Today is Veterans Day in the United States. It’s a day we pause to honor and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have so diligently served our country and sacrificed so much for the citizens of our nation. Because I have family members who have served in the military, and a husband who works with veterans suffering from service connected disabilities, I understand the levity of this day, and have always done my best to think about and honor military members, past and present.
We can do our part to honor service members by talking about them, their bravery, and their service. Were it not for our brave service men and women, we would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. Our lives would be much different than they are. In order to ensure that our military continues to receive the honor and thanks they deserve, we must teach our children and our students to respect and honor this day.
This can look like many different things, but all are appreciated by those being honored. Some ideas include:
Writing thank you letters to soldiers who are currently deployed
Writing thank you letters to veterans who are no longer actively serving
Create a video montage with students expressing their gratitude
Visiting with retired veterans and listening to their stories
Schools can hold an assembly to show pictures of, share memories of, and even hear from service members
Talking to our students about the profound impact that members of our military have made
Every year, I would have my students take some time to make a card or write a letter that would be sent to a soldier currently deployed. It always amazed me how much thought they would put into the words they wrote. There were even a few years we got some letters back, and it made the students so happy! There are many organizations who will collect letters and send them for you— a simple Google search will usually guide you in the right direction.
Not every student fully understood the magnitude of what soldiers do for us. Others, however, did, as they had a parent actively serving in the military. But regardless of their depth of understanding, they did know that soldier are important and that they ought to be honored and remembered, and that’s a lesson I hope they have carried with them as they have grown into adulthood.
Have you ever sat down to write something, only to find that you just can’t think of any ideas? Or maybe you start off with lots of ideas, then hit a road block part way through your piece. Either way, it can be really frustrating when the ideas just aren’t flowing. Students can have this happen to them, too. Teaching our students to use the writing process can equip them with the tools they need to ensure their writing is the best that it can be, and can also provide them with the skills they need to keep their thoughts and writing organized.
The general structure of the writing process begins with brainstorming or prewriting, where ideas are written down, research is gathered and organized, and the overall plan for the piece of writing is laid out. Next comes drafting— putting the ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Editing and revising come next. Here, the piece is proofread for errors, flow, and consistency, then the necessary revisions and corrections are implemented. This step, along with drafting, may be done several times during the course of writing a piece. The last step is finalizing, polishing, and wrapping up any edits or changes and making the final draft ready for readers. While all the parts of the process are essential, today I will be focusing on brainstorming and prewriting.
The way a person brainstorms might differ depending on what kind of writing they are doing. If they are writing a fictional story, they might begin with outlining the characters, setting, and conflict. If they are doing a research paper, they might start by choosing their topic, then picking a few key points or areas to cover, followed by researching their chosen topics. If they are writing an argumentative or persuasive piece, they first would choose which side of the argument they are going to defend, then generate their supporting arguments. Regardless of the kind of writing being done, prewriting is an important step in the process of writing.
There are many ways to brainstorm ideas, and, as noted above, the method changes with each kind of writing. Below are some methods that can be effective as students begin to generate their ideas prior to writing.
Bubble/Spider/Cluster Map
With this method, students begin with writing their central idea in the middle of the page. Then, they draw lines connecting to other bubbles, which would contain the sub-topics they are going to cover, with additional lines and bubbles drawn to accommodate any other ideas. This method is particularly effective for research or argumentative papers.
If writing a fictional piece, a writer might begin with the story title or idea in the center, then devote individual bubbles to characters, setting, conflict, and plot.
Outlining
Here, students would begin with their main idea at the top of the page. Next, they would focus on one sub-topic or section at a time, writing down key elements, quotes, or facts that they are going to use. This is a great tool for research or argumentative papers as well. It can also be effective for narratives. Students would begin with their story topic/title, then outline the order of events, the conflict, characters, and so on. In the case of writing a story, sketching out ideas on a simple plot diagram would also be an effective way to outline.
Free writing
Free writing is the process of setting an amount of time, then writing about the chosen topic for the duration of that time. Writers can write down what they already know, what they want to know, questions they have, and so on. It is a great chance to just kind of brain dump onto a piece of paper (or computer screen). The free write can then be used to facilitate a more organized prewrite, such as an outline or cluster map.
Listing
Listing is a great way to generate ideas when doing a compare/contrast paper, research paper, or even an argument piece. It’s effective for listing pros and cons, story ideas, ideas for character names, potential settings or conflicts, or any other number of things that might need to be included in a piece.
Timelines
Timelines can be helpful when writing a research piece. It can be useful to map out events in chronological order so that when drafting the piece, the writer has a clear idea of when things happened so as to ensure that they get their facts right in their writing.
Researching
In addition to this type of prewriting being effective for research papers, this form of prewriting is also extremely helpful for argument pieces. Students can combine researching with outlining or cluster mapping to organize their findings as they search for information. One very important thing to note here is to make sure that students remember to record where they find their information and research so that they can properly cite their sources, and, in the event that they need to revisit the source, they will know right where to look.
The writing process isn’t something that only Language Arts teachers might use; it can (and should be) employed by any teacher who is having students write papers or pieces. It is a very effective way for students to get their ideas down, organize their writing, and prepare for the drafting stage of writing. Think of it as “preheating the oven” when you bake— you’re getting things ready for the final product. Check out the resources below if you need some ideas for getting your students started!
** Please note that these resources are for classroom or personal use only. They are not to be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own. **
If you’ve been a teacher long enough, and especially if you teach or have taught upper elementary or secondary students, you’ve likely had to deal with plagiarism in your classroom. If you haven’t, count yourself lucky! It’s a growing problem, especially in today’s world, where AI and other digital outlets are making it too easy to plagiarize, cheat, or put minimal effort into assignments. It’s really quite disheartening to see.
Plagiarism is, by definition, the act of using someone else’s work as your own without giving credit to the original author. There are many ways that a person can plagiarize, each just as dishonest and academically unethical as the next.
First, someone can use the entirety of another person’s work as their own. Essentially, the “new” author changes the by-line by substituting their own name, thus claiming the entire piece as their own work. Nothing else is changed, and the work is copied word-for-word.
Second, plagiarism can happen when someone takes pieces of someone else’s work and puts them into their own writing. This can often be referred to as “patchwork plagiarism”, as the “new” author pieces their paper together using patches and pieces of one or more already written pieces. This can even occur when a student attempts to paraphrase someone’s work, and maintains the same structure and only changes a couple of words.
Third, a student can plagiarize by pulling a sentence here and a sentence there from someone else’s work and not citing where the thought came from. This is likely the most common form of plagiarism, as students often don’t see a problem with “borrowing” a sentence or two every now and then in their own work. It is, however, academically dishonest, and is most definitely a form of plagiarism.
As a teacher, how do you combat this ever-increasing problem in today’s classrooms? One of the easiest ways to prevent it from happening is to teach students how to properly cite their sources. Because it is now easier than ever to copy and paste someone else’s work into their own, students absolutely must have a foundational knowledge of what plagiarism is, what it can look like, and what the consequences are for engaging in it. It’s also important to note that this sort of instruction is not the sole responsibility of the English/Language Arts teachers. Sure, they are likely the ones who encounter this problem the most, but they certainly aren’t the only ones who do. Anytime you are assigning students to write anything— research papers, narratives, poetry, and so on, you must initially define what plagiarism is and clearly set up your expectations and the consequences for failing to abide by those expectations. I found it very helpful to have a note about plagiarism on the actual assignment paper that I handed out.
Before turning students loose to write their papers, make sure they have an understanding of how to properly cite the sources they use in their writing. Be sure to have resources readily available for their reference should they have questions about proper citation formats. Read through their rough drafts to check for any potential problems or plagiarism so that it can be fixed before the final draft is due.
Should you discover that a student has plagiarized, be sure to follow through on the consequences you set at the beginning of the assignment. I remember assigning my 8th grade accelerated class to write their own book of poetry, with each poem following a specific structure or rhyme scheme. I outlined each kind of poem on the instruction sheet, and made sure to include a note at the bottom that all work was to be 100% their own, and that failure to do so would result in a “0” grade for the entire project. As I was reading through poems, I came to one student’s assignment, and came across a poem that sounded a little too advanced for 8th grade (even for an accelerated class). A quick Google search produced a whole list of sites containing the poem that had been submitted by this student. The poem matched, word for word. My heart sunk, as I knew that I would have to follow through with my previously set consequence. This student was a straight-A student, who had never cheated, and had always turned in quality, original work. That same night was Parent-Teacher Conferences, and let me tell you— it was not an easy conversation to have with the student and her father. She was devastated and claimed she had misunderstood that all work had to be original, but because I had taken the time to write very specific instructions on the assignment sheet, I had proof that my instructions were clear. It was a hard lesson for her to learn, and that “0” grade decently impacted her final grade for the term. Even though it was a hard thing for me to follow through with, I knew I had to, because I knew that if she had gotten away with it, she wouldn’t have learned the lesson, and I would have hated for her to learn that lesson in college or a high school course where the consequence would have been much more serious.
Plagiarism is one of those things that is hard to deal with as a teacher. It is a form of cheating, and should not be tolerated. Students should know what it is, how to avoid it, and what the consequences are for engaging in it. Like I said previously, it’s better for students to learn about this kind of thing earlier, rather than when the consequences for dishonesty are much more severe.
So now I want to know— how have you handled it when you have come across plagiarism in your classroom?
It’s no secret how much I enjoy holiday-themed activities! They just bring such a fun element to a lesson and spark so much creativity. Even though we typically think of holiday themed activities as being targeted toward elementary aged kids, you can easily bring them into any content area and any grade level simply by modifying the difficulty of the activity.
Thought I can appreciate all content areas, English/Language Arts is my favorite, since that is what I spent many years teaching. And since we are nearing Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to share some fun Halloween themed Language Arts activities!
(Most of these will be geared more toward junior high aged kids, but can be modified for other grade levels as well.)
Read some “spooky” stories or poems. Edgar Allen Poe is always a good option for this time of year. In particular, “Tell Tale Heart” is a stellar choice for junior high students. Other options include “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Did you know Roald Dahl even has some spooky short stories?!
Ask students to write a descriptive paragraph or two giving detailed descriptions of a haunted house. Have them trade papers with a classmate and have them create a physical model (drawing, painting, cut and glue, etc.) of the haunted house using what is written.
Have students write a personal narrative about their favorite Halloween or a favorite family Halloween tradition.
Have students write and illustrate a simple Halloween children’s book.
Have students write a persuasive piece defending their right to still trick-or-treat.
Using the free “Roll A Story” printable below, have students write a short story using the elements their dice rolls choose for them.
Play some fun Halloween music while your students work on one or more of these delightful Halloween themed activities, and you’ve easily set up a fun work environment for your students to work in! Teenagers might put up a front that they are “too old” for things like this, but deep down, they love it and will eat it right up when given the chance!
** This printable is free, and is intended for home or classroom use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own. **
Sometimes kids get a little mixed up when trying to understand the difference between fact and opinion. In their minds, their opinions make sense, and seem like fact to them. They often cannot grasp the idea that other people might think differently or have different preferences. A fun way to introduce the concept of opinion is by using “would you rather” or “this or that” type activities.
In order for students to understand that people can have differing opinions, they need to see and hear it. Students need to also be able to defend their opinion with more than just a “because I like it” as their reasoning. If given a choice between the ocean and the mountains, and the ocean is chosen, the student should be able to explain what it is about the ocean that they prefer.
To help you with this activity, I’ve created a worksheet for you download for free! I’ve made two different worksheets— one to be used as a writing assignment, and the other to be used as a math assignment.
On the writing worksheet, you will find several pairs of words. Have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words in the pair they prefer. Then, have them choose three (or more if you want) of their choices to defend. On the back of the worksheet, have them write a short paragraph about why they prefer the word they circled, giving concrete examples and solid details.
On the math worksheet, you will find the same pairs of words. Again, have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words they prefer. Next, students will ask each classmate what word they circled, then put a tally mark next to the corresponding word. Once they have asked all of their classmates, they will total the tallies for each word, then fill in the bar graph accordingly. Finally, students will write three questions that could be answered using the data displayed on the bar graph.
If neither the math or the writing worksheet fits your needs, you can always just use the “This or That” pairs as an ice breaker or conversation starter. It’s also an excellent self-starter for the beginning of class or a time filler when you have just a few extra minutes left in class.
However you use it, I hope you enjoy it! As always, my downloadable worksheets are strictly for classroom or personal use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own.
My last post was full of ice breaker and getting to know you ideas that involved the entire class. Today I wanted to share another idea for getting to know your students, but this one is done individually, and as a homework assignment.
Because I was an English teacher, this assignment worked particularly well for my class, but it can work just as well for any other content area. The assignment was called “Dear Teacher” and was a chance for students to write a letter to me. I gave them suggestions about what they could tell me, but also left it open for them to choose the content of their letter.
Some of the suggested topics included:
Favorite food
Favorite subject
Favorite music, movie, book, actor/actress, show
Family— how many siblings, things they like to do, etc.
Friends— who their friends are, what they like to do together, etc.
Favorite vacations they’ve been on
Things they did over the summer
What they’re looking forward to about this new school year
Goals they may have
Their feelings about reading & writing (or whatever your content area may be)
Anything else they felt like telling me
I also required the assignment to be hand written (this gave me a glimpse into their grammar and spelling skills since they weren’t using a computer with spell/grammar check), and required the length to be about 1- 1.5 pages long. I wanted it long enough for them to tell me about themselves, but not so long that I was reading these letters for the rest of my days!
This assignment was always so fun to get back from students. I loved learning about them! Beyond the “getting to know you” objective of the assignment, these letters also gave me insight into their writing style, grammar/spelling skills, handwriting, and personalities. Another thing I really liked about this assignment was that, because I had assured them I wasn’t going to be sharing their letters with other students, it allowed students to be completely honest and open. I had students open up and tell me about difficulties at home, friend struggles, learning struggles, and so on. It let them know right off the bat that I was a safe person who had their best interests in mind.
The “Dear Teacher” letter was always just a participation grade, which was a great way to start off the year. It was a low-stakes, no pressure assignment to ease them into graded writing that would come later.
So while this assignment was really quite simple, it accomplished much more than surface level formalities.
What kind of assignments do you give your students to start the year?
We’re in the process of repainting and redecorating our front living room. It’s been a process. It all started when I bought a rug to liven up the space. Then I decided we needed to paint. I underestimated how much of a to-do it would be to even choose a paint color. I bought two rounds of samples, for a total of eleven different paint colors. I wanted to make sure we had the perfect color, so I painted the samples on two different walls to see how they looked in different lights. For the last two weeks, we have had 22 little strips of paint painted onto our walls, reminding me that we just needed to decide already!
Thankfully my sister is really good with interior design, and was so kind to offer her opinion and expertise. We finally chose a color over the weekend and headed to the hardware store to buy the paint before we could change our minds.
The teacher in me is constantly relating things to education— I just can’t help it! As I’ve gone through this painting process, I’ve thought about how similar it is to the writing process. Painting and writing?! They aren’t even close to the same thing! Let me explain:
Picking a paint color is like picking a topic. You gather your ideas and feel them out. You test them and see which one is the right one. You might have to explore several before your figure it out. You might even have to run your ideas by someone else to get a clearer view of what you really want to do.
Once you’ve nailed down the right color, you go buy the paint and supplies you will need. Once you’ve nailed down the right topic, you start to gather your ideas and your resources.
Next, you need to do all the prep work: wiping the walls and baseboards down, patching holes and dents in the walls, sanding down the dried putty, taping off the paint area, and putting tarps down. The next step in the writing process is similar. You need to do all the prep work: outlining your ideas, making sense and order of your research, drafting your paper, and so on. This is the stage of the process that is often “ugly” because things are a mess, nothing looks finished or polished, and there are bits and pieces of stuff everywhere.
Then, you finally get to paint! You get to jazz up the space by adding a fresh coat of paint. You might even have to do a few coats to ensure you’ve done a proper and neat job and covered all the parts of the wall you wanted to. Similarly, drafting your paper into its final stage is exciting. You get to make sense and order of all the mess and ugliness of the prep work stage. You might have to do a draft or two to get it how you want it, but it’s worth it to get it just right.
Finally, you get to peel off the tape and reveal your beautiful, crisp paint lines and freshly updated space. It’s such an exciting moment! You can hardly wait for guests to come by so that you can show them the results of your hard work. Doing one final read-through then submitting your paper is just like that paint tape peeling: you can sit back and admire your masterpiece, giving a sigh of relief as you turn it in. You take pride in your work and can’t wait to show it off to others.
Doesn’t it all make sense now? Painting and writing really do have similarities! The next time you are writing a paper (or assigning your students to write one), rather than thinking about it as a long, boring process, reframe your thinking and remind yourself (or your students) that you are doing so much more than putting words on paper— you are creating a masterpiece for yourself and others to enjoy!
