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, videos, articles, and more we found in June!

1. Improve Your Typing While Reading Classic Literature

Here’s a cool tool to help sharpen those typing skills! In this video, educational vlogger Richard Byrne explores the website Typelit.io, a platform that helps improve typing speed and accuracy by asking users to transcribe passages from famous works of literature.

2. Favorite Reads of Middle Schoolers According to My Students 2022

Every year, ELA teacher Pernille Ripp surveys her seventh graders to see which books in their classroom library really resonated with them. Find over 50 exciting and engaging titles in this huge list of their favorites from this past school year!

3. An Idaho School Board Banned 23 Books. So a Local Bookstore Gave Out Copies for Free

After the Nampa School Board banned several books—some of which the district never had—from its school libraries, a local bookstore decided to act. Thanks to donations, Rediscovered Books gave away free copies of the challenged books to anybody who wanted one, including teachers, parents, and students. As shop co-owner Laura DeLaney explained, “I want us to stop second-guessing our educators on what is and is not appropriate to teach in a school.”

4. Writer’s Workshop Made Simple: How to Easily Plan and Teach Writing Mini-Lessons

Curriculum writer and educator April Smith finds that writing mini-lessons are the perfect strategy for helping students retain key information with limited classroom time. At her blog, April explains how you can integrate these engaging 10-15 minute lessons into your next writing workshop.

5. How I Map Out My School Year in Middle School ELA

Spending time this summer planning for the upcoming school year? See how ELA teacher Martina Cahill approaches curriculum mapping in an organized fashion! From creating a larger curriculum overview to drafting day-by-day plans, Martina walks through her planning process in this insightful blog post.