You don't need to wait until you are reading a great novel to talk to your students about great writing. There are some great resources out there that have curated the excerpts, and in some cases shown you how to use them in your classroom. Check out this blog for more info.
We live in a wonderfully diverse world. Our classrooms should reflect this diversity in what and how we teach as well as the resources we make available to our students. This celebration should be year round but there are occasions when we need to make a dilligent effort to celebrate specific groups. During Black History… Continue reading Celebrating Black Authors
Not sure about you but after the last few years I have massive tech fatigue? I can't learn a new platform, even if it seems amazing. Am planning on keeping it simple this year. Feel like less (complicated) is more, given what we are all up against. If it is not easy to learn/intuitive (for… Continue reading 8 or so Teaching Apps or Websites Worth Using Now
2021 recapped in books: It was a really hard year. It was very hard to concentrate for any length of time. So I read (well really listened to) a lot of fluffy books (light reads), did a lot of rereading of old favs and found it easier to latch on to a series. FAV BOOKS:… Continue reading 2021 My Year in Books (story post)
Whether or not you agree with it, destreaming is here. Read this blog to understand what this means and how you can go about teaching to a class of diverse learners, at different levels.
I know, I know... My reaction is the same. You know you should look after yourself but the system is created (especially now) to ensure that you can't and you care out your kids so it makes it hard not to give all of yourself. I felt the same until a few years before COVID… Continue reading Teacher Self-Care is not Selfish & Why you can’t Ignore it!
Getting inventory You can of course buy them yourself but first… Start with your department or board (literacy consultants if you have them). Perhaps there is money earmarked for new books, or initiatives (equity or those for struggling readers). Talk to your principal or department head. I agreed to spearhead a research driven initiative to… Continue reading Finding Books for Your in Class Library
Setting students up for independent reading success can be difficult. It requires going beyond opening the book shelf and saying "and go." Finding a book (and even curating a list of books) they want to read can be difficult for a teen. For ways to find books for your students see the bottom of the… Continue reading 8 Strategies to Support Choice Reading in the Secondary Classroom
I was hired to teach English at Goetz. I taught there from 2006-2021. I loved my school, my colleges and my students. I specialized in teaching locally developed and applied English students and I was good at it. I developed relationships with my students and eveloped a program that, for the most part, helped them… Continue reading New Begining at New Directions
It's labour day weekend and evey year I decline invitations and choose to stay home to do nothing. I know the weekend before school starts is going to be filled with nervousness and angst. Even though I have been teaching for 15 years & even though I normally have at least the first week all… Continue reading Returning to School, the Labour Day weekend Angst
If your interested in learning more about diversifying your texts, see Part 1 of this series: THE WHY: Diversifying your High School Texts and /or Classroom Library (Part 1) The How: Taking inventory So you already have a classroom library and don't know where to start? You can use a variety of ways to find… Continue reading THE HOW: Diversifying your High School Texts and/or Classroom Library (Part 2)
If you teach English in high school you have encountered the weak reader or worse the non reader. If reading is a skill, then the only way to get stronger is to practice. But how can you convince someone who struggles, refuses, or even hates reading to practice. The Why: The Movement Students need to… Continue reading THE WHY: Diversifying your High School Texts and/or Classroom Library (Part 1)
The Underlying Philosophy When mentoring student teachers I tell them the most important thing to focus on is relationship building. Students want to come to, and are more likely to be successful in, a class where they feel valued and supported. The COVID Complication This has never been more true, or more difficult, than during… Continue reading Creating an Inclusive Online Classroom: Getting to know your students
Last updated: 1-2-2021 I have tried to curate resources that can be used in my high school English classroom. You can find your own by accessing the author's website as many authors provide free texts on their website. Being on this list is not necessarily an endorsement. Please ensure the content is both appropriate for… Continue reading Free 2ndary ELA Resources
It is always difficult when a child struggles. It is especially difficult when that struggle is in something as important as literacy. According to the International Literacy Association there are many negative effects of poor literacy skills: Unfortunately the only way to get better at writing is to write. So what can you do to… Continue reading 5 Tips for Parents: Strategies to Support Your Reluctant Writer
It is always difficult when a child struggles. It is especially difficult when that struggle is in something as important as literacy. According to the International Literacy Association there are many negative effects of poor literacy skills: Unfortunately the only way to get better at reading is to read. So what can you do if… Continue reading 5 Tips for Parents: Strategies to Support Your Reluctant Reader
I had the privilege of presenting at STEAMsecrets: A Summit for Parents in the COVID Era! with these lovely ladies.
Reading and writing are pivotal skills that need to be develop to ensure success in school and in later life. Here are three tips intended to help you find success in encouraging your child to read and write at home. Tip #1 Focus on Choice The more a child reads, the better they get at… Continue reading 3 Tips for Parents: Supporting Your Child’s Literacy at Home (includes online resources)
Each week I post a new meme that illustrates what life is like (as a teacher, homeschooler, wife and mom) during social isolation. Of at least I did, now a year later there isn't time &/or it's not as exciting and new. But will post as things come up 😃
*click on images to access the applicable articles My struggles with social distancing and remote teaching have led to silence, at least on my blog. I have found it really difficult to think of anything to share that could be helpful to other teachers at this time. Even after six weeks, I have nothing. I… Continue reading The struggle: Remote teaching in the first four weeks
Check out the links referenced in my instagram posts.
1. Acknowledging emotional reactions to school closures So it's March Break here in Ontario, Canada (spring break for those of you not from here). "Ontario has declared a state of emergency and had implemented various measures, including restricting travel, prescribing physical distancing and asking certain businesses to close in order to curb the spread of… Continue reading Lessons Learned Surviving Covid: The First Week of Social Distancing and the start of Homeschooling
Looking for resources to support your students learning or resources to help teach your own kids here is a great list of online resources. This list (which is in no way exhaustive) will be updated regularly. If you have a suggestion of a good resource to add please email your suggestion to literacymasterydiscovery@gmail.com. Updated: 18/01/2021… Continue reading eLearning/Remote Learning/Homeschooling Online Resources K-12, all subjects
Looking for a creative and collaborative way to generate ideas and promote discussion and movement amongst your students? Have your students participate in a Give One Get One activity.
Want students to read more or to help students find their next read? Get them to promote their books to others through a "speed dating" activity.
Finding it difficult to encourage participation in a class discussion, especially with a large class? Try using the fishbowl discussion method. This method is often used in social science classe, let me show you how I have altered it to fit an English/ELA class setup.
A collection of micro book reviews (280 characters as per twitter restrictions) that can be used for book talks to promote choice reading selections. Can also be used as exemplars for micro book review assignments.
Secondary students who struggle with reading don't understand that reading isn't something that just happens and that it isn't something that you are innately good at. Teachers have to work hard to get these students to buy into the fact that reading is a skill that can be learned, practiced and improved. And just like any skill it needs to be broken down and taught.
The first day of school always brings excitement and nervousness for myself and my new students. It can be scary facing a new situation for everyone (especially now during Covid). So it's important to helps students get to know each other and create a welcoming class environment, from the very first day. Here are some… Continue reading 5 Ways to Get to Know Your Students in the Secondary English Classroom
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 5 tells you about the positive impact that teaching high school students how to read has beyond their success in your classroom.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 4 tells you how to help students find books to read that they will love and how to incorporate independent choice reading into your everyday curriculum.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 3 tells you the importance of teaching reading strategies, how to set up a reading strategies unit, finding leveled texts, how to teach students how to make connections and ask questions and integrating these strategies throughout the rest of the school year.
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read." Part 2 tells you how to access their reading level, how to help them find a "just right book," how to set aside in class time for reading, how to keep students accountable, and the importance of conferencing with students,
We assume that high school students can read. But if you teach high school you have come across those students who read the text, maybe even sound great aloud, but still seem to be struggling with comprehension and critical thinking about the text. Need some help supporting your struggling students? Read my 5 part blog series on "How to teach high school students to read."
Ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of organization needed to get through the end of the semester or year? Here are three tips that could help you survive the chaos.
Have you included independent choice reading but notice students reading is lagging? Try creating competition between classes, semesters or years.
Do you want to know why so many of your high school English students struggle with reading? I did, it's why I've spent the last decade figuring out the answer. I have outlined my findings in this blog post.
Teaching Literacy through Mastery and Discovery 