Halloween can be a major distraction for high school students and even more frustrating for teachers. For a while, I tried (unsuccessfully) to carry on with business as usual, despite the costume contests, treats, and even some tricks. It usually wasn't very successful though. Then, I realized ...
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How to Teach Close Reading and Annotation
When it comes to teaching close reading and annotation, is there anything worse than seeing your students mindlessly highlighting for pages and pages with no real understanding of what they're highlighting or why they're highlighting it? The frustrating part is that highlighting indicates that ...
High School ELA Classroom Flexible Seating Makeover
A few years ago, I was researching ideas for a flexible seating high school classroom set up when I came across a 1998 research study by Glen Earthman and Linda Lemasters titled "Where Children Learn: A Discussion of How a Facility Affects Learning." While the authors addressed the challenges with ...
Step Back Into School With SAS Shoes
I have been on the search for the perfect teacher shoe since I started teaching in 2009. After trying a number of popular brands touted as teacher friendly, I resigned that in order to be stylish I'd have to tough it out with uncomfortable shoes. I am happy to say all that has changed since I found ...
Keeping the Wonder Workshop at the Story Shop
The moment that I walked into the Story Shop I knew it was going to be a magical day. In fact, it took a lot of magic (or maybe just hard work, but we’ll call it magic) just to get me to that moment in the first place. It took a chance meeting of two ELA teachers some 700 miles apart in an ...
How to Use the Getty Unshuttered App in Your Classroom
I'm always looking for new ways to bring perspective-taking activities into my classroom, especially those that integrate new tech. Cue, Getty Unshuttered. I got the idea to incorporate photography into my creative writing class when I was reminiscing with my class about my favorite high school ...