Category: literacy

Re-Energizing our Struggling Learners: Strategies for Reading & Writing

~ Rusul Alrubail ~ 2 Comments

   Activate — -> Read — -> Discuss — -> Respond Reading: Engaging with complex text. Understanding & Analyzing Texts Many of our struggling readers have a difficult time reading and engaging with complex text. There are several strategies that can help them to engage in actively reading the text as well as applying critical thinking skills while reading to later … Continue reading Re-Energizing our Struggling Learners: Strategies for Reading & Writing

9 Tips to Support English Language Learners

~ Rusul Alrubail ~ 3 Comments

If you are teaching English Language Learners, here are some tips and strategies that you can practice in the classroom to create a safe environment and support the students throughout their learning process: 1. Speak slower, not louder: Students need to process the words separately and form an understanding, for ELL students this requires some … Continue reading 9 Tips to Support English Language Learners

How to Use Social Media to Strengthen Student Writing

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This post was originally published on Edutopia. When Advancement Placement and The National Writing Project surveyed teachers regarding social media use in the classroom, they found that 78% agree (26% strongly agree) that digital technologies “encourage student creativity and personal expression”. Digital tools of course give access to social media, which is a powerful outlet … Continue reading How to Use Social Media to Strengthen Student Writing

Social Media and Student Communication Skills

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This post was originally published on Edutopia. With social media taking up such a large space in our lives, many of us question whether it’s impacting our communication skills, more importantly, our students’ communication skills. As an English teacher, a writer, and a mom, I am always worried about the repercussions social media will have … Continue reading Social Media and Student Communication Skills

Cultivating Student Voice through Narrative Writing

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Every day, students at University Laboratory School, a public charter in Honolulu, Hawaii, have the opportunity to spend a quiet 10-15 minutes with their teachers for a Writer’s Workshop. One on one, they talk through the student’s progress on writing assignments they were assigned to complete during class. But these aren’t the stale essay responses … Continue reading Cultivating Student Voice through Narrative Writing

Critical Thinking & Textual Analysis: an example

~ Rusul Alrubail ~ 2 Comments

This is an example that accompanies my Edutopia blog post, Teaching Literary Analysis. Remember that the questions posed and the answers provided should be worked out as part of a process. Students can have many different answers, but the teacher should facilitate questions throughout the process that encourage critical thinking.   Choose a topic: Character: … Continue reading Critical Thinking & Textual Analysis: an example