Teaching students to visualize while they read is an essential skill in becoming an active reader because it enables them to make inferences while they read, recall and summarize the text, and make a deeper connection to the text by visually demonstrating their unique interpretation of it. While some students love the opportunity to get […]

While reading and viewing, I find that my students have difficulty maintaining focus, so one of the strategies I use to help them be more active readers and viewers is predicting. Making predictions boosts engagement because students are more invested in what they are reading, to see if their predictions were correct. Placemat Predictions Before […]

Incorporating strategies into your lessons for making connections to literature will help students to become more engaged readers and develop the ability to comprehend texts on different levels. Each of these strategies, broken down into text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections can be used in the classroom or adapted for online learning by creating breakout rooms […]

Memes may not be the first thing you think of when you think about the study of vocabulary and literature, but they actually require clever analysis and a keen wit that can engage students in their English work like no other medium. Here are thirteen ways to use memes in English class that will up […]

As an English teacher, I’m always trying to figure out ways to tie the curriculum to pop culture examples that students connect with. Using song lyrics can provide an accessible jumping off point to practice literacy skills and analyze literary elements before applying these skills to larger pieces of literature. Here are 10 engaging ways […]