Language Arts and Literacy

After-Reading Response: Poetry in Two Voices to Compare and Contrast

Synthesizing text into a new format helps readers relate to content Much of the writing we assign our students is public writing—writing to communicate with others. Writing-to-learn is personal writing, writing that helps students increase comprehension of texts—fiction and nonfiction—in all disciplines. Reader response compels readers to interact with the text and makes visible for

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Blog About It!

Argumentative writing in the ELA classroom How do educators continue to reflect on their own teaching while preparing students to be career and college ready with 21st century skills and higher order thinking skills? The call for integrating technology into our middle school classrooms seems like an easy strategy. Smartboards, Smart TVs, Chromebooks, iPads …

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A Journey for Content Area Literacy Development and PLCs

How to engage teacher teams in whole-school literacy and learning improvement It’s 7:30 Tuesday morning and groups of teachers are sitting in their first meeting of the year for their professional learning communities (PLCs). Thick binders filled with colored tabs and volumes of files of student literacy achievement data are in front of them. Teachers

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After-Reading Response: “I Am” Poetry for Synthesizing Text

How poetry written from a new perspective deepens knowledge and encourages synthesis of new ideas Much of the writing we assign our students is public writing—writing to communicate with others. Writing-to-learn is personal writing, writing that helps students increase comprehension of texts—fiction and nonfiction—in all disciplines. Reader response compels readers to interact with the text

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Erik Francis

Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S. is an author, educator, and speaker who specializes in teaching and learning that promotes cognitive rigor and postsecondary (college and career) readiness. He is the author of Now THAT’S a Good Question! How to Promote Cognitive Rigor Through Classroom Questioning (ASCD). He is also the owner of Maverik Education LLC, providing academic

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Laptops: A Tool to Improve Reading Comprehension

How one South Texas school district is taking middle school reading comprehension to another level Nearly six million middle school students today are reading below grade level—a shocking number. The National Center for Education Statistics’ 2017 report, The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics and Reading Assessments, shows minimal improvement in reading scores for middle school students on

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