Even though most secondary ELA students have a plethora of English classes to choose from, at some point or another they probably are reading “classic” literature. And while I love that students can choose to take courses such as Contemporary English or Creative Writing, I still want them to see the power and timelessness of those classic works. Check out some of these tips for teaching these classics to modern readers.

1. Make it fast and friendly

We live in a high-speed world. Sometimes I am more concerned with students getting the “gist” of a work rather than reading the entirety of a novel. No matter what I do, some students are just not going to find Victorian-era literature tantalizing. Instead, we might read passages and discuss connotations, or try to mimic writing style, or I’ll have them search for examples that make the novel fit into its genre. Think about what you want students to get out of the experience of reading the novel, play, or collection, and decide if it would be better suited as a “highlight” study.

2. Pair with what they know

There are many classic pieces of literature that pair well with modern works. Especially if you read some of those “timeless” classics like Romeo and Juliet or Frankenstein. We have many options we can pair together. Look for modern tales with similar themes. You don’t have to strictly find adaptations of the same work (though there are plenty of options available). You can have interesting conversations with students about what makes themes timeless, how a theme or moral may change across generations, or what makes a work outdated.

3. Assess through conversation

Speaking of conversations, consider nixing assessments via quizzes and tests. While writing skills is certainly important, so is the ability to have a conversation. Take classic literature study as an opportunity to introduce Socratic Seminars so that you can focus on conversation-based assessments. You may also try Literature Circles (try these Task Cards for quick assessment options) so students can either work in small groups to complete the work or select their own preference when reading literature.

4. Use what they know

Students today are socially saturated with visual components. Just take a look at social media platforms. Pictures and videos prevail. Lean into the culture (within reason). Shakespearean works, for example, are full of scandal, sordid mockery of the times, and universal themes. Students can create “social media” accounts for characters, following the story and summarizing its parts through “posts”. You may also try having students write TMZ-style tell-alls with newspaper articles and gossip columns.

5. Let them recast the classics

Maybe students just aren’t connecting how you would hope. Instead, try letting them revamp the classics to something that would catch their attention. What modern telling of Animal Farm would they connect with more? If Oliver Twist doesn’t seem relevant, what if they retold it from the perspective of a child in foster care? Moby Dick can be a retelling of a ruthless CEO stopping at nothing to improve his business. Let creativity shine and let students tell you what makes a literary work valuable to them.

If you’re searching to connect students to the classics, let me know if any of these ideas worked in your classroom. Or, comment below with lessons and activities you found successful in bridging the gap between classic literature and modern readers.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is one of those powerful reads that, unfortunately, many students relate to. If not from personal experiences mirroring the main character, the reality of dealing with trauma and the fallout of PTSD, depression, and other ostracizing events. Teaching Speak, though, can be a challenging task. It becomes a deeply personal and empathetic read, so I make an effort to include it in my reading list throughout the year. Read on for activities and ideas to try in your own classroom.

Here are some lesson plans and teaching resources for Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak!

10 Activities to Use when Teaching Speak

1. Bookmark Analysis

No one thinks about bookmarks. Make use of the usual strips of paper or bits of wrapper that are typically used and give students analysis bookmarks instead. Students will be able to participate in engaging analysis components as they read the novel. It’s fewer worksheets to print out, requires students to jot notes, and is easily accessible right in the book as they read. This bookmark idea is versatile, you can create whatever style and questions or requirements you’d like. If you’re not interested in starting from scratch, I have a novel analysis bookmark created for the Speak novel here.

2. Symbolism Stations

If you’re looking to spice up activities you’ve already created, why not rework them into stations? It gets students up and moving, and they can work collaboratively; you can also forgo worksheets and have students work on graffiti paper or whiteboards. I have a complete symbolism station activity already created for the novel here. It includes six stations, each focusing on a different symbol.

3. Sticky Note Activities

Use your typical office supplies to spin your analysis work differently. One benefit of using sticky notes is they are compact, leaving little space for students. It’s a great option for students to practice their note-taking and summarizing skills. They will have to think critically about what they will want to note or draw to get the information gathered.

I have an extensive literary analysis organizer resource that includes 11 sticky note organizers (6 even include built-in writing prompts). Even if these organizers aren’t your cup of tea, consider using sticky notes for note-taking. You can color-code areas of analysis, or students can leave their notes stuck in the book for quick reference. Students can take their sticky notes and reorganize them before writing an essay to keep their thoughts in order.

4. Socratic Seminar

This is an activity of open-ended discussion questions based on the text. Socratic seminars are a wonderful way to introduce students to formal discussions and critical thinking. It also requires articulating their thoughts and responses to others – a challenge if students are used to just writing essays. I think these seminars generate amazing classroom discussions and develop students’ listening, speaking, and critical-thinking skills. If you need help putting together an engaging alternative to your essays, you can find my Socratic Seminar Activity which was created to use with any fictional text.

5. Understanding Character

Students can develop many connections with the text if they take the time to understand the characters. With a novel like Speak, you will have students that can relate to Melinda more than others. Optimize student connections by helping students with character analysis. I have a digital interactive notebook set up for any novel that includes character analysis. You can pick and choose what fits best with your novel (I like the tracing of characters and social media pages for this novel in particular) and use it in print or as a digital resource.

6. Digital Notebook

If you love the digital notebook idea, expand that into the whole novel. I have really enjoyed converting my paper resources into SMARTePlans that are digital, Google-based, and interactive. It’s perfect for technology-driven classrooms. You can find my customizable digital interactive notebook here which is full of literary devices, creative writing assignments, story analysis assignments, and much more.

We are living in a digital age, and students need to be able to navigate safely and confidently. We also still have students working remotely, on a hybrid schedule, or working from laptops for most of their work. Also, I save so much time by not standing at the copying machine.

7. Story Cube

Check out my free story cube resource that can be used with any novel. This engages a student’s creative side by having them create a visual representation of each of the story cube’s elements after reading the novel. It reinforces literary elements while also providing differentiation. And as much as I love technology, It’s nice to get students away from their computers and give them an assignment different from what they usually do.

8. Artistic Activities

Along that same idea, art plays an important part to the storyline of Speak. There are several ways you can work the idea of artistic expression into your study. Find artistic works that convey emotional responses to view before reading and discuss how art makes us feel. Better yet, have students research art pieces in various forms and mediums and create a presentation or group assignment where they share their favorites or assign a feeling to research.

If you are so inclined, you might consider offering students the opportunity to create their own works of art as well, accompanied by an explanation of their work and inspiration. This is a perfect novel to really bring in the artistic side of things.

9. Classic Essays

There’s always a place for essays and improving writing skills. When I want students to focus on writing, I like them to select one or two goals they will then focus on during the essay assignment. If you have student conferences or peer editing, we will then focus on those areas of improvement before the final essay is turned in.

I have found that as far as writing goals go, students feel better equipped when they take on a couple of goals at a time rather than the entirety of “write an essay”. Be sure to take a look at this final literary analysis essay resource, complete with a writing prompt, outline and brainstorming organizers, peer editing and grading rubric. It’s as simple as print and go.

10. Other Art

Art takes on many forms, and the expressions and feelings we can convey through art when we don’t always have the means or energy to express it in conversation is a prominent themes in Speak. This is a great novel to include poetry, particularly contemporary poetry forms. Try setting up an independent study of spoken poetry or contemporary poets where students can explore a variety of poets. You can have them write a paper, research styles, select their favorites, write a book report, complete a poem analysis, or think more creatively and create their own collection. This novel really lends itself to exploring creative expression.

Looking for a whole bundle of goodies you can use for the entire novel? I have an entire unit for Speak available here. It includes bookmarks, analysis stations, quizzes, tests, and essays.

What powerful reads do you like to incorporate into your classroom? Let me know what has been worth adding to your curriculum and class library.

zRomeo and Juliet is one of those classic pieces of literature I think everyone has read. Even students who haven’t read the Shakespeare play have probably heard of the story or will relate to the plot as it has been retold in various films and literature. If you need some fresh ideas before you start this unit, read on. 

Here are 10 activities for teaching Romeo and Juliet

1. Teaching Romeo and Juliet: Relatable Bell Ringers

If you’re going to focus on a Shakespeare play, you must go all in. Immersing students into a unit from start to finish is such a perfect way to help students understand a topic in-depth. Start off each class with these Shakespeare Bell Ringers. Each one includes a famous Shakespearean quote and a quick writing prompt. Students will explore various writing styles based on the quote.

2. Teaching Romeo and Juliet: Character Focus

Help your students identify and organize characters with these graphic organizers. This resource has two sets for almost every character in the play. Students will identify characters as round or flat, static or dynamic, and other basic qualities. This will also require them to provide textual evidence.

The second organizer focuses on tracing emotions and motivations throughout the play. It’s a creative way for students to organize the play’s characters and is also a great resource for ESL students and struggling readers. 

3. Teaching Romeo and Juliet: Get Interactive

I can remember interactive notebooks becoming all the rage. And while the paper notebooks are creative, a motivator for some students, and it’s generally pretty easy to put an interactive spin on old ideas already at hand. Having a digital version is just one more layer to add something unique to the interactive notebook. My digital notebook resource can work as its own unit and includes analysis activities covering characters, symbols, major events, writing tasks, and response questions. Digital notebooks are great for classrooms trying to limit paper use, use more technology, prepare students for tech demands, and for any classes that need to work with mobile options.

4. Teaching Romeo and Juliet: Engaging Writing Tasks

Help students understand and analyze the play by giving them unique writing assignments. Have students explore different writing styles, analyze universal themes, and study character development. My Writing Tasks resource does all this and more. Each act has its own unique writing assignment, and I’ve included brainstorming organizers for each. You’ll be able to use this with differentiated instruction, and there are several additional resources and organizers included. 

5. Read “Cloze”ly

Prep passages for students to summarize to help them understand events from the play. This is an ideal activity for review, comprehension, or even assessment. Cloze reading is an ideal way to help students understand what is happening. Cut your prep time down by using this resource, with 6 passages ready to use AND written in modern-day English. Use as an individual assignment or collaborative activity. 

6. Use Office Supplies

Increase student engagement with hands-on activities using sticky notes. You can use various colors to coordinate different aspects of study (literary elements, major events, character development, etc). It’s an easy and quick way for students to organize thoughts and notes, and the bits of information can be manipulated and moved around for different assignments. Students can gather relevant information for various essays, or can organize their sticky notes in a way that makes sense to them (by topic, or chronologically, as an example). Check out my Sticky Note Literary Analysis activity that includes 12 sticky note organizers. 

7. Make Use of Bookmarks

There are many creative avenues when it comes to bookmarks. Have an activity where students pick a favorite quote, draw a scene, or draw what they know about the play prior to reading (they can use the back to draw after reading the play).

Consider a foldable version like this one where you can jam-pack a variety of questions, vocabulary, literary analysis and more. These are foldable, interactive, fun, engaging – and it saves you time passing out one activity to be used throughout the play. 

8. Plan an Escape 

Escape rooms live up to the hype. Challenge your students with a fun and engaging review escape challenge. Have students work together in groups to complete collaboratively and spark authentic discussion. This escape room activity includes 40 timeline events to sort from the play correctly.

9. Don’t Forget Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an important aspect of understanding any work, but Shakespeare is on a whole other level. In addition to reading an older version of English in poetic form, students must grasp key vocabulary to understand the play more deeply. Engage your students with hands-on activities to learn vocabulary, whether that be through graphic organizers, visual dictionaries, or word puzzles. Check out my ready-to-print vocabulary packet that includes word lists, puzzles, organizers and quizzes for the entire play. 

10. Practice Annotations

Start at the very beginning with an engaging activity for the prologue. This will allow students to explore the Shakespearean language and the set-up to the drama that is Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Using this resource, students will read and annotate the prologue, be introduced to Elizabethan English, and have context and background information before reading the play. Students then will rewrite the prologue in modern-day English following the same sonnet form. I love having students explore language, and this activity fits perfectly into the unit. 

Bonus

If you’re starting fresh with activities to fill a unit, or you’re looking to refresh your tried-and-true activities, check out my 5-week unit plan for Romeo and Juliet here. It’s full of goodies including a pacing guide, pre-reading activities, bookmarks, vocabulary, passages, writing tasks, essays, review activities, and more. 

Put a new spin on the classic tragedy by refreshing your activities and finding new ways to present to students. Just a few simple updates and changes can keep students engaged and help them relate to the material. I love seeing what others do in their classrooms, so please share your favorite ideas in the comments below. 

Is Teaching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Still Revelant?

In an earlier blog post, I discuss if teaching Shakespeare is still relevant.

If I could choose one skill that every one of my students achieves by the time they leave my classroom, it would be how to have a personal conversation with every piece of literature they read. That’s why I focus so much on teaching text annotation to my classes. It’s an essential close reading strategy that provides innumerable benefits to a young person’s life (both in school and out).

As educators, you and I both know that annotating a text is more than simply circling random words and underlining what may or may not be topic sentences. Annotation helps students track their thinking as they read in order to reflect on the evolution of their understanding. When applied effectively, the practice of annotation encourages rich interactions between reader and text.

As with all things worth doing, teaching text annotation to your students requires a differentiated approach, consistent practice, and follow-through. You’ll always have a few “squeaky wheels” who insist there’s no point in marking up everything they read. Stay strong, my friends. We know the value of this close reading skill, which is why I’m giving you several practical strategies for teaching text annotation in your own classroom.

Strategies for Teaching Text Annotation

Model Annotation Strategies

As with any new concept that I introduce to my students, I always model meaningful annotation before I have students practice independently. We start with guided instruction with the use of my Annotating Text Made Easy unit. I work through the guided instruction as students take notes, and then I show them my thought process as I go through a chunk of text -annotating just small pieces of text with my students as I display my work on the projector. This could be from a short section of a class novel, short story, poem, or even small sections of a high-interest YA novel off your bookshelf.

Annotating Text Made Easy

Use Mentor Texts

Another way to practice annotation is with shorter, well-known mentor texts that students can mark up in a class period and discuss with a partner or small group. Here, it would be helpful to provide your students with a reference guide, so you’re not being flagged down every five seconds to explain what it means to underline a word as opposed to circling it. I always recommend throwing up a digital copy of the annotation handout on your school’s learning platform so your students will always be able to access it.

Annotation Task Cards

Task cards are another great way to check for understanding and encourage independent practice because annotation task cards still provide students with guidance, but they have some choice for their annotations. These annotation task cards work well as informal assessments after students go through their mentor text with partners or the whole class. If you’re into the low-prep thing or if you like being able to use the same resource again and again with different texts, I have annotation task cards for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry texts that you can just print, cut out, and have ready to go. For longevity, I recommend laminating these cards to use year after year.

annotation task cards

Keep it Short and Have a Purpose

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about either teaching students to annotate or assigning text annotations in class is to keep the passage relatively short and have a purpose. For example, when I annotate poetry with my students, we do it because I want the students to identify and explain various poetic elements, but then also be able to demonstrate those same elements in their own writing. By annotating the poems beforehand, students have a clear example of what to use in their own writing.

Practice Annotating Digital Texts

If your school has a 1:1 Chromebook or tablet program, I highly encourage you to have your students practice annotating PDF texts. In today’s hyper-digital world, it’s likely they already have digital textbooks, read novels on their phones and tablets, and spend many of their waking hours on a smart device. Not only does digital annotation help young people increase their digital literacy skills, but it also prompts them to think more critically about the information they’re absorbing online.

With annotating digitally, I like to teach my students several key strategies like using color-coded highlights and comments in Google Docs to mark up a text. You can also use Kami to digitally annotate documents with your students as well.

Teaching text annotation is an invaluable skill that students will take with them far beyond the boundary of your classroom. With regular practice, they’ll soon develop this essential close reading strategy and (hopefully) interact more authentically with any texts they read. If you’d like to see more annotation resources, check out my Annotation Made Easy bundle on TPT!

For more reading about teaching text annotation, you might want to read this blog post about why I teach text annotation the first week of school or this blog post about simple steps to help teach text annotation. 

It’s not the most popular activity in my classroom, but I believe teaching close reading is a vital skill for my students to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to closely read, understand, and analyze a text. If you’re looking to bring your students to the next level in reading comprehension and analysis, read on for tips and tricks.

What is close reading?

First, it’s important to know that close reading is not a summary of the main points and it’s not a personal response. It’s actually more in-depth than that. When you close read, you should be focused on analysis and interpretation. Students should pick apart the work. This is the time to uncover layers, make inferences, and look for specific textual evidence.

It’s more than a reader response. It is understanding what the author is doing. Why were these words chosen? Why described in this way? Why is this interesting (or not)? Notice that, while it is important that students acknowledge the need for tapping into prior knowledge and their own interests, they should not be focused on just their personal responses.

Why learn about close reading?

Our brains are muscles that need flexing and a bit of a challenge. Close reading helps students learn to find deeper meanings in a text. I honestly believe it is one of those “life-long skills” that students can use post-graduation. It is important to read with a critical eye. Close reading allows students to develop precise interpretations and deeper understanding. It also comes in handy for college readiness (though it certainly isn’t the only reason to learn).

How to teach close reading?

When we go about a workout for the first time, it can be tough. There’s resistance. It probably doesn’t look pretty. Students will need to practice, practice, practice with close reading. Since close reading as a whole really means looking at so many different parts of the whole, you can begin by looking at specific close reading questions.

For example, focus on vocab and diction. Look for the most important words and how they relate to each other. Ask your students to find what phrases appear repeatedly. What words seem odd or out-of-place? Are there double meanings? Are there different ways to read and interpret the text?

You can also look for patterns. Are there symbols repeated? Is a pattern established? Did the author build on one overall idea or is the structure more inferred? You can establish if the author seems valid, or they can identify in what areas they should have improved the writing.

I think the best bit of advice is to know you need to make close reading a habit so students learn through exposure. Always model and set a purpose for reading. Have students focus on connections and not worry about mistakes (in fact, I think “mistakes” are great for teaching students to explain their reasoning, interpretations and discuss finding textual evidence).

I have several close reading activities available in my store that are perfect for introducing close reading, practicing, or setting up as sub plans. This bundle has 14 resources (including distance learning options) which can also be purchased separately.

A great way to include close reading in the classroom is to incorporate the gradual release method. First, complete a small passage together as whole class, then release students in small groups to work together on this task, and after several rounds of collaborative close reading, students should then be ready to tackle the challenge on their own.

You probably won’t get very far in teaching without hearing about a plethora of sticky note activities. It might even seem overwhelming because you can use sticky notes for just about anything. What are the best practices for using sticky notes, especially when you’re teaching older students? Read on to see my suggestions.

1. Use them conscientiously

There are two points to consider – how to get ahold of them, and what to do with them when you’re done. Buy in bulk for the best bang for your buck. But if you are tight in the supply budget and it’s part of your school culture to provide supply lists to students, consider having students contribute to a class stock of sticky notes or have them bring their own supply.

The other thing to consider is how to dispose of sticky notes. There’s a myth that sticky notes can’t be recycled. While some types of sticky notes are harder to recycle (like those with fluorescent dyes), and not all recycling centers take “mixed paper”, I recommend considering alternatives to just tossing them in the trash. Check with your state and local recyclers if they accept mixed paper and consider starting a recycling program at your school if there isn’t one already. You can also keep sticky notes on a display wall for students to refer to later or keep an empty photo album as a collection of class notes and assignments to review as needed.

2. Use them consistently

I’m all for offering a variety of notetaking skills and options for organizing thoughts. But I also think students

thrive when they have a consistent style of notetaking. Consider practicing various forms of notetaking and letting students decide what works best for them – including sticky notes. If you want to use sticky notes for all close reading passages, then use them for all close reading passages. It will become second nature for students and they will know what to expect from the assignment when you create a habit.

3. Use them meaningfully

Ultimately, using sticky notes should focus on student retention. You could probably find a “sticky notes” version for just about any type of assignment – but that doesn’t mean you should. Your tried and true lessons don’t need a makeover. Remember these are just a tool. Assignments with in-depth organization needs, introducing any type of close reading work, preparing for debates, and working with new text are great ways to see increased productivity in student work. Think about how you will be productive and efficient. Don’t forget to include yourself! Think of your sticky notes as a vessel to guide students to whatever assessment you have ready. I.e. don’t fret trying to grade individual sticky notes for an assignment. Tie it together with what you really want students to get out of the work and focus on the meaning.

So where do I start with sticky notes in the classroom?

You can find so many ideas on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers (see my sticky notes resources here). But take a look at your own lessons and see where they might be a good fit.

• Print exit tickets on sticky notes to take a quick assessment of how the class is doing with assignments.
• Have students jot notes and questions and place them in their textbooks as they read, or turn in to you after a lecture so you can see what needs to be reviewed.
• Encourage more productive reading by having students use sticky notes to mark questions, or use for close reading.
• Build up to class discussions or debates by using sticky notes. Students can jot notes individually, and build their discussion points with groups until they have a comprehensive list made from everyone’s thoughts.
• When dealing with tough subjects, ask students to use sticky notes to put their personal thoughts down in the moment, and they can revisit them later to journal or just have a space to get their thoughts out.
• If you have lengthy assignments like those related to research, students can compile their notes with sticky notes and then organize them into like-minded categories or topics without sifting through pages and pages of notes in different places.

If you’re looking for a good list of resources to start using sticky notes in tried and true methods, visit my store and find some great options such as

• Sticky Note Analysis Bundle: Literary, Rhetoric, Poetry 
  
• Long Way Down: Literary Analysis with Sticky Notes
• Literary Analysis Sticky Note Organizer for Any Text
• Analysis Mini Flip Book Bundle: Literary, Rhetorical, and Poetry

Shakespeare has been gone for 400 years and yet we still insist on keeping him in our classroom. Mention Shakespeare, and I can guarantee teens immediately put up a front. Breaking through that initial abrasiveness can sometimes become a hurdle – but pointing out Shakespeare’s relevancy is a great start to a study. Below are some quick thoughts you might consider sharing with students, as well as several resources you can use while teaching Shakespeare.

Shakespeare influenced our language.

You can find so many references in our English language directly from Shakespeare’s work. If your students have ever been tongue-tied or hoodwinked, they’re quoting Shakespeare. There is a definitive record of Shakespeare being identified as the sole user or the first user of many common words and phrases. Your students might enjoy focusing on phrases they do recognize instead of worrying about what seems confusing.

Shakespeare’s themes are timeless.

If you cut the language that feels outdated to students and get to the bare bones of the stories Shakespeare wrote, you’ll find emotional and masterful works. Romeo and Juliet is a prime example of a work that is showcased in pop culture over and over again. Give students the “bare bones” of some works and have them find cultural links to their favorite movies, shows, and books before getting started on a new work. I like to spark conversations with these Shakespeare Bell Ringers meant to work as discussion starters as we begin Shakespeare’s work.

Shakespeare’s characters are relatable.

We can all relate to the trouble that affects Shakespeare’s characters. The raw emotions of love, jealousy, anger, and hope are identifiable across the centuries. When you can help students read into character analysis and development, you can open up a new way of understanding the works and the relevancy of these classics. This is especially true if you’ve already done the above and had students identify relatable works from their era – they can extend to the specific characters from the work. Use an activity like my character analysis (this one is for Julius Ceasar) to help students organize their thoughts and connections.

Shakespeare is a conspiracy.

Even today there’s speculation on whether Shakespeare truly wrote all of his works. Was it really a one-man show? Was it a group of playwrights? Was it an aristocrat penning in secret? And, despite so many images of Shakespeare – we aren’t even sure we know what he looked like. Shakespeare’s printed portraits that we associate with his work actually didn’t debut during his lifetime. Students can work on their own interpretations of who he might have been or can read articles related to his life. You can use this informative flip-book activity to get started learning about the bard.

Despite the changes of the times, I still believe Shakespeare has a place in our English studies today. It rests on us to show students that there is a relevancy and help guide them to understanding the importance of understanding and connecting to universal themes and characters.

It’s the not-so-favorite time of year – state testing. And while students may agonize and teachers may groan at the thought of another year of standardized testing in the midst of whatever this new normal is, it’s up to us to prepare our students the best we can. Here are six ideas to help you prep for the test prep season.

1. Get organized

This applies to you as well as your students. Think about your game plan. What are you going to accomplish? “Prep for state testing” is too broad a statement. Think about specific tasks, specific knowledge your students need. Think about how you’ll organize your students and how much time you will need. Don’t add more stress to the situation by going in at the last minute with packets you found on the internet but didn’t have time to vet. Be methodical in what you plan. If you’ve waited until the final hour, focus on one or two main test prep areas: writing with evidence or focusing on listening skills.

2. Try something fun

Students don’t need endless packets of review work and they certainly don’t need to do tests before they test. I rarely have had students who didn’t like games, so I try to work in some fun activities for the students. Try fan favorites like Jeopardy and trashketball. Prep some Jenga games with literacy questions or vocabulary. Play 4-corners to get students up and moving while still assessing areas to study. However, my absolute favorite way to prep students for state tests is through escape room activities. I love using Escape Rooms to review and have three options in my store. You can find Escape Room activities for non-fiction, vocabulary, and listening skills. 

3. Target practice

It’s a bit more prep on your part, but try targeted practice rather than having the whole class participate in the same activity. Think about the “weak areas” of each student. Students can then be put into groups based on skill level and work collaboratively, or they can be given individualized tasks to hone their skills. If you use any type of test-prep service at your school, you should easily have access to not only individual data for your students, but also be able to assign practice at their level for review. From what I’ve seen through years of analyzing student data is that one weak area is listening skills. Focusing solely on improving students’ listening skills is a great way to target student test prep.

4. Strategize

Help students strategize for test day. I’ve had so many students with testing anxiety, and I give them every tip I find. In one of my placements, the school counselors led up reviewing testing strategies. It was a great way to show there was a collaborative effort in seeing students succeed. Even if that’s not an option for you, putting together helpful tips and tricks for students can make a huge difference. 

5. Keep it positive

Unless you have specific testing areas, you’ll have to take down your subject-related posters. Why not replace the space with positivity? Use posters that you’ve bought or make it a fun project for students to work on leading up to testing. Work together as a school or grade to fill your room or the hallways with affirmations for students. I think this is an important part of preparing emotionally and helping to remind students that they are not “the test”. I also like these motivational candy message tags on the day of the test. 

6. Decompress

Plan activities for students to do post-testing that don’t include more academia. Some might say that’s “wasting class time” when we veer from our subject matter. But being a diehard for your lesson plans isn’t what students need. Find something fun and interesting to learn about, discuss how the test went, what questions they have, let them vent, create a fun project to work on, or simply let them veg with a film (there are plenty of school-worthy options out there). Another great way to decompress is to show a Pixar short film and have students discuss the literary elements. It won’t even feel like classwork to them.

Bonus!
If you’re looking for more prep tips, I have another post with five more tips that you can find here. I also have tons of test-prep related resources in my store. Some of my favorites include independent and dependent clauses, commas, colons and semicolons, parallel structure, and this academic vocabulary bundle. 

Don’t let this test season stress you or your students out. 

When it comes to reading nonfiction, my students tend to get bleary-eyed and hard-of-hearing. It’s like they instantly think of their history textbooks and informational articles and they decide before they even know the topic that they aren’t going to like it. And that is one of the big hurdles when it comes to teaching nonfiction texts at the middle school and high school level.

For many students, nonfiction is like the vegetable of literature, but it doesn’t have to be this way. This is why I work hard to make sure I have a variety of activities to engage my students. Read about some of my favorites below.

1. Teaching Nonfiction: Fact vs Opinion

This super easy activity simply involves you presenting the topic of study and having students create a class list of information. Students share what they know (or think) they know about the subject. You can then assign a pre-reading activity separating fact from fiction, or have students revisit the list after reading.

2. Teaching Nonfiction: Learn to Annotate

Annotating is such an important skill because your students learn to engage with the text. It also has shown to improve retention, and helps increase critical thinking. My annotating fiction task cards is a great nonfiction annotation that you can use for any nonfiction text. The task cards and activities will help students grow more confident in their annotating skills as they explore a variety of nonfiction articles. There’s also a full annotation bundle that includes fiction and poetry annotation. You can find that here in my Annotating Task Cards Bundle.

3. Teaching Nonfiction: Connect to Real Life

It truly is important for readers to connect to text in order to retain information and stay engaged.

Have students keep a journal during the reading to jot down connections that they see either to themselves, or to society as a whole. While not every subject will necessarily personally resonate with students, they can learn to look at the “bigger picture” and see the connections to the world around them.

4. Teaching Nonfiction: Mix Nonfiction and Fiction

Sometimes choosing nonfiction study feels like we are making a sacrifice in the literature category. It seems hard to fit everything in, so why not combine? Teaching nonfiction works very well when you pair it with the literature you are already reading in class. When you have fictional literature to study, take time to showcase the nonfiction connections with your students. For example, a contemporary novels class reading The Hunger Games might choose to make connections to works like Diary of Anne Frank or Elie Wiesel’s Night. You can also work with your librarian to showcase fiction/nonfiction pairings to encourage students to read a variety of different types of texts.

5. Teaching Nonfiction: Artistic Vocabulary

Another turn-off for nonfiction is that it also comes with vocabulary. Instead of a vocabulary list paired with a quiz, consider tapping into creative and artistic activities instead. Students can create a visual word wall on the bulletin board, digitally create slides or images (a great alternative for those working virtually), or have students create Wordles after reading the text to show their understanding.

6. Teaching Nonfiction: Sticky Note Questions

Sticky notes are so versatile. Give your students a small stack before reading and have them write questions, connections, or thoughts and stick them right on the page. Students can then turn to their sticky notes rather than leafing through their notebooks for their questions and figuring out where in the reading their thought came from. You might have students read individually with their sticky notes and then come together as a class or group to answer. This also can pair nicely with annotation activities.

7. Teaching Nonfiction: Tweet About It

Another way to have students practice critical thinking and summarizing skills is to have students “tweet” about the nonfiction work. You can provide prompts about specific events or people, or simply have students jot down their tweet as you check for understanding. This is a great way to break up long texts into manageable “chunks” by tweeting about independent events, people, or chapters. The tweets can later serve as a class review in manageable bits.

8. Teaching Nonfiction: …or TikTok

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there’s no doubt that viral video trends are a major influence in students’ lives. Use that to your advantage and let students create short videos to showcase information. Find school-appropriate challenges or songs that are trending and let students use their creativity. Even if you’re virtual, students can use their video features to film. Have them think about how they would recreate an event in a modern way, and make it bite-size to fit the one-minute time limit. Have them pretend to be a person you’re studying – what challenges would they attempt?

9. Teaching Nonfiction: Play to Interests

It can seem overwhelming trying to fit in all of the topics of study during the year, but it is worth the time to squeeze in the opportunity for your students to choose their own topics. Why not make it nonfiction study to help encourage engagement? Alternatively, you can have the class make a list together of their interests and then you select at your discretion.

10. Teaching Nonfiction: Make it Interactive

Rather than a go-to research paper, or simply studying from autobiographies, make a more interactive assignment. There are many different types of escape rooms for a variety of subjects. There are even escape room templates so you can design your own with the puzzles already created – you just need to fill in the information. If you’re not looking for a full scale escape room, start with smaller puzzles, riddles, or decoding and apply it to a scavenger hunt style of assignment. Your students will still read the same nonfiction, but might be more invested in solving brain teasers like these.

For more reading about teaching nonfiction, check out this blog post about 5 ways to analyze nonfiction!

If you are looking for more nonfiction teaching materials, you might be interested in these resources:
Annotating Made Easy
Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting