The Holy Grail of Inference Bell Work–FREE DOWNLOAD

Posted by Mar 2, 2023 Accessible ELA Lesson Plans, New Products, Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

DAMN these kids are LITERAL. Like, I could leave them a trail of breadcrumbs and they’d eat the bread off the floor and still not find their way home. Not exaggerating. They can’t make an inference to save their lives.

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Animal Farm Is Still Relevant (Sigh).

Posted by Feb 24, 2023 Accessible ELA Lesson Plans, Easier-To-Read, ELL , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The students who MOST NEED to read and understand the message of Animal Farm are also the same students most likely to struggle to read it…

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Alphabet Posters…for Teenagers?!?

Posted by Feb 21, 2023 Uncategorized

If you’ve got struggling (or emergent ELs) middle school or high school readers, you need an alphabet chart in your classroom. BUT…no teenager wants to see your lame, teddy bear picnic alphabet posters. That would be insulting. Still, they DO need it… Here’s your age-appropriate solution! A 26-page, printable alphabet chart that uses brand names […]

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Black Speculative Lit: Stories for Teens That “Don’t Suck”

Posted by Feb 16, 2023 Accessible ELA Lesson Plans, Differentiated Instruction to Address Behavior , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There’s a renewed interest in the genre right now, since Octavia Butler’s Kindred was made into a series for Hulu (BTW…it’s really good). Speculative lit is a genre that gets teens thinking about the world, the consequences of actions, and the fickleness of history–one SMALL change can create a massive ripple effect.

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“But I Read It On the Internet!”

Posted by Feb 8, 2023 Differentiated Instruction to Address Behavior , , , , , , , , , , ,

I f–king hate TikTok. It’s like heroin for distractable teenagers, which messes up my instructional flow, but even worse, they believe EVERYTHING they see on there. And I mean EVERYTHING. Flat Earth? Must be true. 5G chips in vaccines? Factual. Eating a tablespoon of cinnamon? Great idea. The internet can be a blessing if you […]

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That Standardized Testing Grind

Posted by Feb 3, 2023 Differentiated Instruction to Address Behavior, Easier-To-Read, ELL, New Products , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ugly truth. Standardized tests matter. I f—-ing hate them, but it’s not up to me whether or not my students take them. And I needed to help them be ready.

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Don’t Kill Shakespeare!

Posted by Feb 1, 2023 Differentiated Instruction to Address Behavior, Easier-To-Read, New Products , , , , , , , , ,

I think they’re pleasantly surprised how many of the insults and roasts in Shakespeare still make sense today. I’ve really enjoyed hearing them refer to one another as “three inch fools” for the past month. See? Sometimes they do pay attention! “College and Career Ready.”

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The Gracelessness of “Grace”

Posted by Jan 17, 2023 Behavior Team ,

By extending limitless grace, we tell students exactly what we expect of them. Apparently, we don’t expect much; there, I said it. Ugly truth? It’s just easier to let them get away with murder and call it grace than it is to hold them accountable in ways that are effective and teachable. Maybe we just don’t have the resources, and calling it grace sounds nicer than “we’re just too tired to fight them.”

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MASSIVE Summer School ELA Survival Unit!

Posted by May 27, 2021 Uncategorized

If you’re teaching secondary ELA in summer school, I’ll bet you’ve been using a lot of colorful language as you try to figure out what on earth to do with a roomful of teenagers for five hours a day for six weeks!  If you use the same materials you use during the normal school year, […]

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