Google Reader

Google Reader took me a long time to figure out, but here it is.
1) K-12 Learning -
I really like this subscription. It is merely a tangle of many ideas from many different subjects over many different grades. Only a few things are applicable to me as an English Teacher, but I like to know what other teachers are doing as well. I think it's fun to be involved in the whole learning process, not just my responsibility of teaching reading and writing. Really, it's all part of our stewardship to know as much about the education of our students as possible, both inside and outside of our own classrooms. This post contains everything from lessons on Dental Health to Oral Presentations.

2) Middle School English Language Teacher: Career Info
I thought this would help in looking for a job, but it's actually quite useless, so I'm glad I have six posts.

3) Middle School English: Resources for Middle School English Teachers -
This is great. It contains many different ideas for units or lessons on various different topics good for Middle School students to learn. Some of the ideas are very old and mixed with the same topics they would be studying in a history class (but that's okay, because you can teach pretty much anything in English as long as you're meeting the core curriculum needs) and some are much newer with talking about solar and hydro power.

4) Middle School Grammar Basics: The Parts of Speech -
Tips and tricks for improving spelling skills, writing a thesis statement or a college admission essay, and other ideas for learning.

5) National Council of Teachers of English -
This is a well-known council and a big name that we're repeatedly encouraged to join. The benefits of being associated with the NCTE is the enormous web of aid and support you get from thousands of other English Teachers. This post talks about all the news they have and new ways of getting connected with other English Teachers.

6) The Reading Zone -
Posts of great books, new and old, that would be good for middle school kids to get their hands on. I love to read, and I hope to help my students gain that same love. Knowing what's out there and what is good is the first step to helping them.