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100% Engagement
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100% Engagement
33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom



264 pages | Corwin

Classroom-tested lessons to help you strive for 100% engagement in your ELA classroom

For educators, it can be a constant challenge to keep students engaged and motivated in the classroom. With the rise of technology and shortened attention spans, we have to go beyond traditional teaching methods, especially in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom where students may perceive reading and writing as tedious tasks.

100% Engagement: 33 Lessons to Promote Participation, Beat Boredom, and Deepen Learning in the ELA Classroom offers captivating and interactive lessons that will help students thrive in their ELA studies. Authors Brian Sztabnik and Susan Barber provide practical guidance and inspiration to make ELA learning more meaningful and enjoyable for students in Grades 6-12. The book’s 33 lessons are organized by genres including Poetry, Short Fiction, Novels & Dramas, and Writing and are adaptable to support different learning styles, ensuring that all students feel valued and engaged in the classroom. The lessons get students out of their seats, participating in discussion, collaborating, and working across mediums to build their literacy skills.

Providing tips and tricks to achieve 100% engagement, this book:

  • Fosters a classroom where student motivation is high, and interactions are based on mutual respect and appreciation
  • Challenges learners to think critically and creatively by incorporating collaborative, cross-genre activities
  • Offers adaptations to help teachers tailor the lessons based on their individual classroom needs, making it easier for all students to participate fully
  • Offers downloadable templates and handouts for easy implementation

100% Engagement is the ultimate toolkit for teachers looking to foster motivation, creativity, and active participation that deepens learning for every student in their ELA classroom.

 
Introduction
 
Part I Poetry Lessons: Inspire Students to Discover the Power and Passion of Poetry
 
Lesson 1: Cutting Up Poems
 
Lesson 2: Introduction Letter
 
Lesson 3: The Punctuation Challenge
 
Lesson 4: Think Like a Poet
 
Lesson 5: Literary CSI
 
Lesson 6: Magic Eye Images
 
Lesson 7: Poetry Speed Dating
 
Lesson 8: Mastering the Masters Through Satire
 
Lesson 9: Twitter-Style Chats
 
Part II Short Fiction Lessons: Ignite Students' Curiosity and Analytical Skills Through Short Stories and Excerpts
 
Lesson 10: Spotlight Reading
 
Lesson 11: Paint Chips for Identifying Tone
 
Lesson 12: Literature as Protest
 
Lesson 13: Quickfire Challenge
 
Lesson 14: Pin the Quote on the Literary Element
 
Lesson 15: Using Art for Literary Analysis
 
Lesson 16: Text Rendering
 
Lesson 17: Blackout Prose
 
Part III Novel & Drama Lessons: Empower Students to Make Meaning and Deepen Analysis
 
Lesson 18: Visual Novel Notes
 
Lesson 19: Character Mind Maps
 
Lesson 20: BookSnaps
 
Lesson 21: Literary 3x3 for Themes
 
Lesson 22: Hexagonal Thinking
 
Lesson 23: The Inferential Timeline
 
Lesson 24: Thermometer Checks
 
Lesson 25: Musical Chairs for Complex Texts
 
Lesson 26: 50-Line Plays
 
Lesson 27: Wrong Memes Only
 
Part IV Writing Lessons: Demystify the Writing Process and Make It Fun!
 
Lesson 28: Highlight Writing
 
Lesson 29: Two-Sentence Horror Stories
 
Lesson 30: Writing Romantically
 
Lesson 31: Hand Turkeys
 
Lesson 32: Four Steps for Prewriting
 
Lesson 33: Six-Word Memoirs
 
References
 
Index

Susan Barber and Brian Sztabnik first shred the myths that cause teachers to shy away from classroom engagement—and then proceed to provide dozens and dozens of clear lessons that engage students as the learning is turned over to them. Energy and learning generated in all kinds of classrooms! An immensely enlightening and useful resource.

Peggy O'Brien
Founding Director of Education, Folger Shakespeare Library
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Brian Sztabnik

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He teaches AP English Literature and Composition, English 11, College Reading & Writing, and The Poetry of Rock and Roll at Miller Place High School, where he has worked since 2008. He also coaches the boys’ basketball team for the Panthers. Over the past decade he has worked as an AP Reader and served on the Test Development Committee. In 2018, he was a finalist for the New York State Teacher of the Year. Brian also created and hosted the Talks with Teachers podcast, which was a No. 1 K-12 show on iTunes. When he’s not teaching, coaching, or writing, Brian is... More About Author

Susan Barber

Susan Barber teaches AP English Literature and Dramatic Writing for TV, Film, and Theatre at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as the co-chair of the Test Development Committee for AP Literature. She has offered training at NCTE, GCTE, and the Folger Shakespeare Library and frequently leads ELA workshops across the country. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Edutopia, and she is the co-author of The Norton Guide to AP Literature. Susan, however, is most proud of the work she does on a daily basis in E216 and never tires of the... More About Author