Each month, we share five things we love as part of our Footnotes Newsletter. Take a look at some of our favorite English language arts resources, articles, podcasts, and more we found in October!
Organizing the classroom looks a bit different this year, as Lauralee Moss discovered. From arranging her virtual files to cleaning out classroom clutter, she learned how to measure the value of her teaching materials. See how she tackled this immense task at her blog, Language Arts Classroom.
Lisa Spangler understands that the path to strong reading skills begins with great vocabulary instruction. However, basic word memorization techniques may not work with every student. In this post, Lisa explains how to incorporate movement into your vocabulary instruction to help struggling students store new words in their long-term memory.
Over on Bespoke ELA, teacher and blogger Meredith discusses how to effectively use online discussion boards as a way to keep students engaged with your lessons and create a record of their work. Try using her tips the next time you host an online classroom conversation.
To help you control the chaos of remote learning, language arts teacher Mrs. Beers has created a free Zoom classroom rules template you can use to communicate expectations and online etiquette with your students. Download the template at her blog!
Finally, consider listening to this important episode of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers podcast, especially if you’re feeling stressed about teaching in the time of COVID-19. Angela gives excellent advice on gracefully approaching unreasonable teaching expectations and setting boundaries between your work and personal life.