Get to Know Michigan’s New Reading Law – in this beginning-of-year activity, staff will learn key information related to the new reading law through a custom graphic organizer and a corresponding question set. (This is specific for the 2017-2018 school year.) I actually had a lot of fun designing the graphic and I hope you’ll enjoy …
A number of weeks ago, I wanted to answer a question related to the SAT Practice Tests – those tests the College Board made available for us to help teachers and students become familiar with the redesigned SAT. I personally wanted to check the alignment between the SAT questions on the Practice Test and the Common …
Redesigned SAT – Essential Language Progressive Skills Alert Read More »
I’ve got some great news; I’ll be presenting again at ASCD’s Annual Conference! If you’re coming to the ASCD Conference in April 2016, I hope you’ll consider attending my session: Protocols for Using Data in Instructional Learning Cycles. Built around ASCD’s theme, “Learn, Teach, Lead“, this session will provide friendly tools and protocols for working with …
As you know, when the Common Core Standards in English Language Arts were released, we all learned about the Instructional Shifts. As you read about the Common Core and the changes it brings, you’ll see two basic lists of the shifts – one with three items and one with six. The list with 3 shifts …
Today’s post is Text Structures for Different Types of Writing. I designed this tool for teachers, but there are many pages that will also be good resource materials for students. In this handy guide, you’ll find a quick overview of the text types (i.e., Argumentative, Informational, Narrative) in the Common Core State Standards. AFter that, I’ve …
You already know how important it is to teach vocabulary. You likely also know that we need to be directly teaching important vocabulary words. I’ve provided these examples to give you an idea of ways you might structure lessons to teach vocabulary. The examples are in a pdf format and ready for you to download …
Examples of Lessons for Teaching Vocabulary: ELA K-12 Read More »
I am a fan of Kelly Gallagher’s Article of the Week. His website is loaded with weekly articles you can use to give students interesting topics to which they can write. I recently read an article in Education Week and asked the author, Anothy Cody, for permission to turn his article, Color Coded High School ID …
Details and examples are one of those areas that students have struggled with when writing. Being able to cite details and examples is a skill that is valuable in reading, writing, thinking, and speaking. What are some of the things we might want to make sure students learn when we ask them to think about …
I’ve been working on collecting ideas for content-area literacy. I began with the reading standards for science, grades 9-10 from the Common Core State Standards. Download a pdf version of the 28-page document and see if there’s an idea or two you can use. Informational Literacy Standards for Science – FRESH LINK, Updated September 27, …
Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science (Reading, 9-10) Read More »
Motor Mouth is simply an engaging strategy for students to review important vocabulary. This can be used in any class at any grade level. Did I mention that this is also fun? I’ve included the PowerPoint with directions and a template that is ready to modify for your own use. Click here for the Powerpoint!