It’s no secret that students in both middle school ELA and high school English struggle with grammar. However, not all hope is lost, and it isn’t too late to bring meaningful and effective grammar instruction into your classroom. Here is a look at five must-teach grammar lessons and resources that will help your students improve their grammar skills and become stronger writers in the process! 1. Sentence Combining Bell RingersIf you are looking for a quick yet effective daily grammar and writing routine, these sentence-combining bell ringers are just what you’re looking for! After teaching ..read more

Active learning promotes knowledge retention. Student-centered learning improves student efficacy. Cooperative learning contributes to classroom community. Increased engagement helps classroom management. Recently, I completed this Long Way Down Symbolism Analysis Stations activity with my sophomores, and the day was magical. My students actively participated in literary analysis and high-level discussion. They were engaged. As I stepped back and observed my learners, I made a mental note to incorporate more station work in my classroom. As I heard bits and pieces of my students discussi ..read more

When it comes to teaching students how to write a research paper, there is one area where students struggle: writing a guiding research question. Oftentimes, their research questions are either too vague or off-topic. Teaching high school students how to formulate a research question is an important skill that will help students succeed not only on their research paper assignments but in other areas of their lives as well. A well-formulated research question helps students focus their research, determine the relevance of the information they seek, and effectively communicate the purpose of ..read more

When teaching a whole-class novel, or even during independent reading projects, focusing on an inquiry-based approach is a great way to help students engage with the text. Inquiry-based learning is a teaching method that encourages students to actively engage with a subject by asking questions, seeking answers, and exploring different perspectives. This approach is particularly well-suited for the high school English classroom, where students are often asked to read and analyze complex texts and make personal connections with the texts. Here are some activities to use in your high school En ..read more

Give modern spins to classic reads. While the classics are classics, they are also outdated and there are so many modern titles that are worthy of classroom time, so I've been creating a paired list of modern novels to classic works. Read on to see my suggestions for The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.Classic Focus Angst and alienation prevail in this novel. The Catcher in the Rye has become a timeless coming-of-age story focusing on Holden Caulfield and the process of leaving childhood behind.  When students begin their study of this novel, I focus on a few major themes that I can ..read more

Do you take time to focus on speaking and listening skills? A lot of lessons and activities often focus on literature, reading, spelling, and writing. Sometimes the speaking and listening skills get lumped into lessons, or we realize we’ve really been lax on the speaking skills the first time we have students give a presentation. However, students need to have dedicated opportunities to practice speaking and listening. Read on for activities you can incorporate into your classroom. Create Anchor Charts Have a lesson on appropriate ways to have an academic discussion and conversation. Make sur ..read more

In today’s society, it is important that students can use their critical thinking skills in their everyday lives. The perfect place for students to learn how and to practice critical reading, writing, arguing, and even listening is the high school English classroom. Here are 10 different high school English lessons and skills that teachers should teach in 2023! 1. Rhetorical AppealsWhen students learn about rhetorical appeals and can identify them in a text, students gain a much stronger understanding of the text, its purpose, and why the author wrote it. Learning about and understanding rh ..read more

As an English teach, I can tell you that when I first learned about Chat GPT, I was frustrated, upset, and even feeling a bit defeated. As an English teacher, I pride myself on being able to provide my students with step-by-step writing instruction that helps them build their skills and confidence. For years, I focused on teaching writing as a process and using class time for writer’s workshops. With ChatGPT, I plan to continue that teaching philosophy. And now that it seems as if ChatGPT isn’t going anywhere, it is time to view it as a helpful, time-saving teacher tool. Here are five Chat ..read more

When my students complete a formal essay in class, I make it a point to go through the entire writing process with them. Once students have brainstormed and selected the main ideas for their essays, it is time to write the thesis statement. Since the thesis statement is such a crucial part of any academic paper or essay, I make sure I spend some time on each essay teaching my students how to write their thesis statement. When I teach my high school English students about the thesis statement, I tell them that it is a roadmap or framework sentence that encapsulates the entire main argument o ..read more

Getting to the end of a novel is exciting. I love when all of our ideas and discussions come together. I feel like we can have “meaty” conversations and the students see there was a method to my madness. However, if you’re tired of passing out an end-of-novel exam or essays, consider one of those activities.  End of Novel Activities Socratic Seminar Facilitating a Socratic Seminar in the classroom is a great way to discuss, review, and analyze literature. Students partake in discussions and voice their own questions and opinions. Socratic Seminars can be used for any novel. You can ac ..read more