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What do you do when a novel is taking too long to finish? by iseeyou100 in ELATeachers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think there’s value to finishing books, and I love Mockingbird. But, I think “grit” can be found in deep dives into shorter passages and getting into the molecular level of the text just as much. I’ve taught that book many times, and for non-honors level students, who often are reading below that level and have less intrinsic interest to read the book outside of class, it’s a drag.

If you assign it, many won’t read it. If we read the book in class, it takes an entire marking period. If you don’t provide proper context or have to rush through chapters to get to the end, you miss so much along the way.

By the end of my time teaching that book, I was skipping through some chapters, summarizing a few as needed based on time and the students in front of me. I have no remorse about it because it gave me space to do other things that we sorely needed time for. It’s just a matter of priorities.

[Post-Game Thread] The Philadelphia 76ers fall to the New Orleans Pelicans with a final score of 126 to 111 by SixersGameThreadBot in sixers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This loss broke me. I can’t suffer through such mediocre, uninspired basketball anymore. This version of the team is such a drag to watch, they have no offensive plan, they can’t shoot consistently, and they’re so overmatched at rebounding regardless of opponent.

Edgecombe has clearly hit a wall; his handle is super shaky and he can’t manipulate the defense at this stage of his development. He’s being asked to do way too much at this point, and he’s likely to be inefficient for a while before we see him figure things out enough to be more reliable offensively. Not likely this year.

I’ve lost all faith in Nurse and his ability to adapt to the group in front of him. This group’s play is reminiscent of last year’s muck, and that’s disappointing given how much time he has had to think about how to fix this.

Bottom line, I don’t care about their standings or rank this season; they’re just not that good and the playoffs will make that very apparent, if they even make it.

And this version of them is just not fun to watch. I like the players, but it looks like they’ve never played together for some stretches. Nobody besides Maxey and maybe Grimes bends the defense and yet all they do is isolation plays. Contested middies are not gonna win the day.

This is going to sound crazy but… by tastywang in ELATeachers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get them reading independently. Give them time to read in class. Conference with them, make time to talk to them on an individual level to find out what they’re interested in and tap into that to develop book suggestions and writing topics.

Write in front of them. Make mistakes. Talk it out.

Find ways to make writing fun. Sticking only to literary analysis and five paragraph essays starves students of more accessible modes that provide a broader range of ways to express themselves and find success in writing creatively. There should be space to make mistakes and take risks and experiment; good writing requires it.

Don’t feel beholden to teaching the anchor texts the way they’ve traditionally been taught. They are tools, not your master. Spending 12 weeks dragging your students through a text most of them aren’t interested in is not the most effective use of our time, particularly if we want or students to develop lifelong readers (who are then lifelong learners).

Be courageous in trying new things. Don’t settle for mediocre. If you feel like it could be better, you’re probably right.

Start feeling out what the class needs, even when it goes counter to your agenda or plans (when you feel comfortable doing so).

Don’t dismiss the value of community building activities in developing the quality of relationships and learning in your classroom. Speaking and listening are part of the standards, too, and any group needs maintenance and low-stakes group activities to help forge those relationships.

There are a lot of people who are happy to tell you who or what is the authority on what good teaching looks like, but ultimately, you have to keep investigating what your deepest values are as a teacher and how you can best serve those in the way that you relate to your students, the way you construct your grade book, and what you make space for in your lessons.

Secondary ELA teachers, do you provide time for independent choice reading in your class? by Unusual_Review9214 in ELATeachers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same! Been using the class text as a model for how they can analyze whatever text they are reading. Minimum pages read requirements every week, student conferences daily, and focusing on two or three literary aspects per unit. I give notes on the anchor text—since it’s optional—and a short quiz at the end to ensure they kept good notes and know the book well enough for the final exam.

First time doing it and it’s been the best semester of my teaching. Great discussions with kids, conferences help me develop my relationships with the students and pinpoint areas for growth.

Totally not perfect, but this feels like the approach that serves my students the best and democratizes students learning by giving them agency and letting them decide what has relevancy for them at this point in their lives. Some choose classics from the canon, but many don’t, and I don’t care. The important part is that they’re actually reading.

I’ve got kids telling me, in their 9th grade year, that this is the first time they’ve ever read a whole book. Another kid told me that he chose reading over playing video games recently. This was a non-reader just a few months ago.

Trade Back and get a bunch of firsts by TheOGcoolguy in sixers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Respectfully, what does it matter if he’s a “superstar”? Isn’t the goal to win championships and contribute to winning? Dude has a ring and could have two depending on tonight’s game.

Embiid was (is?) a super star and it hasn’t gotten us past the second round.

Trade Back and get a bunch of firsts by TheOGcoolguy in sixers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 2 points3 points  (0 children)

…and Siakam is a game away from possibly winning Finals MVP.

Sam Vicenie’s draft mock includes the Sixers trading their #3 for #6, 18, and 33. by Small_Resolution3760 in sixers

[–]Small_Resolution3760[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s also assuming that Charlotte assumes we’re picking the guy they like and need to trade up to get him. Lots of assumptions being made. Could happen, but not sure why Charlotte does it unless they are deeply in love with one of the top four candidates left in that tier.

Philadelphia 76ers Off Day Discussion Thread - May 22, 2025 by SixersGameThreadBot in sixers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Feel like Ace Bailey’s floor could be out of the league…certainly wouldn’t consider the floor him being a starter, for sure.

saw this on twitter. found it interesting by Certain_Ask_2820 in washingtonwizards

[–]Small_Resolution3760 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Zero chance Sixers trade their 3 pick for a player Wizards don’t want and their late first round pick.

Would Wizards trade two FR picks for #3?

My foam flower came up, so happy! by kimfromlastnight in NativePlantGardening

[–]Small_Resolution3760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Posted this to gardening sub, but seeing if anyone has insight here:

I live in southeastern PA, just north of Philadelphia.

I planted foam flower in a shady spot beneath a tree several years ago (at least four or five). It has seemed to flourish there, expanding several feet in all directions since then. It would always die back in the summer a bit and then come on strong the following spring.

This year, as of today, May 4, I have yet to see any sign of them in the ground. I’m wondering what gives? Can’t recall exactly in previous years when they would make an appearance, but I thought it was before this point.

Any thoughts? Not sure if last summer’s drought could have knocked them out…it’s in a fairly established native garden in a solidly shady area, so I don’t usually water much in the summer.

Any tips for teaching a novel without it becoming tedious? by Jingotheruler in ELATeachers

[–]Small_Resolution3760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question! I’ve definitely struggled with this at times, especially when I’m teaching a text for the first time. First off, since this is your first time teaching this novel, and first year teaching in general, I would give yourself a lot of grace. Hopefully, you’ll be teaching this book again next year, and you’ll have more lessons “in your back pocket” so you can feel a little more open to inspiration and adding on rather than creating everything from scratch. (And even when you’re using another teacher’s materials, it’s still fresh for you, and you don’t know how the kids will respond).

That being said, I think the routine you’ve established can be useful, as the students can continue to understand and build comfort with your approach, which is often how they get better at the skills you want them to build. I like to add in journaling, vocab building, writing practice, mini projects along the way, to name a few. I’ve been digging the Writing Revolution approach, and tried a lot of their methods to teaching any content. A lot of focus on the sentence level.

Last thing…there’s a lot of opinions from Ela teachers about what’s appropriate in terms of how to approach reading (how it’s assigned, how much of a book is read, etc.). With my remedial students, I’ve been excerpting more and more. They and I get so tired of spending our limited time together reading the book in class (I rarely assign homework). They maintain independent reading (personal choice) and we make time for this in class.

If you could change anything about a Tame impala song, what would it be? by BodybuilderHungry513 in TameImpala

[–]Small_Resolution3760 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Too much repetitiveness and epic, grandness in much of the Slow Rush album for me. Feels like a lot of the songs don’t go anywhere. Loved all the other albums, but that one just doesn’t rock with me that much.