...sharing thoughtful, mentor text-inspired lessons your students will love!

High School Teachers

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A place for those of us who teach high school to share ideas (frustrations) and information.

Members: 77
Latest Activity: Jan 14

New year, new semester.

Here in Arizona, we have already been on summer vacation for a few weeks (at least at my year-round school). I'm already thinking about new things I want to try and reflecting on lessons that went well that I will do again and those that need modifying. Any ideas from anyone out there about a "must try" lesson plan or idea that really worked well?

Discussion Forum

Homework 6 Replies

Does anyone have any good ideas on how you get kids to actually do it? Thanks!

Tags: motivation, homework

Started by SS Perkins. Last reply by Jackie Cross Mar 25, 2012.

Review 4 Replies

I have a novel I am working on. I wonder if any of you have time to look at it and tell me what you think?Continue

Started by Paul Jackson. Last reply by Paul Jackson Jul 8, 2010.

Back to School 3 Replies

We are getting close to another school year. When I was a child, this was my absolute favorite time of year. I lived back East then and school started in September when the seasons changed. There was…Continue

Started by Dani Aldrich. Last reply by Paul Jackson Jul 8, 2010.

Using computers to grade essays 7 Replies

Does anyone out there use any kind of software that grades essays for you? What have your experiences been? Is it pretty accurate or do you end up having to grade it by hand anyway?

Tags: grading, papers, essays, writing

Started by Dani Aldrich. Last reply by Mr. Daily Jul 5, 2010.

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Comment by Susan Brummett on July 30, 2012 at 9:30am: Looking for free articles for high school students to read? Kelly Gallagher posts free articles of the week to read and write about- archived articles included. These can be found at www.kellygallagher.org

Comment by Dani Aldrich on June 23, 2011 at 8:54am: Just bought a great book on Amazon by Harvey Daniels called, Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading: With More Than 75 Articles from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Car and Driver, Chicago Tribune, and Many Others.

Comment by Paul Jackson on July 8, 2010 at 7:37am: Several O'Henry stories make great mentor texts. You can find one to fit just about any student.

Comment by Dani Aldrich on July 8, 2010 at 6:57am: Kelly,
My favorite mentor text is a short story by Ray Bradbury called All Summer in a Day.

Comment by kelley carney on May 20, 2010 at 5:54am: Does anyone have any great suggestions for great mentor texts (possibly excepts from novels?) that are not picture books? I love picture books, but my students (Special Ed) need benchmark texts that won't make them feel "babyish." Thanks.

Comment by Dani Aldrich on February 18, 2010 at 5:37am: Paul,
That sounds like a good one. Just morbid enough for high school kids to enjoy. My favorite voice lesson is having them write from the POV of their shoe. They have to describe a typical day; what they did, stepped in, smelled, who they met, etc. Some of them are gross and disgusting, some are very original, all of them are fun to read.

Comment by Paul Jackson on February 17, 2010 at 3:15am: Right now I am having the students write for an interesting prompt.
I found a lonely grave. It is marked
Bessie VanBuren
Age 19
Beloved wife and mother
died
July 11, 1835

I have the students writing the story of how Bessie came to be there, and it has to contain who she was, how she died, and if she was a beloved wife and mother, why is she buried alone.

So far I have some very good drafts, and it really challenged the students.