Across the United States, many educators will face what often feels like an insurmountable predicament. The goal is to provide students with complex, grade-level academic challenges designed to achieve a rigorous set of standards. The problem is comparable to a 20-foot brick wall in front of us and our students, and we have 120 days … Continue reading The Kids Can Do It: Slow down, Collaborate, and Scaffold by Chelsea Bowker, Austin Castro and Anastassia McNulty
Empowering Voices: Effective Literacy Strategies for Black Boys in K-12 by Keenan Jones
In May of 2005, I set out on a mission to present at the MCTE Conference Duluth, Minnesota, in hopes of providing educators with strategies to empower young Black boys. As a 15 year educator, I have witnessed too many young, intelligent minds fall victim to illiteracy. Alfred Tatum, a leading scholar in Black male … Continue reading Empowering Voices: Effective Literacy Strategies for Black Boys in K-12 by Keenan Jones
A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy by Marek Oziewicz and Emma Ambrosi (Introduced by Emma Ambrosi)
A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy is an informational zine produced by the Center for Climate Literacy at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, with text by Dr. Marek Oziewicz and illustrations by Emma Ambrosi. The initial idea for this zine was to provide a brief and accessible way for the general public to learn … Continue reading A Short Introduction to Climate Literacy by Marek Oziewicz and Emma Ambrosi (Introduced by Emma Ambrosi)
Internalizing the Message by Kay J. Walter
I had a few extra minutes that day when I entered the classroom in which I was teaching composition to second-semester freshmen at my university. I teach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, a public university in rural Arkansas attended mostly by first-generation students of higher education. I try to start each of my … Continue reading Internalizing the Message by Kay J. Walter
#StayWoke: Empowering Students to Respond to Fake News by Mariah Morin & Heather Hurst
As my (Mariah's) own social media feeds were flooded with fake news and articles about fake news, my thoughts turned to students who must also be grappling with the tricky questions of reliability and veracity in this digital landscape. In English classes, we often ask students to be critical consumers of texts and media. The … Continue reading #StayWoke: Empowering Students to Respond to Fake News by Mariah Morin & Heather Hurst
Centering LGBTQ People of Color with Young Adult Literature in Secondary ELA by Cody Miller & Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko
As English language arts teachers, we believe young adult literature offers an avenue for voices and experiences that are largely ignored by canonical texts. LGBTQ voices are among those omitted from many English language arts textbooks. In the past, we relied heavily on young adult literature to provide our students LGBTQ texts. However, the mostly … Continue reading Centering LGBTQ People of Color with Young Adult Literature in Secondary ELA by Cody Miller & Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko
Centering Students’ Voices in a Public Speaking Genre Study by Burke Scarbrough
Today’s students have access to stirring, powerful text in an ever widening array of forms. As we invite our students to discover the power of the carefully crafted written word, many of those students are even more strongly inclined to celebrate the power of language in oral performance. I’m referring to the genres and media … Continue reading Centering Students’ Voices in a Public Speaking Genre Study by Burke Scarbrough
Closing the Door on Standardized Test Preparation and Opening the Door to Next Generation Literacy by Vicky Giouroukakis & Maureen Connolly
Introduction “I want to facilitate learning that helps students be the best versions of themselves.” “I teach to inspire a new generation of book lovers!” “I teach to change lives!” “I teach to show students how BRILLIANT they can be!” These are the words of four … Continue reading Closing the Door on Standardized Test Preparation and Opening the Door to Next Generation Literacy by Vicky Giouroukakis & Maureen Connolly
Dogmatism and Teaching Writing by Alexandra Glynn
The great writing textbooks seldom prompt aspiring writers to be certain. The ancients assumed that they would already be, so there was no need to discuss it. The moderns deride certainty. But how many times have writing teachers had to correct an “I think that the political atmosphere is…” by deleting the “I think”? And … Continue reading Dogmatism and Teaching Writing by Alexandra Glynn
Infographic-Making Activity by Michael MacBride
[pdf version here: MacBride-Infographic-activity] Objective: To encourage the use of charts, graphs, maps, and other infographics in student writing. Approximate Time Required: 30 minutes Materials Needed: A computer with access to the internet and access to the video “Kurt Vonnegut on the shapes of stories” available a number of online locations, including: https://vimeo.com/53286941 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-84vuR1f90 … Continue reading Infographic-Making Activity by Michael MacBride
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