As a result of the civil war in Syria, more than 4 million people have fled Syria since the conflict started. This situation, along with war and injustice in other countries such as Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan and many more, has resulted in a global refugee crisis. As refugees seek to move to safer places, … Continue reading Teaching Students to Analyze Sources of Information
Tag: writing
My #Workflow: An Interview with @RoyanLee
My interview with Royan Lee about my Workflow. The #MyWorkflow series asks educators who are active creators on social media to share how they do their work. Today we speak to Rusul Alrubail, a renaissance educator who does just about everything. Currently dedicated to being a full time mother to her beautiful daughters, Rusul remains … Continue reading My #Workflow: An Interview with @RoyanLee
Using Poetry to Facilitate Discussions
This post was originally published on Annenberg Learner Blog. “If you present poetry as if it were castor oil, no one will be interested. Instead, teachers can approach it as something fun, and also explore poetry that connects to the students and their lives (as opposed to choosing poetry that they feel “should” be studied).” … Continue reading Using Poetry to Facilitate Discussions
Re-Energizing our Struggling Learners: Strategies for Reading & Writing
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
How to Write an Argumentative Paragraph
Argumentative writing is one of the most crucial writing for students to grasp, as it provides them with the tools to be able to convey their point of view clearly to an audience. Argumentative writing also provides an opportunity for students to understand different point of views when reading news articles, opinions and essays. By … Continue reading How to Write an Argumentative Paragraph
Using Literature to Teach Social Justice
I came across a community post a few days ago that was inquiring about ways to teach students about social justice in english class. I feel very passionate about connecting the discussions in my english class to issues that have a social and cultural impact. As a teacher, I think this is how we can … Continue reading Using Literature to Teach Social Justice
The Dilemma of Digital Writing
This post was originally published as part of the DigiWriMo blog series. You can check out all the blog posts that were contributed here. I became a digital writer last year. Then I realized that there is more to digital writing than revise, edit and polish. Digital writing is also about digital presence. I figured this … Continue reading The Dilemma of Digital Writing
How to Use Social Media to Strengthen Student Writing
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
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
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









