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 January!
1. 21 Teaching Strategies & Tools to Try in 2021
Like most teachers, Miss G found herself scrambling to adapt to the “new normal” at the start of the 2020 school year. Part of that process was finding practical ways to teach remotely without sacrificing student engagement. In this post for her blog, Miss G shares 21 of her favorite tools and strategies she found resonated best with her and her students.
2. Disrupting The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby remains one of the most taught texts in schools, thanks to its renowned critique of American society and values. But there’s more than one way to study this book. This article by #DisruptTexts offers new lenses through which to analyze Fitzgerald’s story and give students a fresh perspective on the work.
3. 3 Tips for Building Community Online
With many schools sticking to virtual and/or hybrid learning as the new year begins, it’s important to continue building stronger relationships as a class. At her blog, Dr. Catlin Tucker presents three strategies you can use to foster class discussion and help students grow more comfortable communicating online with their peers.
4. Essay Writing Organization Hack for Middle School
When she realized her middle school students were struggling to remember how to structure their essays, ELA teacher Lisa Spangler came up with a clever solution. Using mnemonics, she and her students created catchy ways to memorize each step in the essay writing process. Read her blog post to see the mnemonics in action!
5. Teaching Research Skills Online
Getting students excited for research papers is hard enough without distance learning thrown into the mix. But it doesn’t have to be! In this post for the Secondary English Coffee Shop blog, Jackie from Room 213 explores three practical ways to help students sharpen their research skills while away from the physical classroom.