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Classroom-tested lessons to help you strive for 100% engagement in your ELA classroomFor educators, it can be a constant challenge to keep students engaged and motivated in the classroom. With the rise of technology and shortened attention spans, we have to go beyond traditional teaching methods, especially in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom where students may perceive reading and writing as tedious tasks.
100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom offers captivating and interactive lessons that will help students thrive in their ELA studies. Authors Brian Sztabnik and Susan Barber provide practical guidance and inspiration to make ELA learning more meaningful and enjoyable for students in Grades 6-12. The book's 33 lessons are organized by genres including Poetry, Short Fiction, Novels & Dramas, and Writing and are adaptable to support different learning styles, ensuring that all students feel valued and engaged in the classroom. The lessons get students out of their seats, participating in discussion, collaborating, and working across mediums to build their literacy skills.
Providing tips and tricks to achieve 100% engagement, this book:
- Fosters a classroom where student motivation is high, and interactions are based on mutual respect and appreciation
- Challenges learners to think critically and creatively by incorporating collaborative, cross-genre activities
- Offers adaptations to help teachers tailor the lessons based on their individual classroom needs, making it easier for all students to participate fully
- Offers downloadable templates and handouts for easy implementation
100% Engagement is the ultimate toolkit for teachers looking to foster motivation, creativity, and active participation that deepens learning for every student in their ELA classroom.
List of contents
Introduction
Part I Poetry Lessons: Inspire Students to Discover the Power and Passion of Poetry
Lesson 1: Cutting Up Poems
Lesson 2: Introduction Letter
Lesson 3: The Punctuation Challenge
Lesson 4: Think Like a Poet
Lesson 5: Literary CSI
Lesson 6: Magic Eye Images
Lesson 7: Poetry Speed Dating
Lesson 8: Mastering the Masters Through Satire
Lesson 9: Twitter-Style Chats
Part II Short Fiction Lessons: Ignite Students¿ Curiosity and Analytical Skills Through Short Stories and Excerpts
Lesson 10: Spotlight Reading
Lesson 11: Paint Chips for Identifying Tone
Lesson 12: Literature as Protest
Lesson 13: Quickfire Challenge
Lesson 14: Pin the Quote on the Literary Element
Lesson 15: Using Art for Literary Analysis
Lesson 16: Text Rendering
Lesson 17: Blackout Prose
Part III Novel & Drama Lessons: Empower Students to Make Meaning and Deepen Analysis
Lesson 18: Visual Novel Notes
Lesson 19: Character Mind Maps
Lesson 20: BookSnaps
Lesson 21: Literary 3x3 for Themes
Lesson 22: Hexagonal Thinking
Lesson 23: The Inferential Timeline
Lesson 24: Thermometer Checks
Lesson 25: Musical Chairs for Complex Texts
Lesson 26: 50-Line Plays
Lesson 27: Wrong Memes Only
Part IV Writing Lessons: Demystify the Writing Process and Make It Fun!
Lesson 28: Highlight Writing
Lesson 29: Two-Sentence Horror Stories
Lesson 30: Writing Romantically
Lesson 31: Hand Turkeys
Lesson 32: Four Steps for Prewriting
Lesson 33: Six-Word Memoirs
References
Index
About the author
Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He teaches AP English Literature and Composition, English 11, College Reading & Writing, and The Poetry of Rock and Roll at Miller Place High School, where he has worked since 2008. He also coaches the boys’ basketball team for the Panthers. Over the past decade he has worked as an AP Reader and served on the Test Development Committee. In 2018, he was a finalist for the New York State Teacher of the Year. Brian also created and hosted the Talks with Teachers podcast, which was a No. 1 K-12 show on iTunes. When he’s not teaching, coaching, or writing, Brian is an avid explorer of New York City’s museums, restaurants, and coffee shops.
Susan Barber teaches AP English Literature and Dramatic Writing for TV, Film, and Theatre at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as the co-chair of the Test Development Committee for AP Literature. She has offered training at NCTE, GCTE, and the Folger Shakespeare Library and frequently leads ELA workshops across the country. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Edutopia, and she is the co-author of The Norton Guide to AP Literature. Susan, however, is most proud of the work she does on a daily basis in E216 and never tires of the beauty and chaos of the classroom. You can find her along with Brian Sztabnik sharing their thoughts on their site MuchAdoAboutTeaching.com.
