You know when students are engaged. They lean forward. Ask questions. Stay after class. But when admin asks you to prove it with data or when you need to identify which students are slipping away, suddenly that gut feeling becomes harder to quantify. Most teachers rely on participation or grades, but those metrics miss students…
Prepositional phrases are one of those grammar concepts students use all the time — without realizing it. They quietly add detail, description, and clarity to sentences by telling us where, when, how, or which one. In this lesson, I break prepositional phrases down into simple parts, show students how to spot them quickly, and give…
Today’s class blends reading, grammar, and literary thinking in a way that helps students build strong habits as readers and writers. We begin with time to immerse ourselves in our novels, then shift into a brief introduction to active vs. passive voice. Finally, we move into a theme hunt—a guided activity that teaches students how…
You know the drill. The bell rings and students trickle in at different speeds. Some plop down ready to work. Others need three reminders to grab their notebooks. A few hover by the door catching up on weekend drama. Meanwhile you are taking attendance checking email and trying to remember where you left off yesterday….
As we move deeper into our novel studies, conflicts are starting to bubble up—some quietly, some loudly, and some we’re not even sure how to label yet. Today’s lesson is designed to help students recognize the conflicts that are developing and start thinking about where those tensions might lead. It’s a simple, collaborative task that…
Some grammar rules feel like they belong in a dusty museum. But active vs. passive voice is not one of them—it’s a powerhouse tool for clarity, confidence, and strong writing. Today’s lesson helps students understand the difference between who is acting and who is being acted upon, and why that distinction matters for effective communication….
You’ve been asked to develop a new curriculum or revise an existing one. You know what students need to learn, but translating that into a structured program feels overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you ensure everything connects? What if you miss something important? The curriculum development process gives you a systematic approach to…
Pronouns may be tiny words, but they do so much heavy lifting in our sentences. Without them, our writing becomes clunky, repetitive, and — let’s be honest — mildly exhausting. In today’s lesson, I guide students through the essential types of pronouns, how to use them correctly, and how they can transform awkward sentences into…
Welcome to Day 45! Today’s lesson blends focused reading time, a quick grammar check-in, and individual literary analysis. I like this day because it quietly reinforces the idea that strong reading habits and small moments of reflection add up to big gains over time. Plus, the gerunds quiz helps keep students accountable for grammar skills…
Today’s lesson uses something deceptively simple—the first three lines of a students’ independent reading novel—to help them slow down, observe, and start uncovering the author’s early clues about the world of the story. Even the shortest opening can reveal remarkable hints about setting, character, tone, and conflict. Students often rush past these early details, so…