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…
Pre-reading activities are some of my favourite moments in a literature circle unit. Students haven’t cracked open the book yet. There’s excitement, mystery, and just enough uncertainty to keep curiosity buzzing in the classroom. Days 42 and 43 are built around that energy with a pre-reading project designed to help students explore the social, cultural,…
There’s something exciting about the first day of literature circles—fresh books, fresh starts, and that spark of curiosity in the air. Today’s lesson helps students not only dive into their new novels but also set meaningful goals for their reading journey. By the end of class, students will have their books, a schedule, and a…
Today marks the start of our novel study — one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the English program! This is where students get to dive deep into storytelling, character development, and themes while building their own interpretations and connections. We’ll begin class with a short grammar quiz to keep skills sharp, then…
Today’s class is all about collaboration and refinement. Students have spent the past several days building their essays—now it’s time to polish them through peer editing. By sharing their writing and giving constructive feedback, students will develop stronger revision skills and learn to see writing from a reader’s perspective. After a short grammar mini-lesson, students…
Today’s lesson is all about refinement. Students are moving from draft writers to editors of their own work. Before we can polish and perfect our essays, we need to make sure every essential element is in place—from proper MLA formatting to well-structured paragraphs by using an essay checklist. Think of this stage as tightening the…
Today’s class focuses on polishing writing fundamentals and building strong research skills. Students will begin with a quick review of linking verbs—a grammar cornerstone that helps improve sentence clarity. Next, they’ll move on to the essential skill of creating MLA in-text citations, learning how to properly give credit within their essays. Finally, any remaining time…
Today’s lesson is all about helping students bring their essays to a professional finish with properly formatted MLA Works Cited pages. After a brief grammar warm-up, the class will dive into how to list and format their sources using MLA guidelines. Students will learn why acknowledging sources matters and how attention to detail can elevate…
Simple Past Tense Today begins with a quick grammar refresher on the simple past tense—a foundational skill that helps students describe completed actions clearly and effectively. I’ll include a link to the full lesson, which will review how to form and use the simple past tense, including regular and irregular verbs. This short review strengthens…