171 Search results

For the term "Language Arts Resources".

What Picture Books Add to a Middle School Class

Katie Durkin has begun adding picture books and read alouds to her seventh grade classes. She finds that in units like historical fiction and social justice, they bring students a sense of nostalgia, help them grasp difficult abstract concepts, and create a shared experience.

Using 100-Word Stories for Expansive Writing

100-Word Stories: A Short Form for Expansive Writing by Kim Culbertson and Grant Faulkner is a wonderful resource for teaching with micro texts and for helping students in levels 5-12 develop both writing and reading mastery, writes middle school ELA teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith.

Books to Help Students Explore Body Image

As students experience physical and emotional changes as part of adolescent development, body image can become a complex and sensitive topic. Reading books that explore body image can help. Kasey Short shares some favorite titles and questions for reflection and discussion.

History: Pairing Primary Sources and the Arts

Jennifer Bogard and Lisa Donovan share ways to humanize social studies and bolster student engagement with history by pairing Library of Congress primary sources and arts-integration strategies. Try their lesson plans for altered text, soundscapes, and sketching to observe.

Broaden Close Reading Beyond the Printed Page

Classrooms that teach a broad range of close reading skills are not only rich with texts but host a wide range of types of texts, from traditional to digital to hyperlinked to hybrid, writes ELA teacher Jason DeHart. Critical student thinking needs to occur in all these spaces.

Class Libraries to Inspire and Challenge Readers

Using their own experiences with classroom libraries and ideas from other professionals, Colby Sharp and Donalyn Miller provide insight, wisdom, and actionable practices for teachers in The Commonsense Guide to Your Classroom Library. Katie Durkin highly recommends it.