• Resources
    • #reThinkELA Chats
    • #Oklaed Chats
    • The RTE Newsletter
    • About Michelle Waters
    • How To Follow
    • OAS for ELA
    • Teachers
    • Parents
    • Students
    • ORA Presentation
    • OWP Presentation
  • Podcast
    • How To Be Our Podcast Guest
  • Shop
  • Customer Area
    • FAQ
  • Partners
  • Contributors
    • How To Contribute
  • Contact
    • Media
    • Legal

reThink ELA

Secondary English Language Arts Resources

  • Pedagogy
  • RTE News
  • Technology
  • Education Analysis
  • EduNews
  • Twitter Challenge

How Are You Impacting Student Lives?

Education stakeholders who have never lead a classroom often want to know what kind of impact a teacher is having on a student this year. Those of us in the classroom often buy into the idea that we should be able to positively impact students immediately because we crave the validation that all the hours and stress we have spent … [Read More...]

Pedagogy

high school reading

27+ High Interest Nonfiction Websites For High School Student Readers

Note: The following list is ever-growing. If you have any sites you think should be added, please suggest them in the comments below and I'll update the list. As … [Read More...]

The TQE Method

reThink ELA #010: Fostering Student-Led Discussions with the TQE Method

So much scrutiny is placed upon teachers and the classroom these days, especially when it comes to how students are learning critical thinking skills - or IF they're … [Read More...]

Think Function Not Form: Stop Teaching Students Structure Supersedes Message

In other words: Ditch that five-paragraph essay right now! Yes, I'm talking to you, elementary and middle school teachers. (Apparently, some high school teachers are … [Read More...]

Click here for more Pedagogy resources...

News

Scary Halloween Short Stories

Looking For The Perfect Halloween Short Stories?

UPDATE: Offer good until 10/26! Halloween is just around the corner, and this is your last chance to save a few bucks on three great short story units! Not only will these units save you a bit of time, but your students will enjoy the stories — especially the twists at the end. Three of[Read More…]

Enter Our Halloween Bundle Giveaway On Instagram

We’d love to “meet” you on Instagram, which is another wonderful way to follow and learn from fellow English teachers. Not only would I love to see you there, I’d also like to give away one copy of our 3 scary short story unit Halloween bundle.  Our bundle features The Possibility of Evil by Shirley[Read More…]

#bookCampPD The Book Whisperer

Discuss The Book Whisperer with #reThinkELA at #BookCampPD On Sunday

Are you struggling to encourage your students to read more? Fighting against a culture of test prep, canned reading programs, and educational disinterest? Join the rest of us at 6:30 CST/7:30 EST Suunday, Oct. 7 on Twitter at #BookCampPD where I’m hosting a chat on Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer. Head over to BookCampPD.com to[Read More…]

Technology

RTE Twitter Challenge

Anyone Up For A #reThinkELA Twitter Challenge?

The new year is right around the corner, and I have made it my mission to post more on Twitter.  Yes, I know. If you have mobile notifications turned on for me, … [Read More...]

How Fidget Toys Can Help High School Students with ADHD

We've all had THOSE students. They bounce around the room, tap their pencils on the desk, and talk to their neighbors. If you're a natural introvert and focused on … [Read More...]

Members of the Little Rock Nine

Explore The Civil Rights Era With Google Cultural Institute

Wouldn't it be great to be able to take your students to any museum in the world to experience our culture first hand? Unfortunately, because of funding and … [Read More...]

Click here for more Education Technology resources...

Policy

Permission To Ditch The Literary Canon

Permission To Ditch The Literary Canon

  Note: The following is a paper I wrote as part of my mid-term assignment for a graduate class I'm taking in … [Read More...]

College Freshman Success Tipsyh

Going To College? Best Tips For A Successful Freshman Year From College Students And Professors

One of my students received his acceptance letter from a local university just a few weeks ago. Not only was I really … [Read More...]

RTE Podcast Aaron Blackwelder

reThink ELA #003: Interview with Aaron Blackwelder

What would you think if your principal said, "We're doing away with report cards, but you still have to tell your … [Read More...]

Book Reviews

Marys Monster Book Review

Book Review: MARY’S MONSTER Bends Genres

Just as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley invented the modern "mad scientist,' so does Lita Judge invent a new genre to tell … [Read More...]

Bang by Barry Lyga

BANG by Barry Lyga Has No Easy Answers

Note: This article is mostly copied from the review I wrote immediately after reading BANG, several weeks ago...this, … [Read More...]

More Book Reviews...

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Free writing checklists and rubrics are waiting for you!

Register To Receive RTE's Newsletter

Sales page photo 350 trans


I am a secondary English Language Arts teacher working on my National Board Certification, an Oklahoma Writing Project Teacher Consultant, and a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma earning a Master's degree in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with a concentration in English Education.

Are you ready to reThink your ELA teaching practices? Join my partners, 16,000+ subscribers and I for news, strategies, professional development opportunities, and resources.

Success! Now check your email to access your downloads and confirm your subscription to future updates.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Making A Difference

Thanks for all you do to inspire teachers!

Debbie FrankTeacherPueblo County School District 70Colorado

I thank you for all you do. I have truly been enjoying the [Facebook] group!

Jessica McWhorterTeacher
Thank you so much for helping me and teaching at Little Axe! You are a kind helpful person and I would not know how to write a great story if you didn’t take your own time to help me. Thanks! 6th Grade StudentLittle Axe Middle School

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to helping other teachers help students learn.

I know that I am not the most active member of your group, but am really enjoying being part of it, and I love the products that you are creating that help teachers teach meaningful language learning.

Wendie JensenTeacher
Sunny Williams These are great. I haven’t read all of them but will. My students love science fiction, but I don’t. Having a list to pull from is very helpful. Sunny WilliamsMiddle School Language Arts TeacherDickerson Middle SchoolMarietta, GA

I love your collection of short stories. Indeed a time saver. I have to choose three short stories for seventh, three for eighth and three for ninth. Which ones do you recommend for each level? I appreciate your orientation,

Just for you to know, I am from Panama (Central America) and I love your website!

Angie Cohen
Just wanted to thank you for your site. Your 40 Stories List has been not only a huge help but has turned my students and me onto some great lit. Your influence knows no boundaries. THANK YOU! Mike ClarkenElementary TeacherPalmer Way GATE AcademySan Diego, CA
Josh Flores I can’t thank you enough for your optimism via blogging! I’d love to see more reflective blogging happen by fellow educators. Josh FloresDirector of Secondary English Language Arts Oklahoma State Department of EducationOklahoma City, OK

I have to tell you I’ve been using your website for two years now. I teach emotionally disturbed middle school students and anything I take from your site is an automatic hit. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! You have no idea how grateful I am for your site. My kids are so hard to motivate and your material does the job!!!

Maria CaprettaMiddle School TeacherDistrict 75Staten Island, New York

This is easily one of the best purchases I have made on Teacher’s Pay Teachers. I am a Gifted and Talented resource teacher for Elementary students and I cannot tell you how hard it is to find ELA units that are interesting and challenging to my 4th/5th grade groups! A lot of them griped when the story started, but really dug into half way in. I used this as an opening Unit for the year and we are combining it with a project to develop an anti-bullying program for our school. The articles and vi… Read more

The Classroom Under the Stairs

The Mission

Advocating for the growth and education of our nation's students. And chocolate. Read More…

Your Views

  • Michelle Waters on 40 Excellent Short Stories For Middle School
  • Celeste Peterson on 40 Excellent Short Stories For Middle School
  • The papi on 40 Excellent Short Stories For Middle School
  • olympiadsuccess on Teachers: Why You Should Comment On Other Education Blogs
  • moniqueperessimblog on 28 Expository Writing Prompts for Middle School

More Resources

Connect Via Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Archive

Affiliate Disclosure

I make recommendations for books, software, and other products; in many cases, the link provided is an affiliate link. This means I may profit when you take action on my recommendations.

Tweets

My Tweets

Top Posts

  • 40 Excellent Short Stories For Middle School
  • A Plethora Of Writing Examples For Middle School (& High School)
  • Teaching Inferences With Commercials
  • 13 Narrative Writing Prompts For Secondary Students
  • 28 Expository Writing Prompts for Middle School
  • 8 Science Fiction Short Stories For Middle School
  • Essays Every High School Student Should Read
  • 21 Scary Halloween Short Stories For Middle School

Tags

writing student motivation poetry Oklahoma Academic Standards Value Added Model Podcast lesson planning #oklaed educational politics Short Story Unit high-stakes testing scary short stories testimonials Online PLC Education Policy professional development journalism short stories Grammar Education Reform VAM Blog Awards Twitter Chat Reflective Teacher OSAT
Legal · Privacy · Copyright © 2019 reThink ELA LLC · Web Design by Michelle Waters · WordPress · Log in