Teaching Strategies
Recent Newsletter Articles
I am a Citizen; Now, How Do I Vote? Free 2018 Election Curriculum
A free five-lesson curriculum educating new citizens on the voting process in Minnesota is available to download at the Minnesota Literacy Council website. The curriculum was created by Meredith Sommers, a long-time literacy volunteer at the Centro Guadalupano program in Minneapolis. Read More
Word Level Analogies
Add word level analogies to your classroom routine to revisit vocabulary. With opportunities to build/reinforce knowledge and use supporting evidence, coupled with varying degrees of complexity and rigor, this versatile tool enables us to combine vocabulary with other concepts embedded in the CCRS! Read More
Developing Critical Thinking Skills with TeachThought
As you wrap up the program year and start planning for summer, consider packing some of the great articles from TeachThought in your bag. You'll be ready to go into next year with a wealth of ideas for building critical thinking and digital literacy skills with your students. Read More
FREE TEXT FREE TEXT FREE TEXT: Part 2
Looking for some great sources for free text when planning CCRS-aligned English language arts lessons? There are some great online sources available for FREE! Here is Part 2 of my series on free text resources with a focus on English language learners. Read More
FREE TEXT FREE TEXT FREE TEXT: Part 1
Looking for some great sources for free text when planning CCRS-aligned English language arts lessons? There are some great online sources available for FREE! Read More
Using Culips to Increase Listening Comprehension
Comprehending spoken English can be a challenge, especially for non-native speakers. The Culips website was designed to help students “learn conversational English for everyday use,” and it's a great tool for "real world" listening practice. Read More
What is Mental Health and How Can You Promote It in the Classroom?
Most people have learned ways to stay physically healthy, but what does it mean to be mentally healthy? Mental and physical health are closely intertwined and are necessary for people’s well-being. Many ABE students face multiple barriers in their lives, which can impact mental health and learning. Read More
ELA + Math = ? (Part 3 of 3)
How can all ABE teachers help their students solve math problems? Can we use simple strategies that we may already know from teaching reading? Yes we can! Read More
How to Eat an Elephant: Increasing Your Students’ Success on the GED Extended Response
Do your students struggle with writing? This article gives tips and insights that the author gained by attending a session that focused on the GED extended response at this year's COABE conference. It includes links to resources that GED writing teachers will find helpful. Read More
Formative Assessment: Helping to See If Students “Get it”
What IS formative assessment? Read on for an introduction, and then register for an exciting ABE webinar opportunity on May 1! Read More