Grammar is one of those “you’ll use it in the real world” skills that, unfortunately, can be difficult to implement in the classroom. Especially if you are hitting on it as a stand-alone unit and not throughout the year. Here are five suggestions to help students improve their grammar. 1. Use real-life examples I have found humor to be the best example, which is why I love looking up “Grammar Fails” with my students. It is a great way to solidify grammar rules. You might also have students look for Grammar Fails throughout the year. They can bring it in for extra credit, and you can build a display in your room of student-found samples. 2. Daily practice I’ve never understood cramming grammar as its own unit. That’s a lot of rules for students to make sense of, and students who don’t already have a good grasp of grammar will struggle. If you want to see improvement, grammar should be practiced daily. Even if you dedicate 2-3 days a week to include grammar practice, you are helping your...

If you aren’t using bell ringers in your secondary ELA classroom - you should. I can’t say enough good things about what bell ringers have done for the routine and structure of my classroom. They do not require much upfront work and preparation once you decide the process you want for bell ringers. And there are so many bell ringers you can find ready-made (check out the end of this post for a couple of my favorites). Here are five reasons you should start your class with a bell ringer. 1. Bring Routine A great benefit to starting class with a bell ringer is how it will bring routine to your day. Class can often start in chaos as students make their way in from the hall, continuing conversations, and shifting into a new subject. I’ll have students who are still amped from a P.E. class, students who just finished a math exam, and students who have snuck in late to the school day. Having a bell ringer ready at the start of each class means my students know what to expect when they come i...

  It’s not the most popular activity in my classroom, but I believe teaching close reading is a vital skill for my students to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to closely read, understand, and analyze a text. If you’re looking to bring your students to the next level in reading comprehension and analysis, read on for tips and tricks. What is close reading? First, it’s important to know that close reading is not a summary of the main points and it’s not a personal response. It’s actually more in-depth than that. When you close read, you should be focused on analysis and interpretation. Students should pick apart the work. This is the time to uncover layers, make inferences, and look for specific textual evidence. It’s more than a reader response. It is understanding what the author is doing. Why were these words chosen? Why described in this way? Why is this interesting (or not)? Notice that, while it is important that students acknowledge the need for tapping into prio...

One thing I love is scoring a great deal! When my husband and I moved into our first house, I was able to purchase the Dyson Animal vacuum for mere dollars out of pocket by shopping a sale and using Best Buy gift cards that DirecTV gave us for setting up service. Teachers love scoring great deals too. And in honor of Teacher’s Appreciation Day , I am going to let you in on three little (maybe not so secret) ways to save money on quality teaching resources. If you haven’t visited Teachers Pay Teacher yet, you should definitely bookmark this site. You will be able to find quality, engaging teacher-created resources that are far better than resources regurgitated by big textbook publishing companies. Here are three tried and true ways to save money and get great teaching resources that will help you win at teaching. 1. Follow Sellers Follow sellers you like on multiple sites. On TpT, you will see a green star that is clickable. Click that green star to follow that...

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  ...