Feeling a little lost when it comes to distance learning in your ELA classroom? Here is a list of some of my favorite resources to help guide you. Some of them are free or have a lot of free content and some of them are paid. I will continue to add to this list as I find more. Have something to share? Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or e-mail me at samanthainsecondary@gmail.com. Grammar ... Read More about Digital Resources for Distance Learning in the ELA Classroom
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Reading Strategies: Get the Gist
Reading comprehension can be a struggle, especially if you are working with a particularly difficult text. Lately I have been noticing that my students are complaining about forgetting what they read as soon as they have read it. We've been working on strategies they can use in-class and during independent reading assignments at home. This strategy is a throwback to my social studies days, but it ... Read More about Reading Strategies: Get the Gist
Valentine’s Day Activities for the Secondary Classroom
Valentine's Day activities can be especially hard to plan for our secondary students. On one hand, it can feel a bit cliché and gimmicky, but on the other hand, our students often enjoy a little something fun at this time of year! As educators, we want to find that perfect balance between having some Valentine’s Day festivities while ensuring they aren’t too distracting. That is why I have rounded ... Read More about Valentine’s Day Activities for the Secondary Classroom
Vocabulary Strategies for Secondary Students: Alphaboxes
To Kill a Mockingbird is an incredibly vocabulary-heavy novel, especially for freshmen, so when I taught it last year and tried to use traditional vocabulary lists, I was frustrated with not only the scores on any vocabulary checks I would give, but also the lack of buy-in. Students didn't care about the terms I was handing them because they had no connection to them. I remember using the ... Read More about Vocabulary Strategies for Secondary Students: Alphaboxes
Gratitude Activities for Students
November is always such a strange amalgam and while things can get difficult chugging along until Thanksgiving break, it is the perfect time to infuse gratitude activities for students. Everyone is tired in November - very, very tired. You haven't had a real break since August and you've been clinging to the glimmer of Thanksgiving since the end of September. We've all been there. Enter ... Read More about Gratitude Activities for Students
5 Tips for Using a Book Tasting to Encourage Independent Reading
Conducting a Book Tasting is one of my favorite lessons of the year. It combines the things I love most about teaching - creativity, collaboration, and most of all, BOOKS! If you have never heard of a Book Tasting, the goal of the activity is to allow students to self-select novels for an independent reading assignment or literature circles. Students are grouped and then given time to explore ... Read More about 5 Tips for Using a Book Tasting to Encourage Independent Reading