English & Language Arts Teachers

What % of your students have difficulty with reading? Have you asked if parents had difficulties with reading? Dyslexia is more common than we realize, and I would love to know if you use any specific curri… more

How do you get students to extend their writing voluntarily, without setting a minimum number of sentences/pages? It’s frustrating to say, “Write a paragraph about xyz,” and the first thing kids say i… more

What do you think of IXL? Our district has a subscription and is really pushing the diagnostic this year (it’s replacing CAASP testing). I’m now trying to use the post-diagnostic suggestions to retrai… more

Does anyone have any suggestions for a strong reading intervention to use as a summer school boot camp program? We are looking at Focused Reading but would like to trial others!

Anybody ever shown The Crucible? If so, which one? Did it follow the story closely?

I love doing found poetry in a few of my units, and the kids really get into it. We do the type where you get cut up words and arrange them into a poem. I can't do it with my general sophomores, though, becau… more

Is there any place here that acts as a repository for shared resources?

I got an email last night from a 7th-grade parent because her son said I mentioned the words "male privilege" in class, and she is very concerned about how that is related to ELA (she said "r… more

What are some unique things your department head does that are awesome.

Do your students read more poetry than they write or write more poetry than they read?

English Nerd Moment!
Who is your favorite author to read & who is your favorite author to teach?
I'll go first:
Read = Ann Martin (Babysitter's Club, it's still one of my favorite reads)
T… more

Why do American schools continue to teach Brit Lit to seniors when we can cover that in World Lit? Wouldn't that open up for other types of literature? African American Lit, mythology, etc.? Thoug… more

Have you even felt completely grilled in an interview? I feel as if one of the interviewers didn’t want to see me succeed in the process.

I have got to tell you all a funny story:
I sometimes teach Elie Wiesel’s Night in World Literature. There is a character whose name is “Idek.” You would be astonished by the amount of bright & gi… more

Has anyone used the Hochman method for teaching writing (Writing Revolution) or attended a National Writing project program?

Has anyone done anything with Dear Martin in class? I’ve always wanted to read chapter 3 with my students and have a Socratic seminar. I finally did it today and I think it went well.

3rd Grade Read Aloud. Does anyone have a suggestion for a 3rd grade level book for 2 boys who have not discovered their passion for reading yet? TIA!

Hi, English teachers! I am teaching both remotely and f2f. I want to add a catch-up day once every week or two for those students who haven't been able to keep up with the work, for whatever reas… more

I’d like to say that interviewing during a pandemic is confusing and left me feeling unsure about my interviewers’ perception of me and my answers during the interview. I was not a fan of not being ab… more

Any good plays for middle schoolers besides the Anne Frank play, The Miracle Worker, and 12 Angry Men? I already know about plenty of short plays, but I am trying to think of longer ones for units. An… more

What is your position: Should a teacher inform his or her principals and assistant principals if he or she is merely inquiring about a position and has not yet set up an interview?

“Book Mapping”
Embarking on a challenging mission: going to try and read a long form novel together. Starting it next week.
I need to figure out which chapters to leave out (I’m ambitious, but not insane: not dragging… more

Looking for authentic assessment ideas for strictly online learning to avoid googling answers and plagiarism.

Does anyone use sketchnoting as an independent reading activity? Any suggestions about introducing it or lesson suggestions? (Or texts)

What suggestions might you have for contemporary short stories? I’m teaching a unit that focuses on language analysis, and I want to add to my options list.

I teach reading virtually. My last class of the day is my smallest class (13 students). Roughly 3-6 of them actually come to class. 100% of them are severely below grade level in reading and writing. … more

Hi! I'm looking for ways other ELA teachers ask students to share/critique/provide feedback on their written work so it includes everyone and not just volunteers.

What are your thoughts on reading logs? Anyone still using them? Anyone recently ditch them?

I'm looking for innovative ways to get my students to "publish" their writing. I've scoured the internet and know all of the basic ways - and have tried lots - but am looking for somethi… more

Does anyone have ideas for teaching Romeo & Juliet while in a cohort learning model?
*I usually assign parts, students read and act out, I switch my room to reflect “family” groups, and generally … more

Anyone have ideas for “digital” word work? Any ideas for PreK-8 would be appreciated.

Short stories:
Big fan of disruptive texts and free resources (like short story project).
Would love suggestions for engaging, current stories. I am teaching an elective ELA class and am staying away f… more

Anyone else experience of a lack of passion for the job in this Covid world? I just feel like I’m excited about what I’m teaching because so many techniques are not at my disposal. I also feel exhau… more

Just curious, is anyone using the harkness discussion model for reading longer works in class, and if so, are there any modifications you have made to better facilitate this sort of discussion in your… more