I often see this question on language arts and social studies worksheets: “Put these events in order.” Yes, it’s low-level, but the real problem is that it’s a one-off. Let’s make a sequence of questions about the order of events.
Content Area: Language Arts
Updating Old Questions: A Character’s Bedroom
An under-developed task in which students designed a character’s room.
Updating Old Questions: Name That Genre!
What can we do once students correctly identify a story’s genre?
Updating Old Questions: Identify Figurative Language
What do we do after a student can identify the type of figurative language?
Updating Old Questions: Context Clues
Most context clue worksheets have incredibly low expectations.
Picture Books and Stories for Introducing Depth and Complexity
Three picture books that I’ve used (or would use) to introduce Depth and Complexity to students of any age.
Free Verse from A Particular Point of View
My go-to writing task is a free verse poem written from a particular perspective. I learned this idea from my boss, Sandi, who learned it from Joan Franklin Smutny (I think!). You can use ANYTHING as your prompt. A piece of art works well to introduce the idea, but you can move to writing once […]
How Do We Make On-Level Writers Into Advanced Writers?
I knew how to help my below-level writers become on-level. But how the heck do you make the next step?
How To Run A Novel Study
When you read a book with students, avoid getting bogged down with the nitty-gritty. Just pick one big idea and have fun reading! No quizzes, no memorizing, no essays. Just develop your students’ love of reading.
Writing in Pi-lish
Here’s the perfect constraint for March! Writing with the digits of Pi.