Language Arts and Literacy

After-Reading Response: Using Found Poetry for Synthesizing Text

Found poetry encourages readers to choose important details from text that they can use to demonstrate and share meaning Much of the writing we assign our students is public writing—writing to communicate with others. Writing-to-learn is personal writing, writing that helps students increase comprehension of texts—fiction and nonfiction—in all disciplines. Reader response compels readers to

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Contemporary Music Connections to The Diary of Anne Frank

Helping students draw meaning and demonstrate skills in discussing thematic elements Teaching literacy skills through the story of Anne Frank has evolved for me—I’ve learned so much through my students and what they like in the music world! Their creativity and insights show academic progress, but even more importantly show me their middle school selves—feelings

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Social and Emotional Learning through YA Literature

Classroom strategies for using literature to help students with daily struggles It didn’t take long to realize Marissa was not going to be focused on the day’s lesson. Shortly after arriving in class, she took her seat, placed her head in her hands, and started crying. She shared that her best friend had betrayed her.

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During-Reading Response: Visual Response or Drawing through the Text

Ideas for helping readers visualize text to promote comprehension at deeper levels Much of the writing we assign our students is public writing: writing to communicate with others. Writing-to-learn is personal writing, writing that helps students increase comprehension of texts—fiction and nonfiction—in all disciplines. Reader response compels readers to interact with the text and makes

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Now What?

Connecting students with what they’re reading by pairing texts with real world experiences Once we’ve learned to read, reading becomes a tool that helps us learn. Creating a learning experience that incorporates reading deeply, however, can be a challenge for today’s teachers. How can we make reading relevant for today’s students? How do we convince

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