Language Arts Education Articles for Teachers - Page 9

Early in my career, I observed a teacher who began her day with Daily Oral Language. I was very impressed with how she utilized it, and decided to incorporate it into my own classroom. Little did I know that I would end up using it in all of my classes (first, third, fourth, and fifth), and would...

There is no secret to “good” writing, just as there is no magic involved in creating an aesthetically pleasing painting or playing an instrument beautifully. Certain steps must always be followed in order to produce an outcome that pleases the artist and their audience alike. Writing with clarity...

Most teachers dread the idea of being called into the principal's office and told that they will be teaching a different grade level the next school year. Usually, a grade level change also comes with a classroom change. As a result, your summer off has now become a summer of work. Grade level ch...

Differentiated instruction is the practice of teaching students with various levels of learning needs in one setting, and meeting those various needs, by providing necessary scaffolding in a productive and efficient manner. From the first year I taught to now, I have found that each group of lear...

Students typically don’t have exposure to recipes unless they take home economics in middle or high school. Shouldn’t all students be able to read and follow a recipe? Why are we waiting to introduce them to cooking and recipes until middle or high school? I believe that recipes can, and should, ...

A universal groan can be heard throughout the classroom as I pass out a calendar with a list of book projects at the beginning of the year. Each year, I assign five or six independent book projects that my sixth graders are responsible for completing before school is finished. In additi...

As a part of a poetry unit, I like to have students take a closer look at narrative poetry. It tells a story, and has a beginning, middle, and an end. It has recognizable story elements, like a setting and characters. I think it is important to take time to focus on this form of poetry for a coup...

Motivating students is critical, but sometimes difficult. I can recall many times when I have said encouraging things to bolster and boost my students' self-esteem, and it didn't work. Some students think that teachers make positive comments because they have to, rather than because they believe ...

One of my favorite things in the world is getting a new novel to read. I love the feel of cracking the binding open and diving into a brand new universe. Unfortunately, for many of my students, this is not the case. When I pass out a novel to my high school English students, one of the first thin...

Preparing for state assessments is a year-long endeavor shared by every public school teacher in the country. From the first teacher in-service to the monthly staff meetings, districts constantly supply teachers with results, statistics, and research-proven instructional strategies to help improv...

I like to think of literary devices as the tools that writers use to make their stories more interesting and meaningful for the reader. Whether seeking to convey emotion, create suspense, or conjure up an image, authors use these devices to make their story unique and provide insight into th...

Chernobyl was undeniably a terrible disaster. We are still studying its ramifications and aftereffects 25 years later. I live in a small coastal town about 30 miles away from a nuclear power plant. My students often come to my class with differing opinions about nuclear energy. On the 25th annive...

When I was in school, I had a difficult time developing an appreciation of poetry. At least that is what I thought. My interpretations of class poems were never the same as my teachers', and I assumed that I didn't understand poetry. A college professor changed this perception. Not only did she a...

How many times have you given your students a writing prompt, only to see a sea of blank, uninspired faces looking back at you? This happened to me so many times, that I finally set up a time to observe a teacher who was well-known at my school for having an ability to get her students to wr...

Teaching students how to spell is a daunting task. Typically, teachers hand out a list of 20 words on Monday, inform their students that they should "practice the words during the week," then give a test on Friday. In this article, I'd like to describe some spelling enrichment activities that I d...