The difficulty students have in writing clearly can be traced to many factors, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, from muddled pre-CCSS standards to weak teaching practices. Here she offers concrete suggestions to correct persistent writing problems in the secondary grades.
For literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, Reading Informational Text (RIT) Standard 2.1 is both essential and easy to learn. Yet she suspects many students well beyond Grade 2 haven’t mastered it. She shares a quick technique to teach this high-leverage skill in middle grades.
Sarah Tantillo is back with 12 techniques that mid-grades teachers across the curriculum can use to help their students develop the habits of speaking and listening that most contribute to learning. One idea: “Treat students as sleuths out to solve a mystery.”
Of all the ways educators can improve learning in their classrooms, “the Number 1 way is to strengthen students’ speaking and listening skills and habits,” writes teaching coach and literacy expert Sarah Tantillo. Oral fluency deepens understanding dramatically.
Each of these 20 English Language Arts-oriented articles (dating back to 2012) has enjoyed thousands of reads since it was first published at MiddleWeb. From closer reading to better writing, we hope you find some helpful ideas and inspiration for the new school year!
Sarah Tantillo’s MiddleWeb post, Socratic Seminars in the Middle, has racked up tens of thousands of visits. Now Sarah, author of The Literacy Cookbook, is back with a tweak to her recipe, suggested by colleague Jamison Fort. See his students in action.
Plan now for summer reading assignments with the Character Analysis Organizers developed by Sarah Tantillo. Students evaluate two main characters in a selected book by answering questions and then developing paragraphs. More reading, less torture, and a place to start in the fall.
Initial failures can produce big breakthroughs, as ELA consultant Sarah Tantillo found when students she was supporting failed to translate PARCC practice prompts into viable essays. Check out the tools Tantillo, teachers & tutors used to solve the problem.
Common Core tests require students to analyze two literary texts and compare & contrast themes or points of view. Literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo shares a better tool to help students organize these essays. Included: Links to all her PARCC Prep articles.
With the winter “read by the fire” season in full force, we offer a selection of 20 MiddleWeb posts that have garnered thousands of views apiece. They represent the wisdom & expertise of middle grades educators with a wide range of teaching experiences.
