r/ELATeachers

I teach an AP class to the entire grade at a title 1 school, and this was my first time teaching this particular content class. Our students tend to score a lot lower than the national average and we usually have maybe 15-20 students who score a 3 or higher out of 90 or so in the grade. This particular group of students have been one of our weaker performing classes in recent history. I’m anticipating a LOT a less than previous years, and while I know it’s the context of the students this year, I’m terrified to see the scores and see it as a reflection of me.

Anyone in the same boat or have any advice? Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm going to be a 4th grade homeroom teacher after the summer and I'm currently thinking about a book to do a novel study about with my 4th grade students. Most of the students are English Language Learners and speak Chinese at home.

I've been looking for chapter books that MUST:

A) Have meaningful themes (think "The Giver" or "Bridge to Terabithia"). Alternatively it can be a book that focuses on being a global citizen, more empathetic, developing uriosity, etc. etc. If you are familiar with the IB PYP, basically anything that helps develop the learner profile.

B) Have language that is as simple as possible with short chapters. I found the English level of "Because of Winn Dixie" to be about right.

I think we will read "Because of Winn Dixie" during one semester, but I'd like to find another one as an alternative or to read on the other semester. While the themes and (ESPECIALLY) language are musts, there are a few things that I'd hope for:

1. Non-white protagonists or a mixed cast. Alternatively, a story that doesn't take place in the United States or England. Just want to build a bit more international mindedness in my students and to learn about different parts of the world.

2. A bestselling book or a book that has many prints/reprints. Just makes it easier to find sets for the whole class.

3. Drawings/pictures. This just helps the students with comprehension and visualization. They're also transitioning from pure picture books to chapter books, so having a few pictures would help out with comprehension.

4. Connected to the themes of the human body, architecture, ecosystems, weather, following one's passions/dreams and/or inventions. This one is honestly not a requirement at all. These are just the topics of our year so a connection would be nice hahaha.

5. Action, fantasy, humor. "Because of Winn-Dixie" is a little more serious, so something a bit more relaxed would make for a nice contrast.

Thanks for any recommendations!

What professional development has worked for you?

Is there something that you have heard of that you are impressed with and haven't had a chance to do yet?

Are there any books that have been important to you in understanding your classroom, your teaching, your students, etc.?

Title explained more: I am going to be teaching at a school that centers gaming and technology, mainly as a motivator for students. Example: there is a homeroom class where there are individual projects related to tech, and the option weekly if all assignments are turned in to game for a bit as a reward.

I am the middle school ELA teacher and I want to make systems that are gamified for my classroom. For example, I want to have a word wall and a class competition among each grade and each time a student correctly uses one of our vocab words they get a point.

Any other ideas like that? Also, how do you all use technology to your advantage in ELA???? I know the dangers of AI. But, we can’t completely omit tech at our school.

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments!

Hey I've been teaching math for 8 years and have been placed in 6th grade ELA. Do you have a preferred way to do desk layout and why? I like E'S and 3's but didn't know if anyone had a better layout since teaching ELA is different.

I previewed the POP books on Amazon. They are really expensive! Does anyone have experience with the system? I teach 8th, but the students at my school have extremely poor writing and grammar skills. I feel like I would need the 1-5 and 6-8 books. I do get a supply stipend each year, but these would eat up a good portion of that money. Are they worth the money?

Do you assign homework for practicing vocabulary words? Do you require your students to study words for tests or quizzes?

Hi,
For context I have not taught for 20 years now. The last time I taught I was at a very challenging school with full classrooms, teaching 5 different levels and one planning period. I have been doing offered an 8th grade ELA position with maximum 16 kids, two sections of the same level , and one elective class. The rest of the day is lunch duty and planning time. Essentially I will teach three classes daily, but only two lesson plans needed.

I am afraid of taking a position where I feel like I am over taxed immediately especially at my age (46). On paper it sounds reasonable, but just wanted to bounce this off of other teachers.

Are there also times when none of them apply and you have to make your own guess as to what it probably means? Thank you.

Hi teachers, I'm a high schooler and wanted to ask about a problem I have with my own writing process to see if you all deal with something similar.

I really prefer editing on paper because I feel like I read more critically that way. But I think it's really wasteful to print, edit, and then retype all the edits back into the document again, especially across multiple classes.

I'm thinking about building something to make this process more seamless and wanted to get feedback from teachers first. Is this something you deal with on your end too? Like do you still give handwritten feedback on printed drafts, or has most of your feedback moved to Google Docs and Track Changes?

Just want to see if this is a real problem or if it was just me.

Thanks!

- Lucas

I was at a PD last week, and the idea of teaching literature units via genre versus theme came up. Everyone has their own preference, but I want to know what the research says.

Is it more effective to approach literature through thematic units with an overarching question and a variety of text types? Or do students learn better by focusing on one particular genre at a time? Does grade level matter? For instance, do younger students benefit more from a genre-focused approach, but older students who have already been exposed to many genres synthesize across them in a thematic unit?

I'm looking for specific studies or resources that give support for one or the other or even both.