ELA The Miss M Way

There are many uses for graphic organizers across a variety of assignments in a variety of subjects for a variety of ages.   Jumbled ideas for an essay can often be well-organized in a graphic organizer, as can talking points for a presentation.   Graphic organizers can capture information for a research project or a creative activity.   Note-taking for a chapter of fiction or non-fiction text can absolutely be accomplished in a graphic organizer. Read on to learn about the different types of graphic organizers.   Continue scrolling to discover a variety of ways that these resources can be used based on the type of activity and/or personal preference!   Types of graphic organizers Keep in mind that many of these graphic organizers can be used for an assortment of activities, while others have a more focused purpose! Mind map Flow chart Venn diagram List Outline Concept map Sequence chart Storyboard Freewriting KWL chart Timeline Cause and effect Vocabu...

The ACT or SAT is one of the most iconic and important tests every high school student will take.   Being an English Language Arts teacher and an exam prep tutor, my focus is on preparing my students for the Reading/Evidence-based Reading and English/Writing and Language sections.   Note: Both the ACT and the SAT have a section with passages focusing on reading comprehension, inferencing, recalling facts, using context clues, etc.   The ACT calls the section “Reading,” while the SAT calls it “Evidence-based Reading.”   Each test also has a section focusing on the rules of English language grammar within the passages.   The ACT calls it “English,” meanwhile, the SAT calls it “Writing and Language.”   Anyway, due to the significant role this test plays in the college admissions process, it is vital that your students prepare so that they know what to expect and have the best practices to approach the questions on test day.   Since preparation...

My research and planning in preparation for a mini-unit about mythology for my sixth graders was a fun re-fresher for me.   Through my research, I was reminded that a myth is a traditional story that explains a natural or social phenomenon and presents supernatural events involving gods and heroes.   The three categories of myths include creation myths, origin myths, and hero myths.   I may be aging myself by saying this, but it had been so long since I studied mythology in school that this background information felt new (and exciting!) to me.     I must admit, I heavily relied on resources I found on the internet from other teachers to make my lessons about mythology successful.   My sincere thanks to the community of educators whose materials on the internet made my lessons possible.   I found a slideshow and a short YouTube video that I shared with my students as an introduction to mythology.   Then, I assigned my students a group acti...

Confession: My first teaching position was as a leave replacement teacher for 10 th and 12 th grade English, and I felt like I was in over my head.   Though the position was only for three months, it was the last three months of the school year.   Odds were stacked against me: I was a new teacher with NO CLUE what she was doing, plus my students (especially the 12 th graders) had motivationally checked out to be on summer break.     When planning out the remaining weeks leading up to finals, I knew my lessons for my 10 th graders would revolve around finishing our class novel, but I was at a loss about my 12 th graders.   What material could I cover with my “too cool for school” seniors that would not result in blatantly spewed profanities or (though tame yet painful) overly dramatic eyerolls?   After receiving advice from colleagues and researching lesson ideas on the abyss that is the internet, I triumphantly breathed a sigh of relief when I ...

Narrative writing, the art of written story-telling, is a fundamental writing style.   It is beneficial to have your middle school students refine this type of writing as they will be expected to have nearly mastered it in the coming years. Of course, there is a fun way to help your students hone their narrative writing technique through engaging activities.   Preteens must build off of the writing skills acquired in the early years to create engaging, detailed narratives.   Producing impressive writing will not only improve their grades on writing assignments but your students may actually develop a liking for this creative writing style.     Let’s explore the characteristics of narrative writing!   Elements of a narrative ·         A hook – Every story needs a strong beginning.   Some types of hooks include a question hook, a definition hook, an onomatopoeia hook, and an emotion hook, amongst others. ·   ...

Reading can be a dreadful activity for some and an enjoyable activity for others.     Whether the text is a novel, a poem, or an informative work, each student will fall into one of those two categories.   Sometimes all it takes to turn a reluctant and/or struggling reader into an excited and/or fluent one is the right approach to reading for that student. Whole-class read-aloud with student readers When conducting a whole-class read-aloud, it is beneficial for you, the teacher, to be the first reader.   You will model a variety of elements such as pronunciation, cadence, volume, and expression.   After reading an appropriate length of the text, whether it be one paragraph or several pages, stop to engage the students by posing questions.   The questions can be direct or indirect and can even be used for pair-and-share discussions.   Once you are satisfied with this first round of reflections on the text, ask for student volunteers to r...