The Georgia Department of Education English Language Arts division has its very own Twitter account and has been hosting a weekly series this academic school year of “Twitter takeovers”…
Eclectic and diverse 8th grade reading list. 12-14 year olds will love this collection of realism, fantasy books, historical fiction novels and even poetry.
An English teacher’s life is packed, and for the most part on top of that, we are doing more than just teaching English. For me, I’m the yearbook adviser, the graduation coordinator, senior class sponsor, member of the leadership committee, etc. I’m sure your situation is similar. So, when I can cut down on what […]
Learn fun literacy and math ideas.
Recommended books for a 7th grade summer reading list. Good variety of books in different genres, formats and themes.
Ignite a love for learning using stories, teaching subjects in a gentle way. Embrace learning with a literature-based homeschool curriculum!
The Odyessey, the story of a hero's journey that can be difficult to teach! Find fun ways to teach The Odyssey while allowing your students to work colaboratively!
Check out over 14 resources that should add to your 8th-grade homeschool curriculum. Includes resources for math, English, history, and even Spanish.
Today I am excited to welcome Kim from English Oh My as our guest blogger. She has some great ideas for teaching students to comprehend poetry in a manageable way. Enjoy! Happy April, and Happy National Poetry Month! Poetry is a timeless genre, and it is a part of most English Language curriculum. When I tell […]
I finally nailed teaching symbolism! Using candy was both engaging and efficient - a major win that students remembered all year long!
Yes, reading aloud to middle school students in 7th and 8th grade benefits them just as much as in elementary school. Immeasurably.
Pretend you're an alien from outer space ...
Hyperbole is when you use language to exaggerate what you mean or emphasize a point. We drown you with a million hyperbole examples.
I LOVE POETRY! I love to read it, write it, and teach it, and above all, I want my students to love it too! In order for them to love it, however, they have to understand it. I've always had a difficult time getting students to think deeply when it comes to poetry analysis, so I decided to develop a new process this year to help them practice. I ended up with a seven step process. To practice, I put together a packet of six of my personal favorite poems. We went through the packet together, in groups, individually, etc. until I felt confident that my students were getting it. Then, I gave them a pop quiz using the same process! I have put this packet on my Teachers Pay Teachers account for free, so go download it and use it! One thing that isn't on TPT, though, is the Google Presentation I used with the packet. You can check that out here! Here are the seven steps: Number the lines in each poem, and label the rhyme scheme if there is one. Read the poem several times. Circle any unknown words. Summarize each stanza. Annotate the poem by noticing and labeling any literary devices, figurative language, symbolism, imagery, etc. Identify the major theme of the poem, and provide evidence to support your choice. Identify your favorite line or phrase from the poem, and explain why you chose it as your favorite. Choose one of the unknown words you circled and develop a definition (in your own words!) based on context clues from the poem. And here are some examples of the poems once they have been analyzed!
Make your reading come alive with Google Lit Trips. Your students will love visiting places all over the world that are mentioned in your book.
Don't let your literature anthology dictate the short stories you read with your middle school and high school students. There are so many wonderful short stories out there, many of which can be used to teach a variety of literary elements and paired with other texts. Read on for 13 of my favorites, which literary terms and skills they lend themselves to teaching, plus suggested text pairings and activities.
"Love using film to engage your students? Here are my top 5 films to use in high school ELA classes - for teaching critical theory, concepts in literature, writing, and debate!"
Help your students master identifying the author's purpose with these fun and interactive Author's Purpose Activities for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students. Students will determine if the author is trying to Persuade, Inform or Entertain by reading the short passage on the task card. These Author's Purpose task cards are perfect for a whole class game of Scoot, a small group activity, a partner or an independent center activity. Also included in this resource is a cut and paste author's purpose worksheet for review or reinforcement. Engage students with these interactive activities instead of another reading passage or just more author's purpose worksheets. Your students will love working on identifying the author's purpose with these fun and engaging author's purpose activities. Get the Author's Purpose Bundle here>>> AUTHOR'S PURPOSE BUNDLE Author's Purpose Task Card Activities includes: 12 Author's Purpose Task Cards Student Response Sheet Answer Key Cut and Paste Author's Purpose Worksheet See What Teachers Are Saying: This was a fun hands-on visual activity that allowed students to think about the author's purpose. It was also a great and quick way to assess student understanding of the author's purpose. My students were struggling with Author's Purpose and this resource made it so easy for them to understand the concept. Students were engaged and loved the activities. This helped students determine the author's purpose. I always prefer interactive activities and this was so helpful! More Fun and Engaging Author's Purpose Activities: AUTHOR'S PURPOSE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE (THANKSGIVING) AUTHOR'S PURPOSE (CHRISTMAS) AUTHOR'S PURPOSE (WINTER) AUTHOR'S PURPOSE (FEBRUARY) ⭐ LET’S GET CONNECTED! ⭐ TEACHING SECOND GRADE BLOG TEACHING SECOND GRADE FACEBOOK TEACHING SECOND GRADE PINTEREST TEACHING SECOND GRADE INSTAGRAM HOW TO GET CREDIT TOWARDS FUTURE PURCHASES! Go to your My Purchases page. Next to each purchase, you will see a "Provide Feedback" button. Click on that button and it will take you to a page where you can leave a rating and a comment about the product. Every time you provide feedback, you will earn TPT credits. These can be applied to future purchases to save you money! Yay! FOLLOW MY TPT STORE Click the green star beside my name at the top of this page or Click Here. By doing this, you will see when I add a new product or have upcoming sales! >>> TERMS OF USE <<< All rights reserved. Purchase of this item entitles only the purchaser the right to reproduce the pages for classroom use only. Duplication for an entire school (system) or commercial purposes is strictly forbidden without written permission from the author. Copying any part of this product and placing it on the internet, in any form (not even on a personal / classroom website) is strictly forbidden. This is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright ACT or DMCA. These items can and will be traced back to the publishing site.
Tangerine , by Edward Bloor, is my absolute FAVORITE novel to read with my 8th graders! Even though our district uses an anthology-b...
10 engaging, high-quality ideas and resources to refresh your Fahrenheit 451 activities in your secondary ELA classroom.
What is Literature? In this activity students explore this question by looking at not only novels and poems, but also songs, photos, and advertisements.
Your students will LOVE practicing their comprehension skills while playing Jenga. The interactive component will help students retain the knowledge, too! Whether you're playing as a whole class or in small groups, this resource will leave a lasting impression on students. Looking for a unique and creative activity for your students’ reading comprehension practice? Look no further! This (editable) Literary Jenga game is the perfect way to strengthen students’ skills in a fun and engaging way. All questions are written in a way that will strengthen students’ literary reading and overall comprehension skills. What's included? Teacher directions for setup Teacher directions for implementation 54 printable task cards for Jenga pieces All questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy and encourage higher-order thinking Editable pieces for personalized questions and prompts Literary Jenga score sheet Bonus Features: Can be used with ANY novel or short story. An editable version of this resource is included so that you can customize, add and delete items that fit your students. This resource works well for grades 7-12. The questions are worth different points based on their level of complexity (differentiation). Pink: 2 points – Remember and Recall Green: 4 points – Apply and Analyze Blue: 6 points – Evaluate and Create Check out what other teachers, just like you, are saying about this resource: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Perfect for my class to use on "fun days" and when I feel they need a little break. They are still learning, but they are also having fun." -Vanessa R. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This is such an engaging way to review literary elements using our current novel study!" -Antionette G. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "My students have loved this resource to engage and connect with what they are reading. They even ask when we get to play again " -Christopher H. Connect with Me SuperHERO Teacher Blog Find me on Facebook Find me on Instagram Find me on Pinterest Find me on Snapchat: Superheroteach
Find short stories difficult to teach? Here are five of my favourites that your students will love to analyze. A free lesson plan will be available, too!
Middle grade books are admittedly some of my favorites to read. Both when I was in middle school and now as an adult. My only regret is that I hardly read
Use these brand new 8th-grade writing prompts to help your students prepare for the coming year and stay focused on all the challenges that lie ahead.
Jumpstart your literary analysis instruction with these engaging and effective activities and mini lessons for middle and high school ELA!
