Strategies to Help Build Relationships with English Language Learners

This post was originally published on Edutopia.  rap·port a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well. My first day teaching an ELL class, I walked in and was very confident that it was going to be the best class ever. After all, … Continue reading Strategies to Help Build Relationships with English Language Learners

Cultivating Student Voice through Narrative Writing

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

Resources for #BlackHistoryMonth & Beyond

February is #BlackHistoryMonth and many of us feel conflicted in teaching lessons specifically designed for #BlackHistoryMonth since we should be teaching about Black History throughout the entire school year. I wanted to share some great resources for teachers who are looking to implement lessons on Black History throughout the year, and what better time to … Continue reading Resources for #BlackHistoryMonth & Beyond

The Community of School: Some #Educon Takeaways

This weekend I attended #Educon conference in Philly. It was held in the Science & Leadership Academy, and the opening keynote panel for Friday evening was held at the Franklin Institute. It's my first time in Philadelphia, so I was really looking forward to attending, and presenting. My friends, Xian and Melinda, and I held … Continue reading The Community of School: Some #Educon Takeaways

Strategies for Reading Non-Fiction with ELL

Being an English Language Learner in a mainstream classroom can be a very overwhelming experience for the student. Often, my English Language Learners need extra help when it comes to reading non-fiction articles in the class. Modifying the reading assignment is the first step, but there are times when it’s hard to modify an assignment … Continue reading Strategies for Reading Non-Fiction with ELL