My classroom library is my curriculum, finally. I inherited hundreds of book from my mentor Diane DuBois, and for a few years I used these books to supplement the curriculum. I’d even hide certain books in boxes until we started a unit on immigration, for …
What would your English teacher have to know about you to find that “just right” book? Lesesne makes explicit the complexity of adolescence and the hard work it takes to match readers and books. There is no short cut to knowing your students as individuals or being well-read so that you can indeed “make the match.” You have to put in the time and effort, but she helps teachers with many book suggestions, lists, strategies, and stories.
I found myself wondering how often I failed to allow the time and space for my students with autism to fully articulate their thoughts. Moreover, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of all inclusion teachers reading this text in replace of the many Professional Development pieces that reinforce the deficit narrative of students with autism.
At the International Literacy Association’s recent conference in Boston, I had the opportunity to talk about genocide novels and how we can support our students in confronting the unimaginable human suffering of genocide but also humanity’s resilience to survive and bravery to tell and read stories about that survival. In this post, I share some book suggestions, an overview of rhetorical reading, and a sample book discussion from my 7th grade ELA class.
It’s one month into summer, and I think I have FOMO, fear of missing out. Yes, I am afraid of missing out on that one young adult novel or that one professional development book that is going to life changing.
Originally published September 7, 2015. Lesley Roessing has been an invaluable resource for Ethical ELA, and her contributions on the Facebook page Teaching Teens and its book groups are just priceless. Thank you, Lesley. ____________________________________________________________ In Losing the Fear of Sharing Control: Starting a Reading Workshop, Lesley …
National Poetry Month comes around every April, and it is a time to remember and to celebrate poetry as writers, as readers, as human beings. Most ELA teachers know that reading poems and writing poems go hand in hand. Still, not everyone has uncovered and …
Deliberate or not, reading teachers privilege certain voices and experiences over others when they choose this author or that, this poem or that, this book or that. Some teachers may not want to take on political or social justice issues, but they are doing just that.
Originally published on December 13, 2015, this is by far the most read and shared post of Ethical ELA in its first year. How has it impacted your practice? How will it impact your practice for the 2016-17 school year? By Lisa Nassar I do not …
Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am reading a list of picture books this summer, looking for ones to include in my junior high classroom library. What I am looking for in the text, with teen readers …