3 Free ELA Activities to boost creativity and collaboration picturing a small group of middle school students working together with support from their teacher

3 Fun and Free ELA Activities to Foster Creativity and Communication

Free ELA Activities for Your Secondary Classroom Looking for free ELA activities to boost students’ creativity and collaboration in a fun and free way? Look no further! Below, we share 3 engaging ELA activities that will improve your classroom community and the quality of student-to-student collaboration in your class. From word games to creative writing exercises, these activities are designed to make learning enjoyable and effective. And the best part? They won’t cost you a thing! With these activities, you can expand your students’ creativity, enhance their reading comprehension, and sharpen their writing skills. Foster Creativity & Community with these Free ELA Activities One free week of Collaborative Trivia Bell Ringers I loooove…✨ Building routines ✨ Fostering a positive classroom community ✨ Providing FUN opportunities for students to practice their collaborative skills These trivia bell

Carina Assayed November 21, 2023

Nine collaborative learning strategies to increase student collaboration in your secondary ELA class. Pictured are young students hands layered on top of one another as if ready to engage in a "team break" chant.

9 Collaborative Learning Strategies that Will Promote Rich Conversations Between Your Secondary ELA Students

Looking for collaborative learning strategies to implement in your secondary ELA classroom? These 9 strategies will promote rich academic conversations, build community, and foster effective communication for your students. The importance of effective communication in secondary ELA classrooms How do you promote collaboration in the classroom? In today’s ever-evolving educational landscape, fostering effective communication in Secondary ELA classrooms has become more crucial than ever before. Collaborative learning strategies have emerged as a powerful tool to encourage student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This blog post walks you through nine collaboration strategies that can significantly enhance communication skills in ELA classrooms, which empowers students to express their thoughts and ideas confidently. By incorporating opportunities for collaborative discussions, teachers can create a dynamic learning environment that promotes active participation and encourages students to think critically and

Carina Assayed November 7, 2023

3 Middle school bell work activities for ELA students with a middle school aged student in a coral color shirt holding a pencil in their hand

3 Fun and Educational Middle School Bell Work Activities

Looking for engaging middle school bell work activities for your ELA students? Check out these three fun and educational ideas to start your class off on the right foot! Before we jump into the 3 middle school bell work activities, I want to take a moment to answer some popular bell work questions! What are bell ringers for middle school? Middle school bell work activities are typically short writing or collaborative activities used at the start of a class period. Using them consistently at the start of your class yields a ton of benefits:✨ You have a few minutes to take attendance or respond to a quick email✨ Students develop a sense of routine & expectations✨ Students practice sustained & frequent writing (tons of benefits within itself!)✨ Great tool for start-of-class management✨ Prevents the anxiety-inducing

Carina Assayed August 15, 2023

A back to school teacher survival guide post with a teacher wearing glasses aligned to the right with students blurred in the background

The Ultimate Back to School Teacher Survival Guide: 9 Tips and Tricks for a Successful Year

Get ready for a successful school year with this ultimate back to school teacher survival guide. Packed with tips and tricks, this guide will help you navigate the challenges of the classroom. You are most likely one of two types of teachers. Teacher One LOVES all of the back to school supplies, posts, and sales. Or you’re Teacher Two who feels nervous butterflies in their stomach after accidentally making eye contact with the back to school section at Target. I am Teacher Two. My one realistic goal each back to school season is to add one manageable tool to better prepare for the upcoming school year. So, whether you’re a fellow Teacher Two or a ready-to-go Teacher One, I’ve outlined 9 teacher survival guide blog posts full of tips & tricks to help you set

Carina Assayed August 1, 2023

Terminus – Digital Breakouts for ELA

Are you looking for new digital breakouts for ELA? Look no further! I’d like to introduce you to my newest game series, Terminus. Terminus is a four-part digital adventure series geared towards 8th and 9th grade students who read below level. This story is a post-pandemic, found-text adventure. Playing as Rania, students work to solve the mystery of the MILSA outbreak by reading letters, memos, manuals, and emails left behind. Behind the game This game was a labor of love by myself and my wife Amanda Thrasher. Amanda wrote the storyline, and I designed the puzzles. Then, we combined it all with incredible original art by Lily Chan. Amanda began writing Terminus in the summer of 2019 (while I was at the TPT conference!) and finished it later that year. Little did we know that

Danielle Hall December 8, 2020

A photo of golden maple leaves in the sunlight. There is text overlaid that says "Engaging - Rigorous - Creative - Halloween Activities for Secondary ELA

15 Halloween School Activities for Secondary ELA

Looking for engaging and rigorous Halloween school activities for your Secondary ELA classroom? Look no further! These mini-lessons will build close reading skills, practice inferencing, and get students thinking creatively. Whether you are a Halloween lover or a Halloween tolerate-er, it will be on the forefront of your students’ brains this time of the year. They are likely dreaming up their costumes, gossiping about the hip parties, and totally ignoring your lessons! Many of the resources I’ve linked below are also available for 25% off in this spooky and spectacular Halloween Activities resource bundle! Check out the 8 included resources here. Here are 15 Halloween school activities for secondary ELA that will allow you to use that excitement in your classroom: 1. Analyze Symbolism & Allegory with Candy It seems like, as soon as the

Danielle Hall October 3, 2019

Teaching Executive Functioning with Escape Rooms

Have you been told you should be teaching executive functioning? Is this a totally overwhelming proposition? Where do you even start? Let’s break it down. Teaching Executive Functioning Executive Functioning is the complex way the brain ‘works’. We use these skills to make decisions, choices, and plans. When we use strong executive functioning, we work smarter. We can delay gratification when working towards a goal, plan for the future, and avoid feeling stuck when our plan hits a snag. A lack of executive function skills leads to impulsive/reckless behavior, poor planning/time management, and an inability to stick with a task from start to finish. Sound familiar? Of course, it’s normal human behavior to be occasionally careless with our time, or to make a rash decision. But if students are struggling

Danielle Hall July 18, 2019

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