Language Arts Education Articles for Teachers

Why is language important? Or better yet, why is such a complicated language important? Having the biological ability to speak is not necessarily justification for creating a language that allows us to share complex thought, feelings, and emotions. Anthropologists would argue that language was in...

In the age of Common Core State Standard shifts and next generation assessments, many educators find themselves asking the same question: Is my curriculum aligned, engaging, and encouraging critical thinking skills? That said, we’re all left with the same task: evaluating and revising content to ...

Easy as pie—well that’s the way the workshop gurus made it sound at the several writing instruction conferences I have attended over the years. No matter how many “how to” books, writing structure worksheets, and template organizers I purchased, my writers continued to struggle with revising to i...

In the wake of next generation assessments, kids are required to demonstrate a high skill, accuracy, and knowledge level of multiple content areas and concepts. This leads every classroom teacher to the same question, “Am I effectively preparing my students?” Reflecting on that question myself, ...

As we increase our use of nonfiction texts in the classroom, everyone can feel overwhelmed. Teachers struggle to find engaging resources and activities, and pupils often struggle with comprehending and organizing the text's components. Furthermore, extending pupils’ knowledge beyond basic identif...

A man is on a walk with his dog when he comes across a good friend of his. The man says, “Guess what? I taught my dog how to whistle.” The friend says, “Really? That’s incredible. Can I hear?” The man says, “I said that I taught him, I didn't say he learned it.” I hate to be the one to break the...

What kinds of engaging and academic activities do you do with your class post-testing? Standardized tests are over, but school is still in session. In fact, most of us have quite a few weeks of school left. For older learners (middle/high school, maybe even sixth grade), consider a research proje...

It's not too early! If you're like me, you might have rules about not admitting it to yourself until May, but the end of the school year is just around the corner and with it come the joys and pressures of wrapping up the year in a nice, neat Pinterest-worthy package. Right? Well, sort of. End-of...

For some children, the first day of kindergarten is also the first time they will meet people from other cultures, religions and races. Understanding that not all children look the same, act the same, or believe the same thing can be shocking for young learners. As a teacher, try using the follow...

Like many of my colleagues, two similar phrases I attach to all reading response questions and writing prompts are, “…support your answer with specific textual evidence,” or “…cite evidence from the text to support your response.” Over the course of the school year, these phrases have become mant...

In honor of Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day. Organized by the International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY), the purpose of the day is to honor children’s literature, and to promote a love of reading. The inspiring and positive message thi...

The Common Core State Standards are on the minds and lips of educators across America. With ELA’s increased focus on text complexity, informational texts, and evidentiary-based reasoning, these standards require a shift not just in what students learn, but also in how they learn it. Implicitly, w...

Now may be a good time to accomplish some general instructional housekeeping duties that tend to grow stagnant as the school year draws closer to the middle point. By now, routines are established, as well as rules, and procedures memorized. Even more, as a language arts teacher, by this time of ...

As even our youngest learners are now required to delve into non-fiction texts, many teachers are left wondering which texts to study or even which themes to explore. Knowing which subject areas are most interesting to children can be difficult. I have found that teaching a unit on bears is a gre...

Are you in search of a classroom novel that is engaging and enriching for all readers? James Swanson’s novel, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, is a fast-paced, nonfiction thriller that accomplishes both requests. It immediately hooks readers’ attention, and takes them through the suspenseful, grueling t...