It’s the not-so-favorite time of year - state testing. And while students may agonize and teachers may groan at the thought of another year of standardized testing in the midst of whatever this new normal is, it’s up to us to prepare our students the best we can. Here are six ideas to help you prep for the test prep season. 1. Get organized This applies to you as well as your students. Think about your game plan. What are you going to accomplish? “Prep for state testing” is too broad a statement. Think about specific tasks, specific knowledge your students need. Think about how you’ll organize your students and how much time you will need. Don’t add more stress to the situation by going in at the last minute with packets you found on the internet but didn’t have time to vet. Be methodical in what you plan. If you’ve waited until the final hour, focus on one or two main test prep areas: writing with evidence or focusing on listening skills. 2. Try something fun Students don’t need endl...

One of my favorite end-of-the-year activities I’ve ever done with my students is an end-of-the-year letter to themselves. I did this one year that I had seniors. I had them write a letter to their future selves, and I told them I would mail the letters to them in one year. Several days before we begin the assignment, I tell students that they will be writing a letter to themselves and that I’ll need for them to bring in a self-addressed, stamped envelope. I collect the self-addressed stamped envelopes for several days before the actual assignment, and I keep them organized and separated by class period and then in alphabetical order. The main reason why I collect the self-addressed, stampede letters for several days is so that more students bring them in. I usually let them know about the assignment on a Thursday so they have the weekend to get the supplies, and then we usually don’t write until the end of the next week. I provide envelopes and stamps for all of the students who did no...

With the end of the school year approaching, it is time to start thinking about what types of end-of-the-year activities you want to do in your secondary ELA classroom. Whether you teach middle school ELA or high school English, these end-of-the-year activities are the perfect way to mix in fun and academically-related content to end the school year on the right note. 10 End of the Year Activities for Secondary ELA 1. End of the Year Activities Packet My End-of-the-Year activities packet is filled with a variety of year-end classroom activities and is perfect for secondary ELA students because it combines fun year-end fun and tasks with some writing. Plus, the activities are geared toward older students, so your older kids will enjoy themselves the last few days of school. Some of my favorite pages in this packet include the letter to the future class, the self-review, and the coloring page, which is perfect for when students finish a big project early. 2. Write a Letter to Your Fut...

The end of the school year is quickly approaching. In fact, many teachers started their summer countdowns weeks ago! As the days slowly tick by and as summer begins to creep (ever, so slowly, it seems) in, there are several things you can do now that will save your time and sanity at the end of the year! 1. Stay Organized We’ve all heard of senioritis, but have you heard of summer-teacheritis? It’s real. Right now it is so easy to let papers pile up, assignments go ungraded for days, and let the outbox accumulate more papers than the US Post Office. However, if you manage to stay organized now, you will save so much time during that last week of school. Organization Checklist - grade any ungraded papers at by the end of the week - pass back graded papers on Monday - recycle (or file) papers that you will not use for the rest of the year - keep a “to grade” and a “graded folder” on your desk, and try to empty them as often as possible 2. Don’t Grade Everything  ...