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, and more we found in September!
Ever wondered how dialects develop? What about the history behind standardized language? This beautifully animated video hosted by Martin Hilpert of TED-Ed explores the geographic, social, and political factors that help shape the language and dialects we hear and speak every day.
Getting students reading both inside and outside the classroom is easier said than done, but certainly not impossible, especially if you follow these tips by Amy Tobener-Talley. In this guest post for Dr. Catlin Tucker’s blog, Amy highlights four of her favorite strategies for helping students better appreciate and have fun with reading.
Looking to expand your short story collection? Consider these inclusive stories suggested by the Secondary English Coffee Shop’s team of teachers. Featuring diverse characters and settings, these six short stories serve as excellent texts for teaching theme, characterization, symbolism, and other literary elements.
No research paper, persuasive essay, or literary review is complete without proper citations. If your students use Google Docs, making accurate citations is almost foolproof, thanks to a handy feature in the program. Watch computer science teacher Richard Byrne’s quick video tutorial to see how it works.
Getting students to write with purpose and confidence begins by teaching them the importance of choice during the writing process, explains David Lee Finkle in this post for Moving Writers. The first in an ongoing series about choice, this post breaks down the reasons why David chose to move his students away from formulaic thinking and give them more control over their workflow.