blog : November 2014

Freebee: Lights, Camera, Action! - A Raisin in the Sun

11/30/2014

freebee friday I hope all my American teachers and friends had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I'm certainly thankful to have you all in my life, and to be able to share knowledge with you! So let’s talk turkey on this holiday weekend. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is part of the curriculum in many middle schools and high schools. This week’s free Lights, Camera, Action! lesson plan focuses specifically on that play. Use it to guide Grade 7–12 students toward achieving these CCSS goals:

Click here to keep reading and download the freebee!





Freebee: the Diary Project

11/23/2014

freebee friday Now that we’re really getting into the “sweet spot” of the school year, a lot of ELA teachers are introducing longer form reading like novels. If you’re looking for a great culminating activity, consider using the Diary Project. In this CCSS-aligned activity students will learn to identify the voice and perspective of a character and express that character’s thoughts in writing.

Download this lesson plan today for free. Use it in your classroom to guide Grade 5–12 students toward achieving these Common Core State Standards goals:

Click here to keep reading and download the freebee!



Freebee: Pronouns

11/09/2014

freebee friday Pronouns are one of the trickiest concepts for students to master. Even though a lot of schools start teaching pronoun usage in Grade 3 (or earlier), as teachers we know that it’s never too late to reinforce their correct usage. The journey toward this CCSS language anchor standard is a long one. And, if the proliferation of online Grammar Help sites is any indication, for some of us it’s a lifelong journey!

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Reading and What It Means in the Content Areas

11/01/2014

writing This post originally appeared on teacherblog.evan-moor.com.

“Why, oh why, are we being asked to teach reading in our content area classes?” I hear it time and time again, usually followed by some variation of, “But I don’t know how to teach reading!”

As teachers, we know that the ability to read is probably our students’ single most valuable tool in their quest for academic achievement. But here’s another way to look at it: students’ ability to read is our most valuable tool in our quest to introduce subject matter to students. We all have a stake in this. When students can’t read at grade level, no one wins.

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