Each month, we share five things we love as part of our Footnotes Newsletter. Take a look at some of our favorite English language arts articles we read in May!
The last days of school are upon us, and with that comes absolute chaos, a time Vicki Davis compares to the opening moments of A Tale of Two Cities. Vicki’s post on the Cool Cat Teacher blog is the perfect pep talk for all you busy teachers out there. You’ve got this!
Help your students eat the proverbial elephant with Melissa Pilakowski’s “Word Count Challenge” techniques. Structuring classroom writing time around motivational exercises will help you cut down on cases of “Blank Page Syndrome” that are all too common this time of year.
Are your students—and you—feeling a bit weary this month? At Edutopia, Professor Maurice J. Elias provides four solid tips on how to keep your students engaged during the final few weeks of class.
If you’re teaching a poetry unit in the fall, consider adding Melissa Smith’s fun activity to your lesson plans. Easy to execute, “The Envelope Game” helps students connect themes, motifs, and symbols within poetry collections and provides plenty of opportunities for rich classroom discussion.
We’re confident you’ll find Meghan Mathis’s humorous, GIF-filled post all too relatable. Head over to her blog Fun, Fresh Ideas if you need a good laugh!