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Creating a Writers' Workshop in a Secondary Classroom. In the middle of the school year, I always regret my choice of becoming an AP and Honors English teacher. Not because I hate to teach, but because I'm always swimming in essays that I have to grade. In order to accommodate the load, I adapted the elementary way of thinking and formed a writers' workshop for my own classroom. Once they participate in the workshop, students are able to learn how to revise their own essays.

Because of this, the time it takes for me to grade essays is literally cut in half. Suggestions for Implementing a Writers' Workshop in Your Classroom 1. Station Rotation Model When I conduct writers' workshops in my own classroom, I adapt the station rotation model of blended learning. 2. Every time I conduct a writers' workshop, I survey the students and ask them what skills they would like to practice. Examples of Stations 1. 2.

For those who use Google documents in their schools, Kaizena is an excellent resource. 3. 4. 5. Review the format of an essay with students. Taking notes. Mark: What’s the matter? Clare: I’ve got a history exam on Friday and I’m worried I’ll fail it.Mark: Why? You’re brilliant at history.Clare: It isn’t difficult but I have to remember a lot of information. These are my notes from today.Mark: Can I see? Clare: Yes.Mark: These aren’t notes! This is a full text! Clare: What do you mean? Kids Songs that Build Literacy Skills. Sentence-Phrase-Word: Capturing the essence of a text | Art Least. In this post I will describe the Sentence-Phrase-Word thinking routine. It is a routine that helps learners engage meaningfully with a text with a focus on capturing “what speaks to them”. It also calls for them to justify their choices which makes it a useful springboard into a speaking activity.

Step 1 After reading a text ask students to identify: a sentence that was important, meaningful to thema phrase that moved thema word that struck them as powerful Students can work individually, in pairs or in groups. Step 2Students can present and share their selections of sentences/phrases/words. Step 3 After sharing invite students to reflect on the discussion. Step 4 If possible, post all answers in the classroom and provide some time for students to think again on their classmates’ sentences/phrases/words. Classroom experienceI have tried this routine on two occasions so far. The second time was with Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree while working on the topic of deforestation. Like this: The Wisdom of the Aged. After nearly a year of answering questions, John Sorensen posed one of his own: “Do you know what you want to do when you get old?” It was a day of frustration for Mr. Sorensen, whose 92nd birthday was the day after Christmas.

He was in the kitchen of his Upper West Side apartment, holding pieces of a mop that he could not put back together. had made his fingers almost useless, and his right arm hung limp from a torn rotator cuff. Just combing his hair that morning was a struggle. “It makes me mad,” he said, speaking about what his life had come to. But flip the perspective, and it was another day in a long and rich life. “I’ve had a good life,” he said in the kitchen, retrieving a moment that was more vivid to him than the recent past. To live with a memory like that — was that life, and was it a life worth living? This video is not currently supported on your browser. Continue reading the main story Video Do you know what you want to do when you get old?

Photo For Ms. And age group Ms. Mr. Stories About People (Biographies) in Easy-to-Understand English. There are 265 fifteen-minute MP3 files and 11 shorter MP3 files. That is about 66 hours of listening. Activists & People Important to Social Reform Betty Friedan - Women's RightsCesar Chavez - Labor ActivistFrederick Douglass - African-Americans's RightsJane Jacobs - Activist, Writer, Moral Thinker And EconomistLabor Leaders: Samuel Gompers, John L.

Lewis, Walter Reuther, A. Philip Randolph, and Cesar ChavezMargaret Sanger - Led the Fight for Birth Control for WomenMartin Luther King, Jr. - Part 1- African-Americans's RightsMartin Luther King, Jr. - Part 2Molly BrownRosa Parks - - African-Americans's RightsSamuel Gompers - 'The Grand Old Man of Labor'Susan B. Anthony - Women's RightsW.E.B. Du Bois - African-Americans's RightsNote: Many people listed in other categories were also activists. Artists Athletes (People Who Do Sports) Business & Industry Henry Ford - Part 1 - Automobiles / CarsHenry Ford - Part 2Katharine Graham - Owner and Publisher of The Washington PostMadam C.J. Entertainers. Storyline Online - Where Reading Is Fun! Literature Circle Teaching Resources a Pinteresten. Summarizing & Notetaking. Balanced Literacy Framework. If you're using a Balanced Literacy approach in your classroom, you'll find these materials to be helpful.

The top part of the page provides a lot of information about how to use the balanced literacy framework including a written descriptions of the components. You can find six featured freebies at the top of this page; if you are interested in jumping right to the full list of printables at the bottom of the page, click this Literacy Printables link. Featured Literacy Freebies 90 Minute Literacy Block Components 1. Whole Group Instruction (30 minutes) - When I'm using the Balanced Literacy Framework for my reading instruction, I use the first 30 minutes of my Literacy Block to introduce new skills and use direct teaching methods. Some days I introduce new spelling words or conduct word wall activities. 2. 3. Note: Some weeks I don't use a menu, especially if I want students to do specific activities on certain days. 60 Minute Literacy Block Suggestions Featured Literacy Mini Packs.