Blogs on English Language Arts

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Trisha RicheDecember 14, 2011

Here's an experiment you can conduct in many schools, maybe even the school where you teach. Look through the door of one classroom and you might see the students hunched over, not engaged, even frowning. The teacher looks frazzled, tired and wishing he or she were somewhere else. You might think, "Well, everyone has a bad day." But you might witness this scenario in this teacher's classroom no matter what day you look through the door. For the second part of the experiment, look through the door of another classroom, and you might see a room full of lively students, eager, engaged and participating. The teacher is full of energy and smiling. This happens no matter what day you look through that door.

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Nicholas ProvenzanoDecember 8, 2011

Tis the season for holiday shopping, and I thought it would be perfect to share some very great gift ideas for that special nerd in your family, the one that can be a bit tough to shop for this time of year. Take a look at these five items to warm your favorite Nerd in this cold weather.

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Elena AguilarDecember 6, 2011

It was Monday of the last week before winter break. I arrived at school early, surprised to find Jenny, a shy sixth grader, sitting on the steps outside our room. "Are you looking forward to the break?" I asked as we walked in.

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Virginia Goatley, PhDDecember 2, 2011

Brenda Overturf is a member of the International Reading Association's Board of Directors. You can reach her at boverturf[AT]reading[DOT]org.

This is the final post in a three-part series that examines the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Part one introduced CCSS and provided context for those new to the standards. Part two reviewed the key features that offer opportunities for educators to transform their teaching. In part three, we will take a look at how various states are starting to implement the standards.

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Virginia Goatley, PhDDecember 1, 2011

Brenda Overturf is a member of the International Reading Association's Board of Directors. You can reach her at boverturf[AT]reading[DOT]org.

This is part two of a three-part series that examines the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

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Todd FinleyDecember 1, 2011

I am addicted to searching for inspiring writing prompts. Like playing Pachinko, clicking through education resources soothes and focuses me. My coffee goes cold as I hunt through Twitter and Diigo posts for just one more idea.

I am addicted to searching for inspiring writing prompts. Like playing Pachinko, clicking through education resources soothes and focuses me. My coffee goes cold as I hunt through Twitter and Diigo posts for just one more idea. Read More

Virginia Goatley, PhDNovember 30, 2011

Brenda Overturf is a member of the International Reading Association's Board of Directors. You can reach her at boverturf[AT]reading[DOT]org.

In this series of three posts, we aim to provide an overview of the ELA Common Core State Standards (ELA CCSS) to inform educators, parents, and community members about basic concepts and implementation.

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Heather Wolpert-GawronNovember 21, 2011

I'm currently prepping my classes for another research unit, this one a blend of Memoir, Advocacy, and Speech Writing. After all, never in real life are genres categorized. They blend together; and the Common Core assessments to come recognize the desegregation of writing genres and the need for performance-based assessments.

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Autumn CrispNovember 1, 2011

Cocooned in the safety of a library carrel, students can travel the world via Google Earth and see live video feed of the Doll's Festival in Japan. The haiku master Basho had to travel on foot for the same event, sleeping on hard floors in flea-infested straw. Today, students can peruse images of the English countrysides, full of the oxlips, nodding violets, and sweet musk-roses that inspired Shakespeare, without dampening their sneakers in dew or suffering the consequences of allergies. They can listen to the voices of strangers telling their life stories on podcasts and add their own stories to the voicethread of the world.

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