Blog Posts for Teaching English

Everyone should have a classroom library, whether you teach English or another content area. Classroom libraries offer all kinds of benefits: increased student reading achievement, greater access to print material,…

How many times have you heard the phrase “I don’t read” in your classroom? For me, it happens every week during independent reading. For these reluctant readers, it is even…

Have you been told that you need to start using a claim, evidence, and reasoning (or C-E-R) framework for writing in your classroom? Maybe you need to closely adhere to…

Beautiful. Heart-wrenching. Timeless. These are the words we often use to describe powerful classics. Well, they also describe Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls.

So, you have a teacher in your life. Maybe it’s a family member, a significant other, or maybe you just really want to do something nice for your child’s educator.…

Are you looking for a sharp, witty read for your high school classroom library? Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is a hilarious romp that is equal parts romance, adventure, and…

The curriculum decrees an essay must be written, but your students can barely write a sentence. How can you teach when your students are years behind?

I don’t know about you, but fall has always meant Halloween season to me--not back-to-school. While other teachers are out shopping for school supplies, I’m literally hiding skeletons in my…

You have a boring novel unit, now what? Connect a movie to it! Luckily for you, I’m going to save you the blood sweat, and hangovers, and give you my…