New Book! 📖 Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Middle and High School ELA

Hey there, colleague — happy Tuesday to you. I hope I find you well.

Got a minute for a story?

A year or so ago, my editor at Corwin said, “Hey Dave! Want to write a book with Matthew Johnson and Matthew Kay?”

The first few words — “Want to write a book with?” — scared me. I'm kind of a loner guy when it comes to writing. I mostly do it sitting in a messy cinder block closet adjacent to my classroom, muttering as I type, half-opened books piled around me, stopping a lot to walk and pray. It's more half-crazed monk than it is able and polished collaborator.

BUT: I knew these gentlemen were pros.

Longer-time readers might remember a book study of Matthew Kay's Not Light, But Fire that we did a few summers ago, and then he and I and a bunch of colleagues chatted. He teaches high school ELA in Philly and does about a million other things (e.g., a regular column for Ed Leadership; coaches everything; is a great dad to little ones).

Here's the convo Matt and I had some summers ago. (Not seeing video? Click here.)

And Matt Johnson? C'mon, the guy's Flash Feedback is an instant classic! He teaches high school ELA in Ann Arbor, MI, and he's also a dad of youngsters.

So: while I'm not prone to collab projects, when my editor finished her sentence with those two names, I said, “Yes! Please.”

The results, a year later?

Yep — new book! So, before you head into summer, order about a million of these for every secondary ELA teacher you know.

The questions we answer in the book

Before I close, let me share the titular “biggest questions about teaching middle and high school ELA” that we answer in the book.

Chapter 1: HOW DO I BUILD A BRAVE AND SUPPORTIVE READING AND WRITING COMMUNITY?What Community-Building Exercises Work Best in a Reading and Writing Classroom? How Can I Get Students to Work With Each Other Seriously and Thoughtfully?How Can Student Sharing of Work Develop Community? How Can I Get Students to Listen to Everyone in the Classroom (Including One Another, Teachers, and Texts)?What Role Does Listening on the Part of the Teacher Play in Building a Strong Community?How Can I Dislodge Negative Narratives Students Carry About Their Reading and Writing Identities?What Are the Best Practices Around Student Independent Reading?What Role Does Debate Play in Building a Strong Community?What Role Does Celebration Play in Building Community in the Classroom?

Chapter 2: HOW DO I CULTIVATE MOTIVATION IN AN ELA CLASSROOM? What Is at the Heart of Student Motivation?What Are the Best Methods for Developing Credibility as a Teacher?How Do I Help Students to See the Value of Literacy?How Do I Help Students Believe That Their Effort Will Lead to Success?What Are the Best Methods for Developing Efficacy in a Classroom?How Can I Help Students Develop a Sense of Belonging in Our Classroom?How Do Grades Relate to Student Motivation?How Can I Build Strong Relationships With All Students?What Should I Keep in Mind About Classroom Management and Student Motivation?What Is Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and How Does It Relate to Student Motivation?What Common Engagement Methods Don’t Work as Well as They’re Touted?

Chapter 3: HOW CAN I ENSURE THAT MY FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT ARE BOTH AS EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE, AND EQUITABLE AS POSSIBLE? How Are Assessment and Feedback Different?What Does Effective Feedback Look Like?How Can I Manage the Paper Load and Still Offer Effective Feedback?How Can I Ensure That My Feedback Has the Biggest Possible Impact?What Role Should Student Self-Assessment Play?What Grading Options Exist for Reading and Writing Classrooms?How Can I Incorporate Peer Response That Actually Works?

Chapter 4: WHAT DOES STRONG ELA INSTRUCTION LOOK LIKE?What Are Mirrors and Windows, and Why Do Students Need Both?How Can I Best Teach Critical Thinking?What Is Metacognition, and Why Is It So Important?How Much Choice and Voice Should Students Have?What Are the Essentials of an Impactful Reading/Writing Conference?How Can I Do Direct Instruction Well? (What Should Be Done With the Lecture?)What Is Project-Based Learning (PBL), and Does It Fit With a Reading and Writing Classroom?How Do We Help Our Students Remember Things?How Can Mentor Texts Be Used to Accelerate Writing Skills?What Role Can Emotions (Surprise, Uncertainty, Joy, Anger) Play in Instruction?

Chapter 5: HOW CAN I KEEP DOING THIS FOR MY WHOLE CAREER?How Do We Know Which of the “Smaller” Classroom Management Issues Are Worth Engaging?How Can Colleagues Be Your Squad Instead of the Crabs in Your Barrel?How Can the Right Extracurriculars Give Energy Instead of Taking It?How Can I Manage the Unspoken Expectations Placed on Teachers?As a Teacher, When (and How) Should I Say No?How Can I Stay a Writer While Teaching Writing? How About a Reader While Teaching Reading?How Can Professional Learning and Professional Communities Keep You Excited About Teaching—and Help You Work Faster and Better?I’m Bringing Home Work on Nights and Weekends, and It’s Driving Me/My Friends/My Partner Crazy. What Can I Do?How Can I Avoid Burnout?What’s the Best Way to Get Better as a Teacher?

So: lots of great food for thought, produced by three of your colleagues who are in the thick of the work and teaching right beside you. Pre-order your copy with coupon code IMPACT25 today! Order here.

The questions we answer in the book

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