English Teacher's Survival Guide

Mary Lou Brandvik, a former Teacher of the Year, has taught English in public schools and at the university level. In 1991 she received the Lila B. Wallace Teacher-Scholar Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her previous books include Writing Process Activities Kit. Katherine S. McKnight, Ph.D. has been a literacy educator for over 20 years. A former high school English teacher, she is currently associate professor of secondary education at National-Louis University and a national consultant for National Council of Teachers of English. She is the author of The Teacher's Big Book of Graphic Organizers, also from Jossey-Bass.

• About This Resource xiiiAbout the Authors xv1 Beginning the School Year 1Designing a Lesson for Day One 2Learning Still More About Your Students 7Helping Students Know One Another 152 Managing Your Classroom 17Arranging the Room 17Planning for Books, Paper, and Equipment 21Planning an Efficient Classroom 24Devising a Fair Grading System 343 Creating a Master Plan, Individual Units, And Daily Lessons 43Designing a Year-Long Course 44Planning Teaching Units 45Creating Daily Lesson Plans 46Team Planning and Teaching 53Planning for English Language Learners 57Planning for Students with Special Needs in an Inclusive Classroom 58Mechanics 614 Designing, Monitoring, and Grading Cooperative Learning Activities 65Designing Group Activities 66Monitoring Cooperative Group Work 68Grading Cooperative Group Projects 785 Teaching Writing 89Teaching the Writing Process 90Managing Your Writing Classroom 91Using Mini-Lessons 118Sharing Student Writing: Presenting and Publishing 130Evaluating and Grading Student Writing 131Designing Assignments for a Variety of Formats 1446 Teaching Reading and Literature 159Approaches to the Teaching of Literature 160Selecting Texts for Student Readers 167Planning for Readers’ Responses 178Evaluation, Testing, and Grading 201During and After Reading: Reader’s Theater 2027 Teaching Listening and Speaking 209Teaching Listening 210Conversing with One Person 213Conversing in Small Groups 215Conversing in Large Groups 221Presenting Individual Speeches 2228 Using Technology and Media In the Classroom 229What Is Media Literacy? 230Twenty-First-Century Literacies 230Encouraging Responsible Use of Computers and the Internet 230Types of Media 232Re-creating Media Literacy 239Advice for Getting Started 2399 Working with Others 245Working with Parents 246Working with Teachers and Administrators 253Working with Community Resources 25710 Avoiding Burnout and Becoming a More Effective Teacher 259Staying Healthy and Fit 260Becoming a More Effective Teacher 262Appendix A Sample Unit Plans 269Themes in African American Literature 269Discovering My Identity 280Focus on Poetry and the Personal Memoir 281Introducing Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Graphic Novel 286Appendix B Twenty Assessment Suggestions 287Appendix c Strategies for Differentiated Instruction 291Appendix D Young Adult Literature Titles 295Appendix E Resources for Teachers 305References 309Index 313