Language Arts and Literacy

Beyond Cool Garb

T-shirt literacy and social justice education for diverse adolescent learners. Graphic T-shirts have always had a special place in my life. One of my favorite pieces of clothing in my closet is an old “Schoolhouse Rock!” T-shirt. The shirt features the old PBS television show’s classic logo along with some of the show’s memorable characters,

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LGBT Literature in the Classroom

Future teachers encourage integrating LGBT texts. Early adolescence has been identified as a time of great change and transition. Visible physical changes occur at disparate rates and cause many young adolescents to feel uncomfortable about their differences. Young adolescents are also exploring self and social boundaries. For gay and lesbian youth, suicide is one of

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Joy in Reading: A Middle School Literacy Enrichment Program

A middle school community intentionally creates opportunities and experiences for all students to develop a love for reading. Only two remain. The girl and boy glance earnestly about as the votes are cast. One by one, the members present their decision to their leader. Once the elder finalizes the count, the group roars as the

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Addressing Writer’s Block Through Physical Movement

Encouraging student thinking and writing with opportunities for movement. Almost all students will experience writer’s block at one time or another. Helping them work through this common experience with the use of physical activity may add success to the writing process for all students. There are several reasons why students encounter writer’s block, and it

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20 Literacy Strategies for Engaging the Middle Level Brain

Effective ways to enhance reading and writing experiences. Recently, I was teaching a language arts class in Logan, West Virginia. The objective of the lesson was to analyze the impact of tradition on human behavior using narrative text. Sounds really dull, doesn’t it? It could have been, had I not used engaging strategies to facilitate

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