Students often keep reading log’s in the classroom and/or at home. Have students add one question and give them the question stem to use. For example, have students make a question about the character traits and give sample questions with homework to create their own. The main character in the book is _________. ___Character Name____Continue reading “Reading log add-on”
Category Archives: test prep
Begin with the End in Mind examples
Questioning Stems add on help
Begin with the end in mind. Remember when you are asking higher-order thinking questions regularly in classroom practice and small group reading analysis, be sure to ask questions on your midway, chapter, and end-of-unit test. For example, if the assessment asks the student to infer the author’s purpose in a phrase or word choice, beContinue reading “Questioning Stems add on help”
ELA and Mathematics Can Be Taught Together
Like Stem and Science Education, using related literature and non-fiction articles can prove great integration of ELA and mathematics and social studies. Take the current disaster of the decade whether it is Hurricane Katrina or earthquakes in Syria, find the statistics of what level the hurricane or earthquake happened, and explain the chart levels toContinue reading “ELA and Mathematics Can Be Taught Together”
ELA and Stem can be taught through non-fiction
Use your favorite news or historical reading sites like Newsela or Commonlit to find related STEM subjects taught by your science or math teacher. Inquire about what is being taught to target specific levels of information that would fit with the teaching partner’s plans. For example, if the Stem or Computer Science teacher uses hamContinue reading “ELA and Stem can be taught through non-fiction”
How do I raise the level of my questioning while teaching online, facilitate, and get grades?
Try having a group analyze a text with this checklist for them to check off as they discuss. It allows students to be in charge of their learning and teachers to facilitate the level of their discussion without reinventing the wheel each and every time they complete a close reading analysis about a text. LiteracyContinue reading “How do I raise the level of my questioning while teaching online, facilitate, and get grades?”
Classic Poetry for elementary grades.
Let’s go from the top. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Coleridge. Does that scare you? Nah! Let me show you a section you can pull and teach to upper elementary they will love, be engaged, and be motivated to learn. Lines 71-119 focus on the section of the poem where the mariner shootsContinue reading “Classic Poetry for elementary grades.”
Can I use harder texts to teach younger grades?
Yes, you can. A few tips are needed to get it to be successful. Remember, use classic poems to reach DOK 2 and 3 for higher-order thinking skills. Try using an excerpt instead of a full text. When choosing an excerpt, be careful to cut out a section that has meaning, metaphorical connections, or themeContinue reading “Can I use harder texts to teach younger grades?”
Introduce a Text with a quote from other texts
Using novel quotes to introduce paired text units and/or short stories and poems. Here are a few from seventeenth-century writer John Milton. It offers thought processing and making connections with similar inner themes within texts. “For what can war but endless war still breed?” This quote is great for a text like “Lord of theContinue reading “Introduce a Text with a quote from other texts”
Author Study of Emily Dickinson Ideas Teaching Compare/Contrast Teaching Objective
Emily Dickinson’s poems are a great author study for teaching compare and contrast the teaching objective. Using close reading strategies, literature circles, gallery walk, or the Socratic method are all great for teaching the following poems. Using higher-order thinking questions, have students compare and contrast the following poems for similar and contrasting themes, tones, poeticContinue reading “Author Study of Emily Dickinson Ideas Teaching Compare/Contrast Teaching Objective”
ELA On The Move 