Hi Everyone!
Happy end of the year for many of you, and happy summer for those who have already started their glorious summer. I have five more days left (YAY), and I am typing this as I watch 25 sixth graders take their math final!
I am wrapping up the end of the year like many of you; however, you might think I am crazy I have ideas and goals already for next year! Most people are thinking about the beach, vacations and sitting by their pools; nevertheless, my brain NEVER stops. I am alway thinking of new, modified and better ways to do and implement things in my classroom. So what goals do I already have for the 2017-2018 school year? You wouldn't believe it...
1. Implementing Grammar Back into my Curriculum: My first major goal is implementing daily to weekly grammar back into my curriculum. Over the past few years, slowly, grammar instruction has disappeared from my curriculum due to the restraints I have with the literature and the timing of everything. I started using Bell Ringers last year, and my students loved them! I am thinking of implementing them into my Bell Ringers twice a week. I find it very important English students have grammar implemented into their instruction, as well as the practice. I believe this is why many of our students struggle with writing complex and sophisticated sentences and as well as paragraphs. It is so sad when I ask my 7th graders what a verb is, and some of them cannot even give me an example?!?!? They need the instruction at any age.
I recently polled a Facebook Group (2ndaryELA) on what grammar books and resources are truly resourceful and helpful to teachers. In addition, these books the teachers felt they had the best results with, and the students were not bored out of their minds all of the time. This is the key. Here are some of the books these brilliant teachers recommended, and some I cannot wait to purchase for my summer reading:
A Janette Snelson recommended Grammar to Get Things Done:
B. Lisa Braden Carlson recommended Kelly Gallagher's, Write Like This . Lisa has been using this in her classes for 17 years, and she feels that it is the most practical, effective and painless grammar method!
C. Jennifer Reid Galmoff suggested Evan Moor's, Daily Language Review. She implements this as a Daily 10 minute warm up resource at the middle school level.
D. Linda Fittro Lanchak and Shauna McNabb both recommend Doug Stark's, Mechanics Instruction that Sticks.
E. Stephanie Hughes Ruback has been using Phyllis Hostmeyer's, Tools Students Need to Be Skillful Writers: Building Better Sentence Patterns, and she has been using this book for 12 years and absolutely LOVES IT!
F. Need some resourceful online grammar resources? Lauralee Epplin Moss wrote an amazzzing blog series about grammar and implementing it into the classroom. You have to check it out!E. Stephanie Hughes Ruback has been using Phyllis Hostmeyer's, Tools Students Need to Be Skillful Writers: Building Better Sentence Patterns, and she has been using this book for 12 years and absolutely LOVES IT!
**Another great online resource recommended by Janice Ruschman O'Brien is NoRedInk.
**Lori Hudeck recommended English Grammar 101-I personally checked this one out and absolutely loved it!
MY SECOND GOAL FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
(I just thought I would share my idea :)
On my front white board, I always write the quote of the week-a motivational, sometimes curriculum related quotation. Recently, I purchased this fantastic book on learning how to write in chunky calligraphy with markers and pens. You have to check it out! I already started practicing, and you will love it!
I decided when I go back in Septemeber, I am going to buy chalkboard paint and paint the bulletin board in the paint-
The next step is to buy some snazzy chalkboard markers-
I am really hoping that my chalkboard/bulletin board will look like this!
Wish me good luck. I will take lots of pictures of them once I get the ball rolling!
Kim, English, Oh My!
