Each month, we share five things we love as part of our Footnotes Newsletter. Have a peek at some of our favorite English language arts articles we read in March!
Even the most reluctant readers will find Leigh Collazo’s book “speed dating” activity a ton of fun. See step-by-step instructions at her blog on how to bring this lesson to your own classroom!
Over at her blog, Erica Beaton shares her rapid-fire approach to teaching Latin roots that will take only minutes of class time to complete. Fun and engaging, this activity is sure to help students remember root words and boost their word-deciphering skills.
If you want to create a more inclusive school library or add variety to your students’ book options, check out Tom Berger’s excellent post at Edutopia. The books on this list were all recommended by teachers and cover different grade levels and reading abilities.
In this piece for NPR, Marcela Davison Avilés examines a new book on Pocahontas by historian Karen Ordahl Kupperman. Consider checking out this review if you’re interested in learning more about the real history of Pocahontas and the complicated relationship between North America’s Indigenous peoples and European settlers.
If you find that some of your students have trouble coming up with writing ideas, give Linda Rief’s clever technique a shot. Her post at The Robb Review outlines her “line borrowing” methodology, in which she has students use one line of prewritten prose as inspiration for their own writing.