English Education Articles for Teachers - Page 6

The Internet truly is the information highway. As a teacher, you can search for lessons, ideas, videos, organizational tips, reference guides, and the list goes on and on. With time constantly eluding me, I started bookmarking the websites I visit most frequently. Divided into three sections (gra...

  April is National Poetry Month. Get your young poets into the mood with a St. Patrick's Day limerick writing warm-up. When I introduced limerick writing to my eighth and eleventh grade classes for St. Patrick's Day, I was very surprised how much fun all ages and all skill levels had with limer...

This article is a metaphor. Or maybe it's like a simile. Perhaps this article is to metaphors as similes are to analogies? Comparisons, whether metaphors, similes, or analogies, are often confusing to younger grade levels; even without throwing in epic similes, extended metaphors, and other furt...

Even though J. D. Salinger lived to be ninety-one, passing away in 2010, we know very little about him since his last published work in 1965. The author was notoriously reclusive, and reluctant to share information with fans or the press. However, this could change soon, with PBS landing the righ...

While teaching writing/grammar at a charter school, I frantically searched for new, interesting writing prompts to stimulate my middle school students. First, I brainstormed at least fifty topics that seemed interesting to me. Then, I turned to the Internet. After that, I bought a conversation cu...

As a writing teacher, I am always looking for ways to bring writing contests into my classroom. Not only is there a natural purpose highlighted, but there are often outside incentives that drive student motivation. This contest is no exception; third place is a $2,500 scholarship, second place is...

Not so very long ago, a letter in the mail could've meant any of the following: news of a far-away loved one, a letter from a soldier at war, or a child away from home for the first time. My mother remembers when her father would gather the younger children around the dinner table to hear the new...

I’ve always really enjoyed teaching inferences, and hopefully you do too. In this article, I’m going to provide you with some specific materials you can use right away to help teach the concept of supported inferences in a systematic and engaging way. In early reading books, things happen and the...

Memorization allows scholars to warehouse, if you will, a stockpile of concepts. Important background information will only help learners throughout their lives. Also, the creativity process is a mysterious one. The more useful concepts that students have stored, the easier it is for their minds ...

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” - Ansel Adams I found this to be true with this small computer lab assignment designed for the end of our study of exploration literature. As we have all learned through our work with young people, if we ...

  I am like an airplane. I love the sky. Allowing students a chance to express a little bit of who they are, is rewarding for them... I am like a burning candle. I try to light the way for others. I am like a crow. I enjoy eating things out of my garden! It seems so simple, so cliché almo...

When teens talk about the books on their required reading lists, they might use the word boring. This can often happen because they don’t see the stories as relevant. While an appreciation of the classics is a must, Teen Read Week, which begins Oct. 16th, can be a time to explore the kinds of lit...

Dr. Eric E. Schmidt, chairman of the board and CEO of Google, Inc. said, in his 2009 commencement speech to PennState, "None of us is as smart as all of us." He spoke this message to college graduates, but it is not any less true for elementary, middle, and high school pupils. Teaching the next g...

Illustrator/author Maurice Sendak brought literature to vivid life with his illustrations long before Where the Wild Things Are was published in 1963. Sendak began illustrating books for his brother at age 11. His artwork came to widespread awareness with the publication in 1957 of Little Bear by...

As a high school English teacher, I think it is very important that my students be able to critically evaluate the reliability of text and identify bias in print. Every year, I implement a non-fiction unit in which students are introduced to a variety of texts and I ask them to examine the author...