Annotated ELA

A list of professional development books for ELA teachers might seem like the last thing you want to think about it…as if teachers don’t sit through enough professional development. 

Am I right? 

BUT this list of professional development books are worth the read. These books have provided more practical tips and strategies than years of professional development. 

Bare with me and skim through the suggestions of professional development books for ELA teachers; it might be exactly what you’re looking for to spark your next great classroom idea. 

1. Inside Words by Janet Allen
2. Micro Mentor Texts Using Short Passages from Great Books to Teach Writer’s Craft by Penny Kittle
3. A Teacher’s Guide to Reading Conferences by Jennifer Serravallo
4. A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences Grades K-8 by Carl Anderson 
5. Teaching Writing in Small Groups by Jennifer Serravallo
6. The Reading Strategies Book Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo
7. The Writing Strategies Book Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers by Jennifer Serravallo

**Links are affiliate links. By clicking on the links to the books, I will receive credit for the purchase.

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode18

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Essential questions encourage inquiry, spark more questions, invite the exploration of ideas, and encourage collaboration, allowing students to draw their own conclusions about the subject.

This is one of the most powerful tools at a teacher’s disposal. With our students' apathy and lack of motivation, choice, and curiosity are a teacher’s ally. 

Essential questions are one way to ignite curiosity, and students have a choice in how they answer because there are no right or wrong answers to essential questions. 

Let’s explore the power of essential questions in our novel units and for deeper thinking. 

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode17

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

The best part of novel unit planning is having a plan for the next three to four weeks. It feels liberating to have a unit planned and lessons ready to go. 

It’s also fun to get students excited about a topic and a story, it’s the start of something new and it’s exciting. 

Except when it isn’t, novel units can also feel overwhelming. Trying to fit all the things into the three to four weeks allocated can feel impossible. 

Let’s take the overwhelm and kick it to the curb -  this novel unit planning guide will streamline the process and bring back the fun of a novel unit. 

1. Start with the standards
2. Consider which topics from the novel you will explore with your students
3. Craft an Essential Question
4. Gather vocabulary words students will need to know
5. Determine pre-reading activities
6. Determine during reading activities
7. Determine post-reading activities

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode16

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Back to school can be exciting and stressful, so having back to school activities planned will reduce anxiety.

That first week is about building relationships and getting to know each other before diving into the learning. 

I find the first week of school to be a quick transition from strangers to a community, and I want to squeeze an introduction to routines and procedures in there while trying to make it start to stick. 

Several activities work well as we head into the school year and I cannot wait to share them with you. 

1. Have students determine a word of the year
2. Create a class contract
3. Have students complete an All About Me activity
4. Do a scavenger hunt 
5. Play Would You Rather
6. Have students do an email etiquette lesson

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode15

Grab my FREE Scavenger Hunt here

Get the Class Contract, All About Me Activity, Scavenger Hunt, Email Etiquette Lesson and more in the Back to School Stations Activity 

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Alissa Crabtree from Crabtree Coaching Collaborative joins us on Annotated ELA. Alissa is an instructional coach who helps teachers and instructional leaders reach their full potential and conquer their goals.

She specializes in helping coaches build relationships and provide feedback that sticks. Alissa focuses on building relationships and being a thought partner because teachers are the hero of the journey, and coaches are sidekicks. 

1. How having a coach can propel instruction and increase success within the classroom.
2. A partnership approach that creates teacher autonomy and reflection is important.  
3. Creating a culture of feedback that sticks and increases teacher engagement.

Alissa shares all her secrets to building trust and gaining traction with teachers by laying the foundation for a strong partnership and being the coach every teacher wants to work with!

Join The Crabtree Coaching Collaborative Course:

Launch Your Instructional Coaching Journey - bit.ly/LaunchIC23

Get all the goods on The Crabtree Coaching Collaborative Website: crabtreecoachingcollaborative.org

Follow Alissa:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/crabtreecoaching/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/alissa_crabtree

IG - https://www.instagram.com/crabtree_coaching_collab/

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissa-crabtree/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48YcuhlK46M

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode14

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Are you ready for it? We are entering the back-to-school zone. Does back-to-school time fill you with joy or dread? Maybe you have both, wherever you fall on the back-to-school emotion scale; these 5 things will eliminate some of that dread. 

Remember, if you are not ready to plan for back to school or you are choosing only to work contract hours, you are supported! Do what makes you happy and productive.

If you are ready to knock to-do items off your back-to-school list, join me for some tips to start the year off right. 

Grab resources mentioned in this episode below ⤵️

Want a mood board template? Click here to grab an example and get started!

Need plans for the first week? Check out back to school stations and all of the other back to school activities here. 

Need an editable syllabus template to save time? Take a look at these Editable Syllabus Templates. 

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode13

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Writing is hard work, and not all students love writing. In reality, plenty of students do not like writing - so what do we do with a struggling writer? 

As teachers, we want to find strategies for our struggling writers to engage them in writing, create writing independence, and increase stamina and volume of writing, but where do we even begin? 

First, determine who is struggling with writing as soon as possible - who is avoiding starting, who is doing “busy work,” who turns in writing that is half finished, who turns in writing with many mistakes, and who is getting started immediately. 

Determining engagement is simpler than you think; with a simple chart, some writing time in class, and a keen teacher's eye, you can spot who is struggling and take action with these ten simple activities to engage the struggling writer. 

Want to grab my free engagement tracker? Visit annotatedela.com/free to download the tracker. 

Grab the 60 Writing Prompts here

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode12

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Have you been skeptical about using picture books in your classroom? Or are you already using picture books and want new ideas? If either of these sound like you, I’m glad you’re here! 

Picture books are usually associated with elementary education, but picture books are a hidden gem for engaging and inspiring middle school students. 

Far beyond their colorful illustrations and simple narratives, picture books offer many benefits that make them invaluable in middle school ELA instruction. 

This episode covers using picture books to teach secondary ELA and all the reasons you should as well as suggestions for how to use picture books along with some text suggestions. 

Want the growing list of picture books? 

Send me a message on Instagram @annotatedela

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode11

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Are you avoiding and ignoring Chat GPT or any AI Writer, like I was? Maybe you’re using it for your classroom needs, and you’re loving it. 

In this episode, I decided to put Chat GPT to the test and asked it to suggest ways to use Chat GPT with students for narrative writing. I was pleasantly surprised with Chat GPT’s answer and wanted to share it with you!

Whatever end of the spectrum you land on with AI, using it and lovin’ it or pretending like it doesn’t exist, this episode shares seven ways to use Chat GPT with students as a tool for narrative writing. 

Looking for a scope and sequence to have your narrative unit planned?

Download the Narrative Writing Scope and Sequence

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode10

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Narrative Writing Scope and Sequence 

In episode 7 and 8 we explored the first six steps in a narrative writing unit. In this episode we will explore steps seven through nine in a narrative writing unit. 

If you have not listened to episodes seven and eight, start there before listening to this episode. 

The final three steps are the meat of the writing process. Students will write first drafts and take those drafts to a final draft as the teacher guides them through the writing process. 

This includes focused instruction on elements of a story and revising and editing. Once students have completed the hard work of writing, it’s time to celebrate the published draft. The student’s final product deserves to be celebrated; recognizing the accomplishment is an important part of the writing process. 

This episode and the series of episodes in the Narrative Writing series are designed as a comprehensive guide, crafted with the middle school classroom in mind. Whether you are a seasoned educator seeking fresh ideas or a novice teacher eager to embark on this writing adventure, this guide will equip you with the tools to guide your students towards becoming proficient storytellers.

Download the Narrative Writing Scope and Sequence

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode9

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Narrative Writing Scope and Sequence