by Kristin | Oct 8, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Teaching the Standards, Test Prep
Teaching reading skills is quite a challenge in today’s age. I know when I want to learn a new skill, strategy, concept, or idea, I often get frustrated because I have little patience. I feel I should be able to master something in ten minutes or less, and...
by Kristin | Oct 1, 2024 | Short Stories, Teaching the Standards, Test Prep
I can clearly remember reading The Lottery story by Shirley Jackson in 11th grade. My English teacher, Mr. Canning, gave us zero background information, previewed nothing, and just read the story aloud to us. And I still remember the shock the whole class felt at the...
by Kristin | Sep 24, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Teaching the Standards, Test Prep
Sometimes, I feel like I don’t have a clue. After having 4 children in the last 7 years, my mind just isn’t what it used to be. I don’t easily pick up on what people are trying to tell me half the time. I don’t see any true hints or...
by Kristin | Sep 17, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Short Stories, Teaching the Standards
When it comes to selecting what we want to read in our classrooms, we should consider several things like our students’ reading level, text language/vocabulary, complexity, literary value, and engagement. Short stories popular with middle and high school...
by Kristin | Sep 3, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Short Stories, Teaching the Standards
During the fall, creepy short stories catapult into the English classroom with fun and excitement. Who doesn’t love a spooky tale around Halloween? Creepy short stories let the readers experience what we fear without the negative side effects of death,...
by Kristin | Aug 20, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Teaching the Standards, Writing
I will never completely understand why it is considered so “bad” or “lazy” to teach movies in the classroom. As a society, we watch movies ALL of the time. In fact, there are few days I don’t see at least some sort of movie clip, usually...
