February 27, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

In Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, Mare Barrow finds herself leading the cause against the "Reds," but when her quest to find others like her leads to the death of innocent people, she is forced to question the path she has taken. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they've always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
In Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, Mare Barrow finds herself leading the cause against the "Reds," but when her quest to find others like her leads to the death of innocent people, she is forced to question the path she has taken. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: I loved The Red Queen, the first book in this series and couldn't wait to read the Glass Sword; it didn't disappoint. It was just as packed with action and twists in the plot. Mare still can't be certain who she can trust. Her relationships with family and friends are strained by her quest to find others with powers like herself, and her own motives are questioned as innocent lives are lost. Some events at the end of the book seemed a bit rushed and I had to reread to make sure I caught everything. The ending scene also seemed incredibly abrupt until I realized there was a third book in the series.

Classroom application: Like The Red Queen, this novel would appealing to middle school and high schoolers, male and female students. If you have students that couldn't get enough of series like The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, hand them this book to get them started on another great series. The novel could be used as a choice in studying the genre of fantasy or in a comparison of dystopian worlds.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Glass Sword for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

February 26, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Teaching Whole Class Novels

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about teaching whole class novels.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.




Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.


We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, February 28, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about teaching whole class novels.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: What novels do you usually teach? Include a grade level. #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: Are novels read whole class? In literature circles or book clubs? In class? Or for homework? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What are the most important skills for you to cover when reading a novel? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: Describe the most engaging activities that accompany your novel studies. #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share a resource for teaching a novel that you find invaluable (book, article, blog post, type of technology, etc.). #2ndaryELA
The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurlbitlygoo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

February 24, 2017

Interactive Notebooks & Hands-on Learning: Engaging Middle & High School Students

Take note taking to a new level with interactive notebooks. Your students will take pride in their work and they'll have a handy reference tool to use throughout the year. In this chat, middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed hands-on activities like scrambles and foldables. Teachers also shared the positives of using interactive notebooks at the secondary level. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about interactive notebooks and hands-on learning in the ELA classroom. Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed hands-on activities like scrambles and foldables. Teachers also shared the positives of using interactive notebooks at the secondary level.

Read through the chat below to see pictures of favorite interactive notebook pages. You'll get ideas about how to plan out an interactive notebook for a unit or for the year. You'll also find ways to minimize time spent of cutting and pasting.

Hope you'll join us on Tuesday February 28th to discuss teaching novels in the ELA classroom. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

February 20, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Mosquitoland by David Arnold

In Mosquitoland by David Arnold, Mim hops on a bus to see her ailing mother without her father's permission. This teen girl's journey from Mississippi to Ohio, is filled with adventure, misadventure, and a cast of colorful characters. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the “wastelands” of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Why I liked it: It took me a while to get comfortable with Mim, the protagonist of Mosquitoland. One distractor was constantly thinking of the character of the same name from The Sword in the Stone, though the characters have nothing else in common. The larger issue, though likely intended by the author, was immediately being unsure of how much to trust Mim as a narrator. From the start she comes off as dramatic, but as the book goes on, you begin to realize that she is probably struggling with mental illness. You can't help but wonder which events are true, exaggerated, or possibly just in Mim's head.
In Mosquitoland by David Arnold, Mim hops on a bus to see her ailing mother without her father's permission. This teen girl's journey from Mississippi to Ohio, is filled with adventure, misadventure, and a cast of colorful characters. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

On her journey from Mississippi to Ohio, Mim meets a cast of colorful characters like Arlene, Walt, and Beck, but also darker ones like Poncho Man and Caleb. Similar to Devil and the Bluebird, there is some magical realism present in Mosquitoland as extraordinary events happen and characters and events come together in strange coincidences.


There are several plot twists at the end of the novel, and although I suspected that something was up, I didn't have them figured out. Throughout the novel, you think Mim is writing to her aunt, but she is really writing to her unborn baby sister who will bear the same name. It turns out that her mother is not physically ill; she is suffering from depression, and Mim's stepmother isn't the villain she makes her out to be.

Classroom application: The novel could be used as an addition to literature circles focused around the issue of mental illness. Challenger Deep would be another great choice and is included in this list of other young adult literature titles deemed as accurately portraying mental health issues.

As I was reading Mosquitoland, Mim often seemed genderless to me. I wondered if that was the author's intention or a complication of a male author writing from a teenage girl's perspective. I would love to hold a classroom debate on the topic to see if students think that author's can write convincingly from a gender (or even a race or religion or culture) that is not their own.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Mosquitoland for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.
Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

February 19, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Interactive Notebooks & Hands-on Learning

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about interactive notebooks and hands-on learning.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.




Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.


We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, February 21, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about interactive notebooks and hands-on learning.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: How are you already using INBs/ISNs or other hands-on tools in your classroom? Share a photo or two! #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: What positive outcomes have you witnessed with these learning tools? Tell us about your favorite page. #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What struggles or questions do you still have about INBs/ISNs? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What’s next for INBs/ISNs in your classroom? What goals or ideas do you have to improve this tool? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share resources for interactive notebooks and hands-on learning in the classroom (e.g. blog posts, Pinterest ideas). #2ndaryELA
The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurlbitlygoo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

February 13, 2017

On My Bookshelf: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is told using a third person limited narrator, and focuses on Bruno, a young German boy growing up during World War II. Although the novel is fictional, it presents a child's perspective of the choices one family makes during a terrible time in history. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Why I liked it: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a book I wish I had read before seeing the movie. While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, there's no question that the book is better. It's told using a third person limited narrator, and focuses on Bruno, a young German boy growing up during World War II. Although the novel is fictional, it presents a child's perspective of the choices one family makes during a terrible time in history. 
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is told using a third person limited narrator, and focuses on Bruno, a young German boy growing up during World War II. Although the novel is fictional, it presents a child's perspective of the choices one family makes during a terrible time in history. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

The relationships between the family members (and a few of their employees) are complex and well-developed. Bruno's father, a Nazi officer is assigned to oversee a concentration camp, which the reader gradually realizes is Auschwitz, despite Bruno's repeated mispronunciation. His father expects both Bruno and his older sister to act mature beyond their years, but also tries to shelter them from the ugly truths surrounding them. Bruno, his sister, and his mother all struggle with the isolation of their new home. Bruno's interpretations and misunderstandings of events are most convincing and consequently heartbreaking.

Classroom application: The novel would be an excellent addition to Holocaust themed literature circles or book clubs, especially for middle school grades because of of the lack of violence and brutality present in so many texts on the topic. After reading, students could do a comparison of the novel and the movie (it is rated PG-13, but for mature themes related to the Holocaust; IMDb has a thorough explanation).

The novel could also be used as a mentor text for students to write about other historical events from a child's perspective. Have students select a historical event and determine the age of their main character. Students would then determine what facts about the event a child that age would know and understand, what information he or she might know and misunderstand, and what information would be hidden from him or her because of their age. Students would have to decide how their character would explain unknowns to himself or herself (i.e. Bruno decides that the prisoners' uniforms must be pajamas). Depending on the historical even selected, students might be able to find journals or other first hand accounts from children to help them shape their narratives.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

You can find all of my teaching resources for the Holocaust here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

February 12, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Vocabulary & Grammar

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about teaching vocabulary and grammar.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.




Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.


We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, February 14, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about teaching vocabulary and grammar.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: Do you teach grammar separately or incorporate it into other aspects of your ELA curriculum? Explain. #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: How do you avoid boring grammar lessons? #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: Do you teach vocabulary in isolation or incorporate it into other aspects of your ELA curriculum? Explain. #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What are your favorite activities for practicing vocabulary? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: Share your favorite grammar and vocabulary resources. #2ndaryELA
The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurlbitlygoo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

February 10, 2017

Unmotivated & Disengaged Learners: Dealing With Difficult Student Behaviors

Too many heads down on desks and not enough participation? Too many missing assignments and not enough time on task? In this chat. middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed how they motivate students in their own classroom and school wide systems that reinforce positive behavior. Teachers also shared how they handle apathetic, off task, and disruptive students. Read through the chat for ideas to implement in your own classroom.
This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about unmotivated and disengaged students in the ELA classroom. Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed how they motivate students in their own classroom and school wide systems that reinforce positive behavior. Teachers also shared how they handle apathetic, off task, and disruptive students.

Read through the chat below for ways to build relationships with students and no/low cost rewards. You'll get ideas about how to reengage disinterested learners. You'll also find ways to get students back on task without embarrassing them.

Hope you'll join us on Tuesday February 24th to discuss teaching vocabulary and grammar in the ELA classroom. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

February 6, 2017

On My Bookshelf: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

If you couldn't get enough of the characters from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, you'll want to read this collection of short stories. Stars Above gives insight into many of the characters' beginnings plus provides a happily ever after ending to the saga. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: The enchantment continues. . . . The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories - five of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Why I liked it: I loved the Lunar

Chronicles and Stars Above gave me just a little more insight into many of the characters' beginnings as well as a "happily ever after" that wasn't part of the original series. There is a chapter devoted to how Wolf became part of Queen Levana's army, Winter and Jacuin's childhood friendship, how Scarlet came to live with her grandmother, Cinder's introduction to her adopted family, Carswell''s misadventures in school, Cinder and the Prince's first meeting told from his point of view, and how Cress became trapped in her satellite. 
If you couldn't get enough of the characters from Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, you'll want to read this collection of short stories. Stars Above gives insight into many of the characters' beginnings plus provides a happily ever after ending to the saga. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Classroom application: Introduce students to the concept of fan fiction, fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator. You could have them check out a few sites to see if any fan fiction exists for any of their favorite stories (if you have younger students you may want to preview the sites or even specific stories to make sure the content is PG enough).

Once students get the idea, have them write short stories about characters in their favorite novel or a recently read whole class novel. The short stories should give backstory that the original novel did not include or pick up where the original novel ended. The challenge is incorporating details from the original text and maintaining consistency.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Stars Above for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

February 5, 2017

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat Topic: Motivating Students & Handling Difficult Behavior

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Tuesday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about motivating students and dealing with difficult behavior.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven & Kristy, 2 Peas and a Dog host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.




Looking for the recap? Click on the image below.


We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, February 7, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about motivating students and dealing with difficult behavior.

The Format:
8:00 Intros: What and where do you teach? Include a link to your blog if you have one. #2ndaryELA
8:05 Q1: Share your most successful classroom strategies for motivating students. #2ndaryELA
8:10 Q2: Does your school have a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program? Explain. #2ndaryELA
8:15 Q3: What do you do with students who are apathetic about learning? #2ndaryELA
8:20 Q4: What’s your preferred method of redirecting off task students? #2ndaryELA
8:25 Q5: How do you handle constantly disruptive students? #2ndaryELA
The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “All tweets.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurlbitlygoo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

February 3, 2017

Text Based Drawings: A Creative Way to Get Students to Use Evidence from the Text

Asking students to cite evidence for every single question they answer when reading and responding to a text might be good practice and ensure that they are reading closely, but it also becomes repetitive. One way to mix things up is to ask students to draw a picture and label it based on details from the text.  Read on for more about this strategy and to see student examples.
Asking students to cite evidence for every single question they answer when reading and responding to a text might be good practice and ensure that they are reading closely, but it also becomes repetitive. One way to mix things up is to ask students to draw a picture and label it based on details from the text.  

For example, as my students did a close reading of a passage from Chapter 1 of Of Mice and Men, they looked for the differences between the two main characters, George and Lennie. 

They used one color/symbol for George and another color/symbol for Lennie. Lots of students busted out their highlighter collection or colored pencils, but underlining, circling, starring, etc. works too. On a second read of the passage, students looked for language that compared the characters to animals and marked that with a third color/symbol.
Asking students to cite evidence for every single question they answer when reading and responding to a text might be good practice and ensure that they are reading closely, but it also becomes repetitive. One way to mix things up is to ask students to draw a picture and label it based on details from the text.  Read on for more about this strategy and to see student examples.

One of the after reading activities was to draw and label a picture of Lennie using details from the text. Students had already identified these details in their close reading, but drawing Lennie helped students to better visualize what this character looks like and how he behaves. It was also a creative way of getting students to pull evidence from the text without just having them write.

As we continued reading Of Mice and Men, we did another close reading of the text, this time focused on a scene where Curley's wife is introduced in into Chapter 2. After reading, students drew and labeled a picture of her using details from the text.

This hands-on activity will engage your visual learners and even non-artistic students will love comparing their drawings with others. A slight variation of this activity would be to make copies of the page or pages that you would like students to pull evidence from. Students could then cut out the details describing the character, setting, etc. and glue it onto their drawing.

You can find all of my Of Mice and Men resources, including the activities and close readings described above, here.