Read It Write It Love It

A complete toolkit for overworked ELA teachers looking for effective reading and writing exercises and lessons In Read It, Write It, Love It, experienced middle school English Language Arts teacher, Emily Aierstok, delivers the ultimate roadmap to helping disinterested and struggling students succeed with reading and writing. Aierstok draws on her decades of professional teaching experience to explain practical, research-based strategies and activities you can implement in your own classroom for immediate results with learners from all levels. You'll explore solutions to common, longstanding problems—like running out of time for lesson planning and aligning compelling classroom content with academic standards—and find insightful tips on integrating tech and multimedia into your learning experiences. Read It, Write It, Love It offers engaging student activities that make reading and writing fun, relevant, and meaningful. You'll also find: Creative techniques to help you connect with diverse learners and accommodate different learning styles Time-saving strategies, including easy-to-follow activities and low-prep plans – to make your teaching day easier Ways to capture your students' interest in reading and writing lessons and help motivate them to achieve better outcomes Strategies for stepping up your planning techniques to ensure you're prepared to meet needs and improve learning outcomes for every student Perfect for secondary ELA teachers in grades 6 to 12 struggling with a lack of time to properly prepare lesson plans, Read It, Write It, Love It is also a must-have resource filled with easy classroom activities you can try out on your own.

Acknowledgments xiii About the Author xv The STEP Up Planning Technique: An Introduction xvii The Magic of Teaching xvii Planning Is Love xxi The STEP Up Planning System xxii How This Book Is Organized xxvi CHAPTER 1 Planning for Your Learners 1 Lesson Planning Essentials 2 Know Your Learners 6 Reading and Writing Autobiographies 7 CHAPTER 2 Data Collection Strategies 11 Using Data for Good 11 Using Data to Empower 15 Reading Data 18 Writing Data 23 Modifying Assignments: Same Goal; Different Play 30 Augment with AI: Differentiating Instruction 33 SECTION 1 S Is for Standard 35 Choosing North Star Standards 36 Framing Your Lessons 40 CHAPTER 3 You Had Me at Hello (with Bell Ringers) 43 Build Your Frame with Standards-Based Bell Ringers 44 Hands-On Bell Ringer Experiences 48 Augment with AI: Generating Bell Ringers 51 CHAPTER 4 Goodbye for Now (with Standards-Based Exit Tickets) 55 Use Exit Tickets as a Frame 56 Create Out-of-Time Exit Tickets 57 Use Exit Tickets to Extend Learning 58 Augment with AI: Generating Exit Tickets 59 SECTION 2 T Is for Text 61 CHAPTER 5 Heart and Stretch Texts 63 Identify Appropriate Heart Texts 63 Add Stretch Texts 64 Love It: A Close Reading Routine 66 Use Text-Based Questions 77 Augment with AI: Using AI to Scaffold Close Reading 80 CHAPTER 6 Independent Reading That Works 83 Create Reading Journals 84 The Power of Setting Reading Goals 88 Independent Reading Engagement and Accountability 89 Motivate Reluctant Readers 95 Write Letters About Literature 96 Augment with AI: Using AI to Engage Readers 102 CHAPTER 7 Authors as Teachers 107 Reading as Writers 107 Teach Purpose and Audience with Mentor Texts 110 You Have Style: Learning Style from Authors 114 Break It Down: Using Mentor Sentences 115 Augment with AI: Finding Mentor Texts 118 CHAPTER 8 Building Community 121 Encourage Community from Day One 121 Give Students Ownership of the Classroom 124 Ditch Rules: Make a Class Motto 126 Build Reading and Writing Communities 129 Augment with AI: Tools That Build Community 133 SECTION 3 E Is for Engage 137 CHAPTER 9 Choosing Engaging Topics 141 Get to Know Your Students 142 Connect to the Texts 143 Build Authentic Experiences 146 Tap into Prior Knowledge 147 Augment with AI: Finding Topics That Engage 157 CHAPTER 10 Engaging with Media Literacy 161 Lateral Reading: A Yearlong Skill 161 Utilize SIFT Information and Author's Purpose 164 Implement an Article of the Week Routine 166 Augment with AI: Finding Online Sources for Practice 169 SECTION 4 P Is for Planning from the Assessment 171 CHAPTER 11 Grades as Communication 177 Failure Leads to Growth 177 Feedback Over Grades 181 The Power of Retakes and Revisions 190 Alternatives to Grading Behavior 193 Augment with AI: Using AI to Extend Teacher Grading Practices 198 Use Rubric Templates 199 CHAPTER 12 Designing Assessments 201 Authentic Assessment Inspiration 204 Augment with AI: Using an Assessment Generator 222 CHAPTER 13 Tackling Standardized Testing 223 Empower Student Test Takers 224 Embed Test Prep All Year Long 225 Conduct Student-Led Data Analysis 228 Make Test Prep Fun! (Yes, It's Possible) 230 Augment with AI: Adopting AI Test Prep 234 CHAPTER 14 Empower Students with Grammar 235 Teach Grammar with Authors 236 Teach Grammar Through Writing 237 Teach Targeted Grammar Lessons 238 Augment with AI: Utilizing AI as a Grammar Coach 239 CHAPTER 15 Feedback That Works 241 The Power of the Proofreading List 242 Revision Stations 245 The 10-Minute Teacher Conference 247 Augment with AI: Using AI to Extend Feedback 249 CHAPTER 16 Getting Kids Actively Learning 251 Creating a Movement-Friendly Classroom 253 On-Your-Feet ELA Activities 256 Augment with AI: Using AI to Brainstorm On-Your-Feet experiences 258 CONCLUSION A Final Word: Tips for Longevity in the ELA Classroom 259 Index 261