The week before winter break can be a great time for wintery poetry. A mini-unit like this is flexible, seasonal, and easy to fit around whatever else is going on in those final (frantic? fun? festi

This week I want to share a productivity tip that has changed my life in ways large and small. Three years ago we were all in the heart of a pandemic. My children were very young - five and eight. My

Today on the podcast, were sitting down with Martina Cahill, who goes by The Hungry Teacher online. One of her great gifts is helping middle school ELA teachers rock it with choice reading and book c

This week I want to talk about argument, and why it seems so esoteric to kids when they learn about it at school, and so relevant when they watch it unfold on their screens. This week a member of our

When it comes to an engaging poetry unit, I believe the #1 building block is performance. There's something about watching contemporary poets stand up and deliver their work that is undeniably engagin

This week I want to talk about how one-pagers can be a powerful gateway to creative options in your classroom. Lets start with the one-pager basics. A one-pager allows students to express their take

The week before Thanksgiving it's easy to feel a little scattered! For teachers AND students. It can be nice to take a break from your main unit and focus on some activities that still promote ELA ski

This week I want to share advice I only wish someone had given me long ago - dont grade everything your students create in class. Its easy to feel pressure to put a grade on everything students mak

We've all been there. You walk into a class, unveil your lesson plan with all the joy and care of a museum curator lifting the veil on a new Van Gogh, and your students just... don't care. They've g

I want you to watch Gene Luen Yang's Ted talk called Comics Belong in the Classroom! Here's why. It's a hilarious look at why comics are such a powerful medium for our students, how they accidental