Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in englishteachers' LiveJournal:

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Sunday, March 25th, 2012
11:19 am [whyintellectual]	SpringBoard from College Board Does anyone work with Springboard from the College Board? Our sister school is going to use the program as a trial this year and see what they think of it. I went to the website but found very little information. From the video links the classes look as if they are run similarly to what my department already does. I think they just use the same strategies and call them different names. If anyone has experience with springboard please let me know your thoughts. x-posted from teaching (Comment on this)
Friday, February 10th, 2012
3:47 pm [melly_issa]	[Cross-posted] Relating to Characters So once a term I have my students present and field questions based on books that they have read. My current pet peeve is this: Audience Student "Can you relate to any of the characters in this book" Presenting Student: "No, because I don't have a dragon". "No, because I'm not being chased by a murderer who wants to kill my friends off one by one" I need to have a chat about what it means to relate to a character. Do any of you have a character from fiction who is nothing like you, and yet is one that you relate to? Care to share who they are and why you relate so I can tell my kiddos? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, January 9th, 2012
1:31 pm [bnlgrl4]	Help with a new book I teach 8th grade English and 8th grade ELA AIS (academic intervention for students who didn't score above a cut off on the state assessment).  I just finished teaching Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick to my 8th grade English classes.  I'm considering doing Max the Mighty, the companion novel, with my AIS classes (I have my ELA students in my AIS class, so they've all read Freak the Mighty).  I only have these kids every other day for 40 minutes.  So, I'm looking for ideas and activities to do with them that are quick and concise.  They do not get homework in AIS.  I would specifically like to focus on basic reading comprehension skills as that is what my students struggle with the most. Has anyone taught this book?  Can anyone offer any great ideas to do with a lower-level class? Thanks! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
3:07 pm [popkorn321]	Websites with Games Hello! It's that time of year again to prepare for standardized tests (JOY!) Anyone have any good websites with some games that kiddos could use to spice up the monotony? I teach 8th grade reading/writing. THANK YOU (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
12:38 am [ennifer_jay]	being a queer educator Hey all. I'm student teaching next semester and I'm a lesbian. Does anyone have any tips for negotiating that territory? I'm student teaching in a pretty conservative area. Thanks :) Current Mood: sore (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 28th, 2011
3:24 pm [moonstrucky]	Symbolism in poetry Can anyone suggest poems for symbolism in poetry?  My students are really struggling with it.  We did "The Road Not Taken" which they got, and then tried "Fire and Ice" - which is practically directly stated, and they were really struggling.  I'm open to anything, even modern song lyrics that might help them understand. x-posted (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
6:12 pm [moonstrucky]	Romeo and Juliet I'm starting Romeo and Juliet on Monday. I've never taught Shakespeare before. Tell me your best tricks! Obviously there is a lot of stuff on the web, but what has worked best for you? Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 15th, 2011
6:28 am [maybe_redundant]	Is anybody in charge of a literary magazine in middle school/ high school? I am wondering how to get started and some ideas about what you have the students do at meetings, how you got funding for the printing of the issues or if you made yours an online magazine, etc. Basically all of the information. I would really appreciate it- I am trying to start one now and I have MANY great student writers who I believe would be so excited about this club. All advice would be greatly appreciated. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
6:17 pm [tea_soaked]	Drama with Reluctant Readers I am looking for plays to do with my reluctant grade 9 and 10s. They are weak readers and writers. But interested in performing and dramatic read-alouds. Any ideas are appreciated. THanks. (Comment on this)
Monday, September 5th, 2011
7:58 am [maybe_redundant]	anti-bullying lessons in language arts classroom any middle school teachers doing anti-bullying lessons? if so, any suggestions or ideas to help set up a good community at the school that can help alleviate bullying in school? i'm sure many of you are familiar with how big of a deal it has become. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
8:53 am [moonstrucky]	What are your favorite prompts to get a good baseline writing sample?  (I teach 9th and 11th grade, fwiw.) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm [maybe_redundant]	middle school english teachers-organization? what supplies do you require from your students for your class? last year i had them use a 3 subject notebook for reading (which had notes about stories, vocabulary), writing, and grammar. then i got each of them a separate journal for journal entries that were "Do Now's." it ended up that the kids didnt have enough room in the writing section because that's where we did most of our brainstorming, prewriting, planning, drafting, etc. so i'm just wondering which ways you've found to be effective for organization of materials to get some new ideas. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
10:09 am [maybe_redundant]	Short stories for middle schoolers Hello! This is my second year teaching 7th grade Language Arts/English and I'm looking for short story recommendations or books of short stories your middle school students may have enjoyed in class.  I want to add some new stories into the mix this year and not rely solely on the ones in our textbook. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
9:26 pm [mel06]	Hello All! My name is Melissa, and I'm a para-educator for a special ed department in a public high school. I'm part way through my master's degree and teaching certificate, and for one of my classes I'm doing some research on what people think about including multimedia and technology in instruction for students with IEPs, FSPs, and 504 plans. I'd really appreciate any and all participation in my project. If you are the PARENT or GUARDIAN of a child with an IEP, FSP, or 504 plan, please fill out my short, anonymous survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9GMNBFP If you are a STUDENT or a FORMER STUDENT with an IEP, FSP, or 504 plan, please fill out my short, anonymous survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9BTKGJF If you are a certificated TEACHER, please fill out my short, anonymous survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/93NBY3D Thank you so much for all your help! (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
3:35 pm [dzzybutterfly]	Block Scheduling Hello!  I am going into my sixth year of teaching English.  I have the sophomores and juniors this year.   Our school is going from eight periods of 47 minutes to 95 minute blocks.   We now have A/B days and I will see the students every other day, all year long.  I am nervously excited.  Words of wisdom? Advice?  Do this, not that?  Thanks!  (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 12th, 2011
7:34 pm [laurabob]	grant I wrote a grant proposal for the Pepsi Refresh Project to get classroom libraries all over my school. I could really use some support and votes. I work in a poor area, and my students don't have access to books at home. Here's the link: www.refresheverything.com/booksforelston Please take a minute to vote. It would mean a lot to me and my students. You can vote once a day until June 30 at midnight. If your school needs money for a project, I also recommend trying out your own proposal. Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Friday, June 10th, 2011
11:12 pm [tea_soaked]	Books on Leadership I am finishing my second year as the head of a small (7 teachers plus me) secondary school English department. Morale in the school (and in my department) is way down for a variety of reasons that I can't change. There are people in my department who simply don't get along and argue openly at meetings. There are people who go against me - say one thing and do another. I want to start fresh in September. I need strategies. Do you know of any good books on leadership in education? Thanks in advance. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
8:46 pm [mezzzmo]	Teacher Friends I have been a part of LJ for many years, but have abandoned posting in my journal in the last year or so. I attribute this to many of my LJ friends neglecting their own journals and to my not wanting to overwhelm everyone with entries about teaching. Between the lack of entries to read from others and the missing commentary, I have found myself in a transitional phase with this journal. I updated my profile page with my interests and am starting to think about what I really want to use this space for in the future. As my journal is revived, my entries will most likely be about teaching, creative writing, and experiments in cooking as those are the things on my mind currently. That's where you come into play. I always log in to follow this community in addition to a few others, so it only makes sense to reach out here. I thoroughly enjoy reading entries from the few friends on my list who are teachers and I would like to expand that list. Reading the experiences of others has really helped me shape my own ideas as a teacher and I like that other teachers get how teaching is a lifestyle. With all that being said, would you like to be LJ friends? x-posted to the teaching community as well. (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 6th, 2011
8:13 pm [midori_tokage]	Brand new and searching for a full time job. Hey there everyone! I'm brand new to this LJ community and I thought I would introduce myself. I'm an Art and English educator from Michigan and I was curious if anybody knew of any districts that are hiring or what sites any of you went through in order to find your job. I'm not too concerned about location, I'm all about traveling if need be. :) Thank you! ~Midori Current Mood: hopeful (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
3:04 pm [ranay]	Educational Funding I have jsut completed my 4th year of teaching. Many would consider me a veteran. Ha! No matter how long we all are still learn, adapting, and maturing. This year has been a good year, but I'm so excited cause I know next year will be even better. I have had the most contact with teachers outside of my school this year. I have attended more conferences and workshops. These make a big difference. We need to share ideas, observe, and learn from all the possible examples around us. If you haven't already I encourage you to join one of the professional organizations and begin networking. I feel reenergized and rejuvenated, because I know there are so many opportunities out there. The main point of this post is to shine some light on educational funding. If your school system is anything lke mine, funding for teachnology is slim to none. I have made it my goal to seek out more grants for my students. Below is a link for Donorschoose and a smaple project I recently submitted. The minigrant format is very simple on this site. If you have never heard of it I suggest you give it a try. i had one project funded last school year for grammar games. I'm aiming for an interactive board and a projector this time. If any of you have used the site before share what projects that you have had funded. The summer is the time to explore new funding opportunities so get to clicking. Donorschoose Project (Comment on this)