Speaking and Listening | Institute for Educational Initiatives

January 28, 2021

The Power of Read Alouds // How to Perform an Effective Interactive Read Aloud

Interested in learning more about read alouds? Check out the "We Are All Readers and Writers" book talks! As a teacher, I have always loved reading aloud to my students, no matter what grade level I was teaching. I have done read alouds for second graders, middle schoolers, undergraduates, graduate...

November 5, 2019

Move from “Stop Talking” to “Start Talking!” // The Importance of Building a Dialogic Classroom (Part 1 of 2)

As English Language Arts educators, we have high expectations for our students when it comes to the reading and writing skills they are meant to develop in our classrooms. While we expect that students can achieve reading and writing greatness while they are with us, we would never assume, at any...

November 4, 2019

Move from “Stop Talking” to “Start Talking!” // Strategies for Building a Dialogic Classroom (Part 2 of 2)

Whole-class discussion tends to be a popular go-to strategy for middle and high school English teachers. On a simple level, it’s the easiest way to understand students’ thinking and to check for their understanding. Whole-class discussion can offer much more than this, however, and it can be...

Using Drama in the ELA Classroom

"Education is the process of learning to create ourselves, and it is what the arts, both as a process and as the fruits of the process, promote. Work in the arts is not only a way of creating performances and products; it is a way of creating our lives by expanding our consciousness, shaping our...

January 17, 2019

Lessons in Literacy // Defend that Villain: Using Diary Entries to Spark Discussion in a High School Classroom

For this installment of the Lessons in Literacy series, the CLE is pleased to spotlight an incredible educator, Anna Bourbonnais. Ms. Bourbonnais teaches high school English at Holy Names High School in Oakland, California. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is serving her second...

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