Resources: Links to Inspire
Purdue OWL
The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is a site I visit weekly. Whenever I've got a question about proper formatting, citation, mechanics, or grammar they're my first stop. They've got extensive instructions and worksheets for practice. I can't tell you how much this has helped me, both as a teacher and before that as a student. If you've got more advanced students of English in your class, this would be a great resource to recommend to them!
Either way, make sure to check it out. I put it first on my list for a reason.
Either way, make sure to check it out. I put it first on my list for a reason.
Grammar Girl
I found this source through listening to the podcast, which I found when I searched "grammar". Grammar Girl examines specific grammatical concepts in a brief but thorough way. It's a great way to brush up on your grammar and keep thinking about these concepts. She also presents the concepts in interesting ways, so it's a nice way to steal ideas for lessons too.
In my 8th grade Writers' Workshop class I modeled a lesson on her article about "The Rules of Story".
In my 8th grade Writers' Workshop class I modeled a lesson on her article about "The Rules of Story".
Special Needs Inclusion Project (SNIP)
SNIP is a website I found when I was looking for a way to organize my thinking about accommodating lessons for students with special needs or who were simply struggling in my classes. They've got a grid of accommodations that I found especially helpful that can inform adaptations to your curriculum. SNIP also has a great section of short articles to inform your practice that they call "snippets".
Both of these are linked on their resources page. Check it out!
Both of these are linked on their resources page. Check it out!
Read Write Think
Read Write Think is a great resource with all sorts of lesson ideas and materials to use. They also have a Crossword generator that I used to make a crossword for a vocab lesson, and it was incredibly easy to use. I should note that the picture to the left isn't a picture of the crossword I made.
The biggest drawbacks of the generator are that it doesn't let you download a copy of the puzzle to save on your hard drive, and once you've entered words to put in the site doesn't save them if you hit back. Other than that it was very user-friendly and a quick, painless way to make a crossword.
I want to put a disclaimer on this, though. Please don't use this site to make crosswords for the sake of keeping your students busy. If you make a crossword using the generator, make sure that it will challenge your students in some way, not just fill up their time.
The biggest drawbacks of the generator are that it doesn't let you download a copy of the puzzle to save on your hard drive, and once you've entered words to put in the site doesn't save them if you hit back. Other than that it was very user-friendly and a quick, painless way to make a crossword.
I want to put a disclaimer on this, though. Please don't use this site to make crosswords for the sake of keeping your students busy. If you make a crossword using the generator, make sure that it will challenge your students in some way, not just fill up their time.
Poetry 180
Poetry 180 is a website I found on accident while looking for examples of poems by Miller Williams (my favorite living poet). They provide a poem for each of the 180 days of a regular school year. It's a great mix of poets, too, from the contemporary to the unconventional to the classics. Ultimately teachers can do whatever they want with said poems, but the idea is to read and discuss one a day so that students gain a familiarity with poems and they aren't so foreign and unapproachable. Given the bias many students (and teachers) have towards poetry, this is a great idea.
If I were to use this resource in my class, I'd definitely use it as a warm up and use the poem for any given day to reinforce the concepts we're studying in the main portion of class. Obviously, though, this is just a suggestion. You should definitely check out the site, if only to read some great poetry. I especially recommend 52 and 118.
If I were to use this resource in my class, I'd definitely use it as a warm up and use the poem for any given day to reinforce the concepts we're studying in the main portion of class. Obviously, though, this is just a suggestion. You should definitely check out the site, if only to read some great poetry. I especially recommend 52 and 118.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Pay Teachers is a website where actual teachers post lessons they've used in their actual classes, and you can buy (for a modest fee) copies of those lessons to use in your own classroom.
I've used it a few times, but I've never posted any of my materials on it. I'm planning on using it more in the future. It's not all amazing, but some of what I've seen has great potential. I took an idea for a lesson on word choice from there and ran with it, so even if you don't purchase anything it's a good source for inspiration.
I've used it a few times, but I've never posted any of my materials on it. I'm planning on using it more in the future. It's not all amazing, but some of what I've seen has great potential. I took an idea for a lesson on word choice from there and ran with it, so even if you don't purchase anything it's a good source for inspiration.
Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Teacher Resources
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has several great lesson plan ideas (complete with outlined instructions!) for teachers to use for free.
I've personally done a lesson focused on the insults in Macbeth with 11th graders in Lansing and they got a lot out of it. They got to have fun with one another while speaking the words of Shakespeare. At the end of the lesson I added a component in which the students discussed the meaning behind the insult and demonstrated their understanding of the text. I highly recommend this activity, but the rest of the resources seem great too!
I've personally done a lesson focused on the insults in Macbeth with 11th graders in Lansing and they got a lot out of it. They got to have fun with one another while speaking the words of Shakespeare. At the end of the lesson I added a component in which the students discussed the meaning behind the insult and demonstrated their understanding of the text. I highly recommend this activity, but the rest of the resources seem great too!