“How do you get all of these beautiful books?” Before answering that question, I wanted to share a quick story that will give you a better idea of how my classroom philosophy and library has grown over time... In 2015-16, I decided to make the “loop” from a middle school to a high school in the … Continue reading 12 tips for building a beautiful classroom library
Mentions: jarredamato
Sunday 7: Project LIT Summit, Kwame’s “Rebound,” Black History Month & more
This week’s edition of the “Sunday 7” includes several book recommendations and an exciting Project LIT announcement. Before we begin, however, be sure read this beautiful blog post by my friend, Julia Torres. Julia touches on the impact of Nic Stone’s (#BookBeyonce) recent life-changing visit to Montbello and what it takes to help students develop … Continue reading Sunday 7: Project LIT Summit, Kwame’s “Rebound,” Black History Month & more
Sunday 7: ACT “secrets,” access to relevant books, Nic Stone thank-you letters & more
Let’s get right into this week’s Sunday 7… 1. The “secret” to improving ACT scores To prepare for the ACT this spring, my high school juniors recently completed an English practice test. We decided to chunk the test over three class periods, which meant that each day I set a timer for 15 minutes and … Continue reading Sunday 7: ACT “secrets,” access to relevant books, Nic Stone thank-you letters & more
Sunday 7: Reflections from our Project LIT Book Club, featuring best-selling author Nic Stone
There’s a lot I will eventually write about Friday’s Project LIT Book Club. Eventually, I’ll share the full journey, which in many ways begins in 2014, when my current juniors were in eighth grade, so that you can better understand how and why best-selling author and amazing human Nic Stone ended up at Maplewood High … Continue reading Sunday 7: Reflections from our Project LIT Book Club, featuring best-selling author Nic Stone
Top 7 challenges students face as readers
As an English teacher, I believe there is tremendous power in having students reflect periodically on their own reading and writing habits. For example, I recently asked students to answer the following questions after our 25 minutes of independent reading: Do you think you have improved as a reader this year? Why, or why not? … Continue reading Top 7 challenges students face as readers
Why schools must create a culture of reading
NOTE: This post was originally published by Dr. Ryan B. Jackson on The Underdog's Advocate. As a high school English teacher, I constantly find myself creating analogies to help my students comprehend confusing concepts. (I’m also a sucker for alliteration, but that’s beside the point). And so, during a recent conference with a student, a … Continue reading Why schools must create a culture of reading
DR. JARRED AMATO 