Much of the real work of writing is done in the revision stage, but getting student buy-in can be challenging. Since I only teach AP Lit, my students are primarily writing timed essays which is a quick pass at literary analysis, but the far majority of writing is not done in a timed setting. In … Continue Reading
A few years ago, I saw a piece on 60 Minutes that reported on the “flipped classroom.” It had an interview with Solomon Khan, and it highlighted how teachers were assigning his videos for homework in math classes, allocating class time to provide guided practice as students worked their way through math problems and exercises. … Continue Reading
I have a hard time saying no to things. Inevitably, this means that I volunteer, throw my name in the hay, and offer myself up when I should occasionally keep my mouth shut. Consequently, I have to create systems that enable me to work efficiently and effectively. Here are the five rules I am using … Continue Reading
Today’s post is written by Brian Hannon. If you’re familiar with Brian through LMS Curriculum, you already know the quality of his resources are AMAZING, and this unit is no exception. The entire unit is linked at the end of his reflection on it. Thank you, Brian!! Pretty much every year prior to this one, … Continue Reading
Wait a minute… if you hand out a study guide and ask students to find the answers in the textbook, that doesn’t count as close reading? That is what some of my high school teachers did. They had stacks of ’em. Finish one ditto and they would whip out another. Classwork and homework simply became … Continue Reading
Brian and I a starting a series of posts called “Ask Us Anything” where we promise to be honest in our answers and hopefully as encouraging as well. If you have a question you’d like for us to answer, feel free to ask! Can you model how you plan a unit? — Kathy F. Susan: … Continue Reading
My first Pearl Jam concert was on 9-11-98 at Madison Square Garden. While the concert was unforgettable, its date was… until it wasn’t. That night Eddie and the boys played 26 songs, with two encores, and brought back “Breath,” a song they had retired years ago. It all ended with “Alive,” and Eddie throwing his … Continue Reading
In response to Brian’s post a couple of week’s ago on writing commentary, I invited Melissa Smith to share her method of giving feedback. Her feedback is quick and individualized. Thanks, Melissa! I’ll be following up in a couple of weeks with how I handle feedback and revision. I have 100 students in 4 sections … Continue Reading
I spent time working with teachers this summer, some of whom had 40-50 students in each class and over 200 students on their rosters. Others wanted advice on what to teach because everything they loved was now banned by their state. Some lost their free periods to cover classes because subs were nowhere to be … Continue Reading
I’m going to tell you why I think comments on essays are a bad idea… but first a quick story. About five years ago, my Sunday nights were spent at a mostly-empty Starbucks. For hours I would read and comment on all the papers and pages I accumulated over the week. By Monday afternoon, many … Continue Reading
