I've been doing a lot of thinking lately (uh-oh, watch out!). I want to change my curriculum next year. I am always adjusting and tweaking things, but next year I want to do an overhaul. Thankfully, I have the permission of my principal to update--as long as I'm meeting standards, I can do it however I … Continue reading The Classics: To read or not to read?
Instruction
Fall Semester Wins
Winning with graded discussion and essay feedback this semester in High School English
A Plan for Teaching Vocabulary in High School English
I am a terrible vocab teacher There, I said it. Admitting the problem is a big part of solving it, right? Sheesh, I hope so! Despite being terrible at teaching vocabulary, I am co-leading a school wide vocab PD on Tuesday. Eek. Talk about pressure. Each period anyone who is off for their PLC time … Continue reading A Plan for Teaching Vocabulary in High School English
The First Week
This year I'm changing a lot of my techniques, and I'm working even harder to get to know my kids. Building rapport is something I'm pretty good at (IMHO), but this year I want to take it a step further. I want to really build a community. I've had visits from a lot of last year's kids; … Continue reading The First Week
Five Things for Next Year: My plans for 2016-2017
So, we're almost halfway through June and I think this is my second full week out of school. You know how it is, once summer hits, I know longer know what day of the week it is (AND I LOVE IT). Anyway, despite being so early in the summer, I can't keep next year off … Continue reading Five Things for Next Year: My plans for 2016-2017
Essay Feedback Hack (And the best thing I did this year)
Okay writing teachers, raise your hand if you've ever been in this scenario: you hand back essays, all with tons of feedback in the margin and a rubric stapled to the back. Kids take the precious writing from your hand, unceremoniously flip to the rubric, look at their grade and either smile widely or give … Continue reading Essay Feedback Hack (And the best thing I did this year)
What I Learned from Writing Notes to all of my Students #lastbell
Y'all. It's May. And, in case you aren't aware, May is hard. I have a love / hate relationship with this time of year. On one hand I love the weather; I love seeing the flowers blooming; I love how well I know my kids at this time of year; I love how comfortable we … Continue reading What I Learned from Writing Notes to all of my Students #lastbell
Using Grammarly in the Classroom
Grading essays is a lot of work. Am I right? I don’t know about you, but when I read student’s papers, I end up just finding errors and not actually reading what they have to say. Their grammatical errors are so overwhelming that by the time I make it through the essay, I have … Continue reading Using Grammarly in the Classroom
How to Organize for Multiple Preps using Chrome Windows
How many classes do you teach a day? How many preps? This year, I teach five classes (the norm here) and I have two different preps, but for the past three years, I've taught three preps and coached debate, so I was usually on the brink of losing my mind. I am also the … Continue reading How to Organize for Multiple Preps using Chrome Windows
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