Tagged: writing skills

Add the Power of Poetry to All Your ELA Lessons

Kasey Short finds Brett Vogelsinger’s Poetry Pauses “amazing – and a must read” for middle school English teachers. “The book is original, honest, and filled with practical resources” that can help educators integrate poetry into lessons around any ELA topic or standard.

Pause for Poetry to Lift Writing in All Genres

In his new book English teacher Brett Vogelsinger recommends frequent poetry pauses through the year because building students’ interest in poems can promote growth in all forms of literacy. Reviewer Erin Corrigan-Smith likes the book’s ease of use and multitude of resources.

Writing in Class with Choice and Community

Are you looking for lesson plans and ideas to engage your students as they learn to be confident writers? Lisa Eickholdt and Patricia Vitale-Reilly offer a step-by-step plan to develop writing clubs with variations to keep community interest high all year, says Dawna Brandt.

All You Need to Select and Use Mentor Texts

A Teacher’s Guide to Mentor Texts offers a winning combination – a structured lesson approach, a range of suggested mentor texts, and an overall message adaptable to specific students. Teachers at multiple levels of experience will find it invaluable, writes Sara Pennington.

Take 5! for Science: 150 Helpful Prompts

Take 5! is a handy science resource targeted for K-5 teachers that can also help differentiate instruction in higher grades, says Laura Von Staden. The year’s worth of prompts will help young students to tie science, writing and critical thinking together.

Raising Real-World Writers

In Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts teacher-author Kelly Gallagher shows us how to teach the real-world writing skills our students urgently need, says literacy coach Francesca LoGiudice.