The importance of questions in regard to learning can never be over emphasized.  Questions are used to motivate and stimulate student thinking before a lesson, questions help stude[...]

I recently sent out some questions stems and frames reminding teachers to keep higher level thinking at the front of their minds as they help students prepare for this year’s new a[...]

Concept Teachers are the greatest.  When asked, they stepped up to help deliver our Fall Professional Development using specific strategies included in the document Realizing Illin[...]

Mr. Schmith, the English Department Chair at HSA McKinley Park, is doing a great job starting the year off with his colleagues.  He added a PowerPoint on the basics of reading inst[...]

Taking the lead from our own Lisa Bender from HSA Cincinatti (http://english.conceptschools.org/national-events-programs-and-competitions/) Department Chair Rachel Heckman of Quest[...]

There have been a few changes since we last talked.  We have hired a new Director of Elementary Education.  Ms. Sajovec and I will be working closely together to promote overall li[...]

For National Poetry Month, students in Ms. Salsbury’s 7th grade Language Arts classes at Horizon Science Academy Columbus Middle School increased their awareness of and appre[...]

This past spring (2014) Concept English invited Mr. Brian Pete of Robin Fogarty & Associates to provide a mandatory 2 hour ELA workshop. Teachers were actively engaged in activ[...]

On our recent trip to the Toledo Professional Development, Esther Mossing, Coordinator at HSA Toledo, shared what me what her staff has been doing with close reading. HSA Toledo ha[...]

For over ten years I worked with my school counselor to prepare students to write the personal statement and the common application for college.  Along the way I have learned a few[...]

According to NCTE, a student should: Develop proficiency with the tools of technology Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturall[...]

With Common Core we need to rethink and reshape how we deliver our instruction.  However, there is good news for those of us who have used the writing process and set up WriterR[...]