Interactive Notebooks are making a comeback in classrooms. For years, classrooms moved toward more technology, more digital assignments, and more screen-based learning. Now, many teachers are looking for ways to bring students back to paper, pencils, and hands-on learning. Interactive notebooks offer a way to make that shift without sacrificing the engagement and organization that teachers loved about digital tools. Going back to paper doesn’t have to mean going back to boring worksheets, endless note-taking, or students copying information from the board.

This is where interactive notebooks can make a difference.

What are Interactive Notebooks?

Interactive notebooks give students a dedicated space to record what they’re learning, interact with new concepts, practice important skills, and create a resource they can return to throughout the school year. Instead of completing an activity and immediately forgetting about it, students build a personalized collection of learning that grows right along with them.

They can write, sketch, annotate, organize ideas, and practice. Most importantly, they can actively engage with what they are learning without needing another screen in front of them.

For teachers who are looking to incorporate more paper-based learning into their classrooms, interactive notebooks can offer the best of both worlds: the organization and engagement we want for students, combined with the simplicity of a notebook and a pencil.

This is a nice addition to the classroom, and it does not mean you have to abandon all tech. It’s just a great way to balance the classroom.

Why Do Interactive Notebooks Work Well in the Classroom?

1.They reduce passive screen time. Students physically write, annotate, sketch, and interact with concepts.

2. They create a year-long reference tool. Students can flip back to plot, conflict, characterization, theme, tone, mood, and literary devices whenever they need them.

3.They make note-taking more purposeful. Your Learn It → Write It → See It → Visualize It → Try It → Remember It system is perfect here.

4. They support active learning. Students aren’t simply copying definitions. They’re applying the skill, analyzing examples, and using text evidence.

5. They work with any text. This is a major selling point for your resource. Teachers can teach the concept once and then return to the notebook while reading short stories, novels, or independent reading books.

6. They provide a break from technology without feeling old-fashioned. The doodles, interactive elements, quick practice, and visual organization make paper engaging.

7. They help students build independence. Instead of asking, “What’s dramatic irony again?” students know exactly where to find it.

Benefits to Using These Notebooks in Your Classroom

1. Writing by hand encourages deeper processing.

One of the most well-known findings in educational research is that handwriting encourages students to process information rather than simply copy it.

Researchers Mueller and Oppenheimer found that students taking handwritten notes tended to process ideas more deeply because they summarized and rephrased information rather than transcribing it word for word. This led to stronger conceptual understanding in many learning situations.

How this relates to interactive notebooks:

Interactive notebooks require students to:

• summarize
• paraphrase
• organize ideas
• write explanations

rather than simply filling in blanks on a computer.

2. Interactive notebooks promote active learning.

Students aren’t passive recipients of information. They are constantly:

• drawing
• writing
• highlighting
• categorizing
• connecting ideas
• reflecting

Educational organizations note that interactive notebooks help students classify, synthesize, and reflect on learning instead of using traditional linear note-taking.

3. They encourage generative note-taking.

Good interactive notebooks don’t ask students to copy. They ask students to:

• explain
• connect
• predict
• infer
• apply

Generative note-taking, where students reorganize and interpret information, has consistently been associated with stronger learning than verbatim copying.

Why I’m Bringing Interactive Notebooks Back

After teaching middle school ELA for more than two decades, I’ve learned that students don’t need more worksheets. They don’t need more random activities, and certainly don’t need to spend half the class cutting and gluing tiny pieces of paper. They need a learning system.

That’s exactly why I decided to create a new collection of interactive notebooks. I wanted something that would bring students back to paper without bringing back the busywork that often gave interactive notebooks a bad reputation.

Instead of spending twenty minutes cutting out foldables, students spend that time thinking.

Instead of creating pages that are used once and forgotten, students build a notebook they return to all year long.

Every page is designed to teach a skill, provide guided practice, and then help students immediately apply what they’ve learned to authentic reading. The result is a notebook that becomes less of a craft project and more of a learning tool.

My Six-Step Learning Process

Every notebook page follows the same six-step process. Once students learn the routine, they know exactly what to expect each time they open their notebooks.

Learn It

Students begin with an essential question, academic vocabulary, and a simple explanation of the skill they’ll be learning. Before students can analyze literature, they need a clear understanding of the concept.

Write It

Students complete guided notes that focus on the most important information.The notes are concise, purposeful, and designed to eliminate unnecessary copying while still encouraging students to process new learning.

See It

Before students work independently, they examine a teacher-model example. Seeing the thinking process modeled builds confidence and gives students a clear picture of what success looks like.

Visualize It

Students create a simple sketch, symbol, or doodle that represents the concept. Research suggests that combining words with visuals can strengthen memory by giving students multiple ways to recall information.

Try It

Students immediately practice the new skill using a short passage or example. Learning doesn’t stop with definitions. Students begin applying the concept while it’s still fresh.

Apply It to Your Reading

This is the piece I believe is often missing from traditional interactive notebooks. Each lesson includes a companion page that students can use with any novel, short story, article, or independent reading book.Instead of practicing the skill one time and moving on, students continue applying it throughout the year.

Whether they’re identifying characterization in The Outsiders, analyzing conflict in Thank You, Ma’am, or collecting evidence for theme in their independent reading book, students return to the same notebook strategy again and again. That’s where real learning happens.

You Can These Worksheets Too…

I added all of these Literary Devices Worksheets to my store, as I had SO many requests, and you can have them too! Click any of the images below, and it will bring you to the product.

Technology will always have a place in our classrooms, and I still believe it can be a powerful too. Some learning experiences are simply better on paper. It we want students to think deeply, interact with text, and create lasting reference tools they actually use, interactive notebooks may be exactly what our classroom need right now.

If you have any questions about my Interactive Notebooks, just send me an email at kim@englishohmy.com.

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Black History Month is a powerful opportunity to celebrate the achievements, contributions, and stories of Black individuals throughout history. As English Language Arts (ELA) educators, we can create meaningful and engaging learning experiences that inspire students to explore Black voices, literature, and culture. Here are some exciting ELA activities to bring Black History Month to life in your classroom.

1. Dive into Literature by Black Authors

First, introduce students to influential Black authors such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Jacqueline Woodson. Select age-appropriate poetry, short stories, or excerpts from novels to analyze themes of resilience, identity, and social justice.

Activity Idea:

• Conduct a “Poetry Analysis Gallery Walk,” where students read and analyze poems, annotating literary devices and discussing their impact.
• Host a “Read Aloud & Reflect” session to encourage thoughtful discussions on character development and cultural themes.

Recommended Books:

• “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson
• “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
• “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly (Young Readers Edition)

2. Black History Month Writing Prompts

Encourage students to reflect on key figures and events through writing activities. Creative and analytical writing helps students connect personally with historical moments.

Activity Idea:

• Use prompts such as:
  • “If I could interview one Black historical figure, who would it be and why?”
  • “How has the Civil Rights Movement shaped our world today?”
  • “What does Black excellence mean to you?”

Tip: Create a classroom writing wall to showcase student reflections and celebrate their voices.

3. Black History Month Bulletin Board

Make learning visible by designing an interactive bulletin board featuring influential Black figures in literature, music, activism, science, and the arts.

Ideas for this Activity:

• Set up a “Who Am I?” section where students match achievements to key historical figures.
• Have students create biographical pennants summarizing an inspiring person’s contributions.

Check out my Black History Month Bulletin Board:

Why You’ll Love This Bulletin Board Set:

✔ Encourages Inclusivity: Promote cultural awareness and inspire students to embrace diversity and representation in your classroom.

✔ Versatile Display Options: Perfect for Black History Month, but also ideal for year-round decor in ELA, social studies, and history classrooms.

✔ Classroom Engagement: Use the posters as teaching tools to highlight the achievements and contributions of Black leaders across history.

✔ Easy to Assemble: Simply print, cut, and arrange to create an engaging and motivational display that aligns with culturally responsive teaching practices.

4. Reading Comprehension Activities with Historical Passages & Pennants

Enhance reading skills while exploring key moments in Black history through engaging passages and comprehension questions. In addition, have your students take their new knowledge and create beautiful pennants for your classroom. Check out this Black History Leaders Reading Passages & Snapshot Pennants.

5. Black History Month Speech Analysis

Analyzing famous speeches by Black leaders can help students explore rhetorical strategies and persuasive techniques.

Activity Idea:

• Assign speeches such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” or Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?”
• Break students into groups to identify rhetorical devices like ethos, pathos, and logos.

More Black History Month Activities & Websites:

• Black History Month Activities

• 13 Fun Black History Month Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

• 12 Black History Month Activities to Engage Students

By incorporating these engaging Black History Month ELA activities, you can foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Black history and culture in your classroom. Whether through literature, writing, or interactive displays, these activities empower students to honor the legacy and achievements of Black individuals.

Looking for ready-made Black History Month classroom resources? Browse our collection of posters, reading passages, pennants, and bulletin board kits to make your lessons even more impactful.

Shop This Post

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Have you ever struggled to get students pumped up for ELA activities? Have you ever tried using an ELA Mystery in your classroom? I know I have worked and worked on different activities and found my students finish them too fast. Other times, my students simply can’t do the ELA activity because it is just too difficult or complicated. Finding engaging ELA activities that are also rigorous while still completely doable as an independent activity can be difficult. That’s why engaging ELA activities like the ELA Mystery Activities are a must-have for every English teacher! 

What is an ELA Mystery?

An ELA Mystery is an engaging activity that tests students ability in terms of ordering events, comprehension, context clues, and of course the ever important and hard to assess in a fun way, grammar. Once you use an ELA Mystery Activity, you’ll be hooked and so will your students! You can find these activities at English, Oh My! 

How to Use These ELA Mysteries

Usually when we think of an activity being engaging, we think it needs to be engaging on an individual level so students stay silent. However, the Mystery ELA activities are great for several different activities in your classroom. 

Collaborative Efforts 

Engaging ELA activities often start with students getting to work together. I like allowing students to collaborate on the ELA Mystery activities because they can learn from each other and talk through some of the problems. Now, I will say, if this is how you choose to use your ELA Mysteries in your classroom, you’ll want to make sure you set some expectations. 

For example, in the grammar section, it can be easy for one student in the group to just tell their partner their answer. To combat this, I make sure I am always circulating around the room while my students are working on these activities. Plus, I make sure there is a writer and a reporter. So, if you use this as a classroom discussion, the reporter has to be able to explain their way through the answer. This tends to combat some of the issues of one person doing all of the work. 

Review the Basics 

Another way you can use ELA Mysteries is as a class activity. When you do this, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing it to review and not so much to teach. This is a great way to use the ELA Mystery the first time because you’re teaching students how to do the activities. Then, when they get to do it on their own, they’ll be able to do it with few problems. 

A great way to use the ELA Mysteries as an engaging ELA activity for the full class is to exercise the I Do, We Do, You Do method. This helps make sure students are still doing some independent work. 

Assess Student Knowledge 

Now, you can use these engaging ELA activities in groups/partners, as a whole class, or as an individual activity. When you use these activities as an individual activity, you are giving your students an informal assessment. The main reason I love using these as an informal assessment is they are fun! Because these are fun activities, students don’t feel so much stress or pressure to be right. Therefore, you are getting more authentic work and you can see which area students need the most help with. 

What are Waiting For? 

When you check these engaging ELA activities out, you’ll see there are several mysteries to choose from. What does this mean? You’re covered with fun for several times of the year including: 

.     

.     

• March with March Madness
• February with Valentine’s Day 
• The Fall with Football 
• Spring with the Missing Seed Truck 

Now of course you can use all of these at any time. However, it can be nice to do with the time of year. Make sure you check out all of my ELA Mystery Activities on English, Oh My! You and your students are sure to love them! 

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Are you in search of group work activities for your students? Middle school students love group work activities, and they love to collaborate with their peers and friends. Students learn a lot more from collaborating with their peers than they do from lectures by an adult standing in the front of the classroom. Not to mention it is a lot more fun for them, so they are much more likely to do their best work. Check out some of these fun group work activities for middle school students.

Ideas for Group Work Activities 

1. Rotating Literature Circles

A few weeks before I know I am going to begin literature circles in my classroom, I start doing book talks for 6 – 8 books that I have already read entirely to introduce different age-appropriate novels to my students. When we are ready to begin our 2(ish) week literature circle cycle, I group the students into 4s (Sometime groups are a bit bigger or smaller, but generally I try to stick to four students per group). I split the book into however many sections there are students in each group (So, if there are 4 students in a group, I will split the book into 4 equal parts).

During class time, students read their assigned section of the novel. They usually get about 6 – 7 class periods to get their reading done. When they finish reading, students write a brief summary about their reading to share with their group. Once all group members have read and shared about their section of the book, the group reconvenes to create one of the many options given to share about their book with the class. See more literature circle ideas below.

2. Probable Passages

The teacher creates a list of words, phrases or dialogue from the text that are important to the chapter, novel, or short story (without giving the story or text away). The teacher groups the students together. Next, the teacher gives the groups a list of words and short phrases and a worksheet that includes six categories: setting, characters, conflicts/problems, ending/conclusions, vocabulary, and “I Wonder“.  Students are told each word or short phrase can go into only ONE category. Groups must work together to collaborate, discuss, predict, and infer where they believe these words and phrases should be placed.  Once the students have all the words and phrases in the boxes, they are to write a summary statement that includes the words and phrases. 

I suggest instructing students to highlight the words/phrases in their summary statement, so they know they are using them all. I always have all the groups read out their summaries, as it is so much fun to see which group comes closest to the actual events! Enjoy this Probable Passage FREEBIE!

FREEBIE Probable Passages Activity from English, Oh My!

3.Writing Brain Dumps

This is a great activity to help prevent writer’s block for a big writing assignment. Before giving the exact details of a new writing assignment, tell students what type of writing they will be composing and the subject of the content if applicable. Allow students to work in small groups to brainstorm different ideas of what they may want to write about. 

4. Add Some Comedy

After reading a novel with a particularly large number of characters, put students in pairs or groups of three. Have them decide on a character they all liked from the finished novel. Then, students should work together to put that character in a comic strip of their own. Students should put the character in a silly situation and tell how they think the character would react. Students should be able to defend why they think the character would react the way they did in the comic strip to the class. 

Here are free comic strip templates

5. Placemat Activity

While this particular activity can have any variance of names, have students complete a consensus placemat. The entire class is given a question or a thought. Students are put in groups of four. On the four sides of the placemat, each student contributes their individual response to the teacher’s prompt. Then, in the middle of the placemat, students write the entire group’s consensus to the prompt. 

Product Recommendations for this Blog Post

There are SO many different group work ideas out there allowing students to collaborate with their peers. These are just a few of my favorites. Be sure to comment with your favorite collaboration activity students do in your classroom!

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Are you looking for Wordle classroom ideas for your middle school ELA classroom? In the last few weeks, Wordle has become a very popular word game in many households. However, it is very easy to incorporate Wordle into your ELA classroom, and it really is the perfect word game for students. There are many engaging activities in which you can bring this game right into your middle school or upper elementary classroom. Check out this blog post for exciting ideas on how to use Wordle in your classroom.

What is Wordle, and How Do You Play?

Wordle is actually very simple.

First, the board has six rows and five letters per row. Choose a 5-letter word to place in the first row. It is strategic to pick a word that has different letters like “world” and “stare”.

Once you hit enter, the program will tell you if your letters are in the correct spot by highlighting them green, and if you have letters in the word but are in the wrong spot by highlighting them yellow. If the letter is NOT in the word at all the program will grey the letters.

Next, you continue working your way down the board by using your letters and word strategies to figure out the word. The goal is to try to figure out the word in the least number of rows.

Wordle Classroom Ideas

Here are some engaging classroom ideas where you can incorporate Wordle:

• Use Wordle for a bell ringer at the beginning of class. Have your students logon to the website, and have them work on the word puzzle for the first 5-10 minutes of class. See who can solve the Wordle in the least amount of rows first.

• Have your students work on the Wordle collaboratively. Have your students pair up, and work on the Wordle together.

• Use Wordle as a “Fun Friday” treat.

• Assign the Wordle as an extra credit activity in Google Classroom.

• Have your students create their own Wordle for their classmates. How fun is this? See my FREE template later in this post.

Other Games Like Wordle for Your Classroom

If you are looking for Wordle classroom ideas, check out these other word puzzle websites you can incorporate into your classroom:

1. Word Master – Here is a very similar website to Wordle. Unfortunately, sometimes school districts block certain sites, and this might be a great alternative for your classroom. Is has the same exact premise!

2. Hello Wordl- Similar in both its spelling and website design, Hello Wordl is accessible for free online.

Users follow the same rules as Wordle and try to guess the word in six tries. And players even have the ability to change the number of letters in the word they are trying to guess. If you’re looking for even more challenge in your Wordles, that’s what Hello Wordl was made for.

The best part of Hello Wordl is you can play over and over, and you do not have to wait until the next day! Win!

3. Kitty Letter– If you students are looking for a word app for their phone, they need to check this one out! If they like the game, “Exploding Kittens”, this is from the same designers. Kitty Letter gives players a set of letters from which players have to create words. Every word created, in turn, creates an army of cats. Here are the links to the iOS app and Android app.

4. Ooodle-Fill the Grid– I cannot leave out my math teachers! Here is a Wordle for math! Your students will have to fill in a math grid, and it is perfect for order of operations, addition and subtraction, and other math skills.

Collaborative Wordle Classroom Ideas

Now that you have some ideas on how to use Wordle in your classroom, how would you like a collaborative Wordle Template for your students?

Grab your copy of this template right HERE.

How to Use the Wordle, Oh My! Template

1. Once you grab a copy of the template, assign the template in Google Classroom or whatever platform you use with your students. Make sure to set it as “Each student has a copy”.
2. Following, have your students pair up, and share their template with their partner, so they can play together (You want to make sure the students can work on the Slide collaboratively). Each student will choose their own five-letter word they will keep hidden until the end of the game.
3. The fact in Google Slides they can share the document, makes the game so much fun and engaging.

Other Vocabulary Activities for Your Students

Are you looking for other engaging vocabulary activities for your middle school students? Check these out:

I hope you have so much fun with your students and introducing Wordle into your classroom!

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Martin Luther King Jr. is such an important person in our nation’s history. Although we have a lot more work to do as a country to ensure equal rights to all citizens, Martin Luther King, Jr. worked hard for the rights of African-Americans. Here are some activities to help teach your middle school students learn about this historic American.

Martin Luther King Jr. Activities

First, it is important for your students to learn about Martin Luther King Jr’s life and learn about his dedication and the esteemed leader. In this Martin Luther King Jr. Author Adventure, in the five activities, your students will go on a road trip to where Martin Luther King Jr. lived, learn about his life, determine facts and fiction, analyze his writing, and dive deeper into his famous quotes.

Want to allow students to showcase their artistic creativity while learning about Dr. King? Check out this engaging 3D craftivity that allows students to display just that! This Martin Luther King, Jr. 3D Craftivity explores vocabulary, defining, paraphrasing, close-reading, and pulling text-based evidence. This will certainly engage your students while working to show what they know about the iconic leader.

Dr. King was an amazing public speaker with an abundance of powerful and meaningful quotes. Have students research some of his speeches and quotes and pick a quote that is powerful to them. Students should create an image that displays the quote for others to read. Have students share the quote choices with their classmates and explain why they chose the quote they did.

Have you heard of Mix It Up at Lunch Day? Check out this fun idea and consider asking your entire school to participate in in the day:

Mix It Up at Lunch Day

If your school cannot coordinate this, consider doing it in your classroom for the day.

Also, show your students exactly where Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually born and where he grew up with this tour of his home:

Are you reading The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate You Give, Dear Martin, or any other piece of literature dealing with tolerance, prejudices, racism, and stereotyping? This social experiment will open your students’ eyes to the injustices that take place on a daily basis and why people need to be educated on these topics:

Hopefully this post has provided you with some fresh suggestions for teaching about such an important individual. Please keep in mind that teaching about Dr. King should not be limited to the month of January, and Black History should be taught year-round too, not just in February. We, as a whole nation, need to work to learn more about the injustices minorities are still facing, and work together to make positive changes.

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Are you looking for New Year’s activities for teens or your middle school students after the holiday break? Hopefully you relaxed and enjoyed a much needed, much deserved winter break! Now, it’s time to start thinking about what you will conquer when students return in January. Are you sick of “New year, new me?” I hear you! Here are a couple of fresh New Year’s activities and ideas to do with your middle school ELA students. Start 2022 off right!

New Year’s Activities for the New Year

First, capture your students’ attention the second they walk in the door to your classroom with these eye-catching morning and afternoon slides:

Secondly, rather than having students write resolutions for the new year, have them write positive goals for themselves. For example, instead of them saying, “I won’t have any failing grades this year,” they can say, “I will try my hardest to complete all of my academic work to the best of my ability.” Students should strive to write goals that reflect positive attributes they will try to add to their lives. This is better than writing what they won’t do or what they will stop doing.

Some students may not feel comfortable sharing their goals with their peers and maybe not even with you. Consider leaving their goals ungraded and instead, have them write goals or resolutions as though they are a favorite character from a novel! Students will enjoy pretending they are a favorite character. You can easily grade this assignment without making anyone feel uncomfortable.

Third, students (and teachers) will return to school out of sync. They will probably need to ease back into routines after such a long break. Their stamina will also most likely be low and they will struggle to stay concentrated for long periods of time. Check out this engaging New Year’s Celebration Digital Escape Room. This New Year’s activity is sure to keep your students interested while they are learning:

Lastly, provide students with one of these KWL charts: New Year’s Ball Drop KWL Chart or a General K-W-L chart. Use these charts as they watch this short clip explaining the history of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop:

Hopefully these ideas will help you have a successful first month back in the classroom. Do you have any other favorite classroom activities to kick off the new year with your kiddos? Be sure to let me know what they are so I can add them to the list! Best of luck to you and yours in 2022!

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Back to school activities for middle school students are important to implement the first few weeks of school.  These engaging classroom activities help establish a welcoming classroom environment. In addition, these activities set the tone and expectations of your classroom for the rest of the year.  Within the first two weeks, teachers want to emphasize classroom community and learning. Due to the pandemic, administrators encourage the teachers to incorporate social emotional learning activities into their lessons. Therefore, it is vital to include “Getting to Know You” activities, group activities, and just overall “fun” lessons into your first two weeks of school to establish community and learning expectations. Here are five activities to implement during your first two weeks of school.

Back to School Activities

First, you are definitely going to want to start with some “Getting to Know You” Activities.  Your students appreciate that you want to learn about them and their lives.

In this flip book activity, your students can either assemble or be given the flip book. You can also have them move through six stations-A Little About Me-Instagram Feed; Growth Quotations & Goals; Teacher Inquiry & Investigation; There’s a Rule for That!; The Power of One Word & Book Interests.  In these stations and in their flip books, your students will make inferences and draw conclusions, participate in group discussions, color, be creative, and they will use their imagination! You can check this resource out RIGHT HERE!

Would you like your students to get to know your classroom, your syllabus, and your expectations?

Engage your with this back to school or first day of school activity.  Are you looking for some fun icebreakers and collaborative activities? In this Digital Escape Ⓡ, there are nine different activities, and your students will complete activities, “Would You Rather…”, Syllabus/Requirements and Expectations Activity, Getting to Know Your Peers, and Class Goals. 

In this Digital Escape Ⓡ, Mr. Buttercakes, the principal, has lost his assembly notes that are taking place in 45 minutes. These notes are extremely important, and he has enlisted you and your group to help him backtrack to find his notes. GRAB THIS RIGHT HERE!

ICE BREAKER BINGO

Here is a quick back to school activity for you class. In this Ice Breaker Bingo activity, your students are asked to walk around the room and find peers who can match their answers. Their peers have to sign their sheet to validate the answer. This is an engaging activity will help break the awkwardness in the room. This is a perfect activity for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students.

Social Emotional Learning  Activities

Are you looking for a social emotional learning activity? Would you like to encompass more empathy and compassion into your classroom?

Walk a Day in My Shoes

Teaching empathy, compassion and kindness is an integral part of education, and it is also an integral part of a teenager’s life.  Teaching a student to “walk in another’s shoes” is an essential part of perspective and character. Your students will complete journal entries, watch a few short videos on empathy, compassion, and kindness, and complete a shoe activity.  This activity will change their mindset and how they look at others.  They will learn what it is like to “walk in someone else’s shoes”.

I hope these ideas are helpful! If you ever have any questions, just reach out to englishohmy@gmail.com.

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Classroom digital tools are a hot topic of conversation among teachers these days. Many districts are debating whether their schools will go back full time or if there will be a hybrid schedule.  Nonetheless, teachers want to prepare for the “just in case” scenarios. Teachers want reliable, engaging digital tools.  Specifically, English Language Arts teachers are searching for digital websites and resources that help their students with annotating, reading and writing skills, grammar practice, among other English skills and techniques.

I wanted to share with you a few digital platforms and resources for the English Language Arts classroom.  I used and found these tools extremely helpful during distance learning.  Regardless of what your school district is doing in the fall, it is important to have a list of go-to digital tools in your back pocket. Distance learning is now a part of teachers’ vocabulary.  They have to be ready for the distance learning scenario at a moment’s notice.

Digital Resources for the Classroom

Here are three of my favorite digital tools for the English Language Arts Classroom-

Kami– Have you used Kami? It is an amazing digital tool for the English classroom. Kami is a Google Extension™ one can easily download to a Chromebook or Chrome extension bar.  What is so incredible about Kami, is the teacher uploads a PDF assignment, and it allows the students to highlight the text on the PDF. It also allows the students to listen to the text, annotate, write, and make notes on the document. Teachers can assign work through Kami, and the students can turn it in Google Classroom™.

Google Meets Grid View– During distance learning, many teachers were using Zoom; however, many districts were finding issues with the platform, as it was not safe.  Districts were and are using Google Meet because they are GSuite subscribers, and the students are 1:1 with Chromebooks. One of the nice features about Zoom is it provides a grid view of the students who enter a meeting.  For a while, Google Meets™ did not have the grid view features…but now they do.  You can now download this Google extension, and you get the same features of the grid view Zoom is offering. I love seeing all of my students’ faces in the meetings and creates the personal connection.

Quill– Quill is one of my favorite digital websites I used during distance learning.  I worried my students would digress in some of their grammar, punctuation, and mechanic skills, and this website came to the rescue. Quill provides free writing and grammar activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. What is incredible about Quill is the teacher can build an assignment for their students or s/he can assign a diagnostic test to see where the students are lacking in skills. Quill makes it so easy because if the teacher is using Google Classroom™, s/he can just connect his/her classes right to Quill. You will love it!

The ELA Success Summit

Are you looking for MORE engaging, exciting digital tools, resources, and insights for the English Language Arts Classroom?

My dear friend, Kristy, from 2Peasandadog and I, put our creative minds together and created the ELA Success Summit. Together, we had discussions about what we thought English teachers will need for the upcoming school year. Since online learning may continue, we put together an online conference focusing on digital tools, resources, websites, and insights to help teachers in the classroom.

In this online summit, registrants will receive 20+ videos ranging from creating in Google Slides™, writing and reading in the digital classroom, using Google Forms™ for assessment purposes, classroom discourse, and so much more! Registrants will also receive the replay of the videos for two months, and s/he can watch them at his/her leisure.

This summit will give you a tremendous amount of information, incredible planning ideas for the new school year, as well as relieve some of your stress and apprehension you may have with remote learning.

If you are interested in learning more about the ELA Success Summit, you can check it out HERE!

If you ever have any questions or want to reach out, please feel free to email me at englishohmy@gmail.com!

Talk soon,

Kim

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As many teachers are transitioning to online learning, they are looking for tips for creating engaging digital resources to excite their students in the distance learning environment. Navigating these uncharted waters of distance learning is difficult. At times, it is hard not to default to the same educational websites or activities. Teachers want to move their students forward in their knowledge and provide the best activities and materials for them. Therefore, finding tips and suggestions to creating engaging digital resources is key.

I wanted to share a few tips to creating engaging digital resources I use when creating my own resources for my students.

1. Add Vibrant Colors-Anything is better with color. Color evokes emotions, and adding some vibrant colors to borders or backgrounds in Google Slides™ makes the resource or lesson more appealing. Colors are stimulating. Here is a picture from my Anne Frank Digital Expedition. This image gives the impression of a calm and soothing journey. Imagine this with a white background?!?! Yuck!

2. Add Engaging Clipart & GIFS– In order to create engaging digital resources, adding some relevant clipart or some fun GIFS to a Google Slide or Google Doc can definitely brighten the resource. Did you know GIFs work in Google Slides? I use firework GIFs in my digital escape room when the students “escape” the activity. Once again, clipart gives a nice aesthetic to the activity. GIPHY is a perfect place to find fun, free GIFS. If you are looking for quality clipart, check out places like Unsplash or Pexels.

3. Use Moveable Pieces–Rather than just having your students type inside the boxes, make some pieces the students can move around the resource. For example, maybe the students have to match the definition to a vocabulary word by dragging the definition box over to the word. Or, maybe you are asking the students to put events in chronological order. This makes the activity more interactive.

4. Make the Digital Resource a Game– Students love activities that are high- energy and are a competition. Teachers can easily take a resource and make it into a game, competition, or even a digital escape room. I started creating digital escape rooms a few years ago, and they are a HUGE hit in the classroom. If you want to check some out, you can click HERE. You can easily turn an activity and have your students find the code in the activity, create a matching game and other fun ideas!

5. Make It Pretty, but Keep It Simple- One thing you should be careful of when creating digital resources is not to overload the activity with too many colors, clipart, and other distractors. Keep the activity organized and clean. Put yourself in the students position when reading your slide-Is it easy to navigate? Will the student understand their steps and what they have to complete?

Are You Looking to Create Digital Resources, but Need Some Help?

Some teachers struggle with the creative component when creating resources for online learning, or they are really looking for more instruction to make their resources more engaging.

Whether you are a teacher or a seller in the tech infused marketplace, my dear friend, Danielle Knight from Study All Knight, and I have put together a course called Digital Sellers Academy. This course is designed to help teachers and sellers create dynamic digital resources for online learning. The time is now to turn your resources over to digital activities.

Danielle will teach you how to make beautiful, engaging resources with moveable pieces in the Google Apps™ , and I will take you on the journey in creating a digital, multi-layered escape room. You will learn all about Google Slides™ , Google Forms, Google Drawings, among many other features, tricks and tips. This course is loaded with 20 videos, templates, and resources to help in your digital journey.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at englishohmy@gmail.com!

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Engaging grammar ideas and grammar activities for the middle school classroom are not always easy to find. A teacher has to really sell grammar to middle school students. It is not a popular subject among teens. I compiled a variety of ideas for your classroom. Let’s take a look at engaging grammar ideas for the middle school ELA classroom.

Grammar Practice Websites

No Red Ink- No Red Ink has writing and grammar activities for your students, so they can practice their skills. This website contains diagnostic tests, practice, and quizzes to assess your students’ learning. You can assign the assignments right to them through Google. The free version is limited on activities.

Quill– I like Quill.org best when it comes to assigning grammar activities. First, they have a better selection of free content, and Quill allows you to assign independent practice and whole-class practice. In addition, they have diagnostic tests, and the teacher has the ability to create their own practice activities. Quill links right to your Google Classroom.

Engaging Grammar Ideas

Grammar Competitions-Put the parts of a sentence on pieces of colored construction paper. Mix the cards up, and give each student a card. When you say “go”, have the students try to put themselves in a complete, organized sentence. This grammar activity will have your students moving and thinking.

Celebrity Tweets & Posts- Find popular celebrity tweets or social media posts, and have the students grammatically diagram the sentences.

Here are some engaging grammar ideas and activities I use in my own classroom:

Nouns Colorful Comprehension Review & Color Activity

Adjectives Colorful Comprehension Review & Color Activity

Other Helpful Lessons & Ideas for Your Classroom

The Best Novels for the Middle School Classroom

Genius Hour & Learning in Your Classroom

I hope these resources are helpful for your classroom!

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Are you in the hunt for the best novels for middle school students? Are you looking to find contemporary novels that are high-interest and add to your reading list? I have a list of novels recommended by my students!

First, finding novels that interest your students is tricky. Secondly, our goals as teachers is for our students to LIKE what they are reading. In order to accomplish this goal, I have my students choose their own independent reading novels; giving the students choice in their reading helps with their enjoyment and their willingness to read.

What are Middle School Students Reading?

Teens want to read current, relevant books. This is exactly what they will choose, too. My 8th grade students choose a book a month to read independently. After reading, they complete a Book Spine Activity to reflect on the novel. It includes a summary, recommendation, and rating. Check out the picture below!

I compiled a list of the five most engaging novels for middle school students, recommended by my middle school teens. These novels were read multiple times or by a few of my students.

Recommended Novels

Contemporary Novels

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene:

Hazel Grace Lancaster, is a 16-year-old cancer patient. She meets and falls in love with Gus Waters, a similarly afflicted teen from her cancer support group. Hazel feels that Gus really understands her. They both share the same wit and a love of books, especially Grace’s touchstone, “An Imperial Affliction” by Peter Van Houten. When Gus scores an invitation to meet the reclusive author, he and Hazel embark on the adventure of their brief lives.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus:

This is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has something to hide. This novel follows four different characters as their lives unfolds around the suspected murder of their classmate.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher:

It is the story of a young high school student as she descends into despair brought on by betrayal and bullying. This ends with her suicide. She details the thirteen reasons why she was driven to end her life in an audio diary which is mailed to a friend two weeks after her death.

Mystery & Suspense Novels

The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn:

A family moves into an old, abandoned house. Jule’s parents love the house. Jules is frightened and feels a sense of foreboding. When she seeings a pale face in an upstairs window, she can’t stop wondering about the eerie presence on the top floor–in a room with a locked door. Could it be someone who lived in the house a century earlier? Her fear replaced by fascination. Jules is determined to make contact with the mysterious figure and help unlock the door. Past and present intersect as she and her ghostly friend discover—and change—the fate of the family who lived in the house all those many years ago.

Dystopian Novels

Divergent by Veronica Roth-

The novel Divergent features a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago and follows Beatrice “Tris” Prior as she explores her identity. This society defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with five factions. This removes the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population’s safety.

Other Recommended Novels

Here are other titles my students recommend:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

Heat by Mike Lupica

Reading Activities to Use with Books

Annotating Text

Literacy Centers for English Language Arts

I hope you enjoy these recommendations, and if you have any questions, please always feel free to reach out-englishohmy@gmail.com.

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