Socratic Seminar: The Guide to Getting Started
When you became an English teacher, you probably dreamed of reading fun books in class and having deep discussions. But the reality is – diving
Category: Socratic Seminar
Create a Novel Study Unit in 15 Minutes
I know that it sounds impossible to create an entire novel study unit in just 15 minutes, but I am telling you, it’s totally doable.
Five Ways to Use Question Stems in ELA
We can agree teachers really want to teach their students reading, writing, thinking, and speaking skills that can be applied to just about anything they
Literature Question Stems in Middle School ELA
I’ve been creating literature question stems for almost a decade now. If you’re anything like me then you have been working your way though a
Teaching Reading Skills with Louis Sachar’s Holes
Louis Sachar’s novel, Holes is one of my favorite novels to teach in upper elementary, especially fifth grade! I especially love teaching reading skills with
Bell Ringers as a Classroom Management Tool in Middle School ELA
One of my post popular blog posts I have ever written was my ELA Bell Ringers: How They Changed My Life With “That Class” blog
The Socratic Seminar | Assessment | Grading | Student Notebooks | Part Three
In my previous two Socratic Seminar in Middle School and Upper Elementary I outlined the how and the why of seminars. I tend to get
The Socratic Seminar with Novels | Part Two
In my previous Socratic Seminar blog post, I talked all about what the Socratic Seminar is and the research base behind it. I wanted this
Teaching WITH Novels All Year Long: The Fifth Grade Literature and Informational Standards
Teach the Fifth Grade Reading Literature and Informational CCSS Standards with Actual Novels I first wrote this blog post when I was heading into my
