Literacy Strategies Links

In this week's video, two teachers help make the novel The Three Musketeers come alive for their high-school students. By creating their own scripts and performing readers' theaters, the students explore the concepts of theme, genre, and character, while also unleashing their creativity.

The video got me thinking about other ways to help students engage more fully in the writing process, as well as in other language arts standards. If this is an area of interest for you, check out this link from edtechideas.com: it gives you eight great sites for reluctant writers. Just as my son will read much more readily on an e-reader, you may find that you can engage today's plugged-in students with technology--even (or especially) in an area like English Language Arts, which isn't considered a high-tech field.

Of course, English Language Arts programs today are about connecting with the larger world. Technology gives students an immediate audience, beyond just their teacher. That's why I'm glad to see programs like these springing up; they bring a sense of immediacy and relevance to English classes. You may find that you have a student or two you could recommend for a program like this.