One of the most challenging (and frustrating) tasks as a teacher is managing emails. So. Many. Emails. We’re inundated with emails from co-workers, administrators, parents, and now, our students. This access to instant communication has improved so many areas of teaching and learning. But, it’s not ...
Blog
Pre-K Works!: Why You Should Be a Child Care Voter
This post is sponsored by Children Matter Action Fund. As always, all opinions are of my own. As a high school English teacher, I’m passionate about literacy beginning at the earliest ages, pre-k being an extremely important milestone. Pre-k, for example, helps improve language learning. In fact, ...
How and Why to Teach Students to Conduct Scholarly Research
In the past, I taught the traditional research paper with several goals for my students. They learned how to find sources, determine their credibility, compile them, and report their findings. These are clearly all good skills; however, after conducting research in grad schools, I found this basic ...
How to Teach a Synthesis Essay to Boost Students’ Writing Skills
The first time I encountered the synthesis essay was when I started teaching AP English Language and Composition. At the time, I figured it was simply an alternate form of a research paper that could be written quickly. Students don’t have the time to conduct research and report their findings in ...
How to Teach Your Students to Write Strong Argumentative Essays
Teaching middle school and high school students how to write strong argument essays won’t only serve them in your class, but also in the real world. Think about how often you have to speak or write persuasively! Whether you’re convincing your friends which movie to see or encouraging your reluctant ...
5 Strategies to Teach Students How to Identify and Analyze Strong Argument Examples
Before students can write strong persuasive essays, they must be able to identify what makes a powerful argument. Therefore, before diving into an argumentative writing unit, I complete an analyzing arguments unit first. In this unit, students learn how to write strong claims, how to support claims ...
