How to Get Students Reading on Day One of Class

In the past, I've talked a lot about building a classroom library from scratch. If you don't have a classroom library, get one! The benefit to your students as readers is simply unparalleled. But how can you start the year off right to maximize student use and enjoyment of your library and get all of …

16 Easy, Low-Key Activities for End-of-the-Year ELA that Aren’t Movies

The end of the year is upon us, and it can be a slow, slow crawl to the finish line. Grades are due and kids are checked out and admin has sent out yet another 'friendly reminder' about keeping kids learning until the last day. Fortunately, there are plenty of engaging, low-key, low-prep activities to …

#TechTuesday: Engage Students with e-Chat on Backchannel

Don't you just love it when your students really get engaged in a discussion? The ideas are bouncing off each other, students are respectfully disagreeing or asking follow-up questions, and the collaborative learning is just lighting up all over the place! If whole-class discussions are your jam, this Backchannel Chat #TechTuesday feature is for you! …

Definitive Guide to Classroom Libraries for the New Teacher, Part 4: Maintaining Your Library

Now that you've got stacks of books (Part 1 & Part 2) and something to put them on (Part 3), let's talk maintaining a library in a classroom of anywhere from 18 to 150 students! (High school teachers, mad respect for all that grading. Yikes.) Alright. Before we jump into maintaining this library you just …

Definitive Guide to Classroom Libraries for the New Teacher, Part 3: Organizing Books

Welcome to Part 3 of my series on starting a classroom library from scratch as a new teacher! In Part 1, I discussed how to begin searching for titles your students will love, no matter what grade you teach. In Part 2, I listed 17 different low-cost ways to start collecting books for your library. …