“Why Did You _____?”: Ask Students to Annotate Their Own Writing

We are thrilled to share a new contributing voice today, Marcus Luther! We spied his smart tweets about student reflection in writing and begged him to write something for us! Marcus is currently in his eleventh year as a public high school English teacher. He teaches 10th grade English and AP Literature in Keizer, OR, […]

Using Reading Responses to Think, Write, and Talk About Race

A Portrait of an English Department’s Racial Reckoning:  Using Reading Responses with Critical Race Theory  K. Keener (www.kakeener.com) has taught English in a variety of contexts across four continents and all levels for 21 years in total.  She began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and most recently taught at Horace Greeley High School […]

Writing With Ross Gay’s BOOK OF DELIGHTS to Teach Positive Psychology

Today’s guest post is from K. Keener. K. Keener (www.kakeener.com) has taught English in a variety of contexts across four continents and all levels for 21 years in total.  She began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and most recently taught at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York. Currently, she is taking […]

Balancing Inquiry & Support in Professional Learning: A Lesson from Bean Dad

A little while back, a dad took to social media to pat himself on the back about the lesson he’d taught his daughter when she wanted to open a can of beans but didn’t know how to use the can opener and the Twitterverse collectively cringed. In case you were lucky enough to miss it, […]

Making It Work — with Tim Gunn

Our guest post today is from Amy Menzel who currently teaches English language arts at Waukesha West High School in Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Emerson College, and a Teacher Consultant with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Writing Project. You can reach her at almenzel@waukesha.k12.wi.us or connect with her on Twitter @mrs_menzel […]

Guest Post! Mentor Text Wednesday: Linda Holmes’ “Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs, and ‘The Muppet Movie’ Soundtrack at 40”

Today’s guest writer Emily Sommer walks us through a mentor text by one of our favorite pop culture writers, showing how it makes for a truly instructive piece for students learning the art of rhetorical analysis. Emily teaches AP English Language and Composition, AP Seminar, and Mythology at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  […]

Guest Post: Taylor Mali’s “Look for the Silver Lining”

Today’s guest post is written by Ann Cox, a high school English teacher who has over twenty years of experience. Ann credits her involvement with the National Writing Project in transforming the way she teaches writing. She can be reached at annkellycox@gmail.com. Mentor Text: Silver-Lined Heart by Taylor Mali Techniques:  Writing About Oneself Writing Poetry […]

Books That Move Us: Illuminated Inquiry — Researcher’s Workshop Across the Curriculum

Lindsay Bruggeman is a high school English teacher and volleyball coach at Loveland High School.  She is currently working toward her Masters of Arts in Teaching with the Ohio Writing Project at Miami University.   You can reach her at lindsaybruggeman3@gmail.com or Twitter @MrsBruggemanLHS. What are the chances it rains this Saturday?  Where is the […]