 24/7 coverage of the games will begin. We’ll watch video clips of athletes training, hear the...
Aligning Coaching and Teaching Teams
The most empowering condition of all is when the entire organization is aligned with its mission, and people’s passions and purpose are in synch with each other. Bill George...
Explanatory Grammar Moves: Getting Verbal with It
The Common Core asks 8th graders to understand the use of verbals -- gerunds, infinitives, and participles. To keep myself from becoming verbally abusive, I will write about only one...
Making Classics Relevant for Middle School Students
I stumbled into a job as an English teacher based largely on the legs of one book. I was so inspired by Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird that it...
Middle School Design: Cozy Reading Spaces
I love to ooh and ahh over the beautiful things that teachers do with their classrooms. I have always been jealous of the cozy reading nooks and class meeting areas...
