All Kinds of Learning Adventures
My answer to the question "What are we doing today?"
This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own! If you're a Language Arts or Reading teacher, then chances are that you have a classroom library. Be honest with yourself: how much do your students really use it? For my first few years of teaching, I pretty much just figured that just having a… Continue reading Your Classroom Library: Is It Healthy?
This reflection is in response to the article "Some Rules We Need to Break in Our Reading Classrooms" by Pernille Ripp, reposted by Cult of Pedagogy When I introduced the Million Word Challenge to my students, I told them that all I wanted was their word count- no projects, no summaries, not a traditional reading log,… Continue reading Breaking the “Reading Rules”
Today, I got to hang out with author Doug Wilhelm at the FRA convention! Wilhelm is one of my favorite young adult writers. (I have taught his book The Revealers twice to 6th graders.) His talk at the FRA convention was all about how middle school students struggle to find their voice, asking "who am… Continue reading Doug Wilhelm: Young Adult Author
Today's teaching picture: Even though I haven't taught some of these novels in years, I still like to keep them around--like they're old friends. I've learned that you don't really know a book until you've taught it. When you spend that much time with a book, you find that it develops a personality and evolves… Continue reading You don’t really know a book until you’ve taught it.
To all those who teach writing-- Encourage creativity, but teach the rules of the game. Be steadfast in corrections of commonly confused words: If they're going to be taken seriously out there, choosing their words carefully matters. Teach them that form speaks, too. Make them notice that a complex sentence tells about a relationship between… Continue reading To all those who teach writing–
Don't get me wrong, I love a good dystopian novel. My students love them. I love that I get to teach about dystopias! But before we get to the worlds-gone-wrong, I like to challenge my students on their preconceived notions on what makes a "perfect society." So, we study what a utopia is first. I start out… Continue reading Welcome to Utopia!
Years ago, I wanted to write my AP English essay about Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but didn't have a copy of the book. My teacher gave me his copy by crossing out his name and writing mine. Even though it has fallen apart into two, that book remains on my shelf as a cherished possession.… Continue reading The Gift of Reading
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has pinned and shared this foldable! I've added the information that I used in the "Analyzing Claims & Evidence" foldable to a FREE document on my Teachers Pay Teachers page, Lancy's Language Arts. I appreciate your positive feedback & reviews! Claims and Arguments Magic Insert Foldable There's nothing like having… Continue reading Analyzing Claims & Evidence Foldable
In our state, there are benchmarks, and there are mini-benchmarks. The Benchmarks are given in the fall and winter to evaluate student progress before the state test in April. The "Mini Benchmarks" (or minis) are 5 question assessments that are related to one particular standard. Having been in 3 districts, I've seen the benchmarks implemented… Continue reading Making the Most Out of Minis
One of the most exciting moments that a teacher can witness is watching a student fall in love with literature. Not the puppy love of a student reading popular novels like Twilight or even The Hunger Games, which are easily consumed and digested. The teenage obsession over vampires, werewolves and attractive young actors is a short-lived phase.… Continue reading Falling in Love
All Kinds of Learning Adventures 