#2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. We chat every Tuesday night at 8 pm EST using #2ndaryELA. We'd love for you to join us!
My name is Kennedy Brough. I am studying English and Special Education at Trine University in Angola, IN. I recently took AP and advanced ELA classes in high school so I figured I could have insight into some of these questions! Looking forward to hearing from others #2ndaryELA
Hello, all! My name is Matt and this is my first Twitter chat. I am still in my teacher-preparation program at @wilmu. However, I work full-time as a seventh-grade paraprofessional. When I graduate, I will teach Middle School ELA in Maryland! #2ndaryELA
A1 I don't currently, but taught 9th grade Honors and 10th college prep English in the past. 9th was based on test scores and grades, 10th also included recommendations #2ndaryELA
A1: I do not currently teach advanced. At my high school, there were no requirements for being admitted into them. Guidance could suggest against it, but ultimately it was the student's decision. #2ndaryELA
A2: I feel like expectations differs from group to group, year to year regardless of level. The personality of a class and the way students interact has so much to do with expectations #2ndaryELA
I would love to! I felt my AP Lit and Comp teacher prepared me very well for college and the types of essays and annotations professors want. #2ndaryELA
A2: I certainly think expectations should be fluid. Even within an advanced class, different students will have different abilities and levels of motivations. I feel it's important to recognize this, not just between advanced & on-level students #2ndaryELA
A2 (cont.): As long as their errors don't take away from the point students are making, I feel I can let certain grammatical/spelling errors slide for certain students depending on their goals. Thoughts? #2ndaryELA
A3 A combination of both. Regular students read Nightjohn and Honors read Kindred. I like to do thematic pairings so I can use some content for both courses #2ndaryELA
I can understand this! Advanced students should be expected to self-correct themselves more. As long as those on- or below- students are given positive feedback in what they could do better, it seems reasonable. #2ndaryELA
A3: There is a mix. Some books overlap, while others do not. Especially in AP, we read books solely for the purpose that they could be used on the AP exam. The academic students rarely read one of the same books we did. #2ndaryELA
A3: Each class has bi-weekly reading trackers (that double as bookmarks) that are turned in for a grade. Students can choose their own books, but they must be on their level or above. Each student has to read at least four days and 80 pages total each week. #2ndaryELA
A4 Because I like to do thematic pairings, a unit might have the same length at both levels, but higher levels students are expected to read more and own their own more #2ndaryELA
A3: (cont.) Two classes are reading "Tangerine" and another two are reading "Al Capone Does My Shirts." Certain students have more comprehension-based assignments while others have more critical thinking and real-life connection assignments. #2ndaryELA
A4: I find pacing to be extra tricky in ELA because a student’s question could lead to a teachable moment/discussion. Since these are invaluable and help solidify learning for some students, some parts of a lesson may be pushed back or omitted if not totally necessary. #2ndaryELA
A4: (cont.) You may need to slow down the pace for on- or below-level classes to reteach or explain something a different way. Conversely, you may need to pick up the pace when teaching advanced classes to maintain engagement and stimulate curiosity! #2ndaryELA
A5: I have never structured an advanced class. However, I know my teacher had utilized many colleague resources from different schools in my district that taught the same course to gather ideas and suggestions #2ndaryELA
A5: All,
Please share any resources that have been helpful in teaching advanced or GT students with me! Most of my teaching experience is in special education (inclusion and mainstream), so I’m very interested in learning more. Thank you! #2ndaryELA
Feedback, feedback, feedback! Super important!! Let's face it, English grammar can be HARD. I think that holding advanced students accountable for proper English grammar in middle/secondary school will really pay off when entering college and careers! #2ndaryELA
I certainly agree with this! I am a tutor in our writing center at Trine and you can clearly tell the students whose teachers instilled proper English in them and those who let their students get away w too much and not been held responsible! #2ndaryELA
