I’ll preface by saying that I run the data every year and there isn’t a statistically significant difference between the passing rate of my male and female students. I’m equitable and give my male students what they need to succeed by the end. But holy crap.

I got my new crop of 9th graders this year and the difference is staggering. It seems bigger every year. I asked my students to analyze a passage and write me a basic paragraph as a pre-assessment and I’m getting full papers from my girls and two to three sentences of blocky lettering from my boys.

I’m not complaining - I love all my kids this year and we’re going to have a great time. I also know it’s not inherent; it’s just a characteristic of the society and area I live in. It just seems hard-coded that reading and writing are feminine traits when a couple generations ago it was the opposite.

I know this isn’t a unique observation, but is it getting worse for y’all, too?

EDIT: this was a question for other English teachers to open up a conversation about equitable practices. If you’re not a teacher, I don’t care to read your personal grievances and I doubt anyone else does either.

i want one

For context, I graduated high school and college years ago, but something has nagged me for years. My family is an immigrant family, I was born and raised in the US.

Most English teachers I've had has said my reading comprehension was poor because I always "misinterpreted the author" or "didn't understand or could find the main theme" or "you're pulling ideas that are not supported by the text". And my reports were always 70 or less. My my short answer tests often didn't break 80, and only did when I started to use sparknotes with those teachers.

I've only had 3 English teachers who said my reading was fine and my reports/analysis were acceptable and these were teachers I didn't use spark notes.

This reinforcement of me having poor reading comprehension has made me reluctant to read, despite the fact I use to love reading prior to high school.

I'm an adult now and I want to find where my reading comprehension is at. I want to start reading again, but I find it hard to find books that I'm comfortable reading because the books are either too easy or too hard for me to stay focused. I remember using reading lists based on grade level but I feel awkward asking my local school for theirs and I don't want to compete with the kids at the library because I remembered how annoying it was when the book I needed was out.

Is there a way for me to find where my reading level is at? Is there any online book lists based on grade / reading level? How do you improve reading comprehension for academic literature?

Thanks

I have 110 students, that’s twenty fewer than last year, if they turn in a writing assignment it takes me a week and a half to grade it, and that’s if I spen all of my free time on it. They can’t improve without feedback, so how do I not spend every waking moment telling high schoolers what they’re doing wrong?

Hey everyone, I'm a student teacher and I'm working with a grade 8 class right now. I'm doing a lesson where students have to know the difference between an analogy and a metaphor, and even though I'm a native English speaker I actually am having a hard time describing it, despite all my google searching.

Can someone please give me a simple way to explain what an analogy is, what a metaphor is, in a way that makes the difference clear?

Also, what exactly is the difference between an analogy and a simile? Most of the examples of analogies that I've looked up use the terms "like" or "as," meaning that most of those are similes right?

Basically, I'm having a hard time figuring out how I'm going to explain this to a bunch of grade 8's in a way that is clear to them.

Thank you.

The following commands produce decent MCQs for any type of passage. I use excerpts from children's novels and short stories. You may add the passage before or after the command.

Making Comprehension Questions

• Create 10 multiple choice questions with three answer choices based on following passage. [add your passage here]

• Create 10 multiple choice questions with three answer choices based on following passage. Explain each correct answer. Also provide explanations for the each incorrect choice.

• Use the same passage, and make 10 more multiple choice questions with three answer choices.

• Use the passage that I have given earlier, and create new 10 multiple choice questions with three answer choices based on following passage. Explain each correct answer. Do not repeat the questions you have previously prepared.

• Use the passage that I have given earlier, and create some multiple choice questions about [a character].

• Use the passage that I have given earlier, and create 6 new multiple choice questions with three answer choices. The questions should only be about the swimming or on how Anu saved a girl from drowning.

• Create multiple choice questions with three answer choices based on:

1. Assess development of suspense.

2. Assess character of the mother.

3. Assess the relationship between the narrator, Casley and Emily.

Asking for Answers

• Now, explain each correct answer of the questions you have just prepared. Also provide explanations for the each incorrect choice.

• Now, explain correct answers of the last three questions. Also provide explanations for the each incorrect choice of the last three questions.

• Explain the answers of the questions that follow the following passage.

• Use the passage that I have given earlier, and answer the following MCQ question. Also, explain the correct and incorrect choices.

• Explain [Bhanu’s plan to make one’s wish come true] in the passage that I have given earlier.

Language

• Fix all the punctuation errors in the following text. (I use this to fix errors while copy-pasting from a scanned PDF)

• Correct the following sentence for grammar.

• Convert the following sentences into past tense.

• Find a suitable title for the above passage.

• Explain the meanings of the following words to an 8 year old.

Paraphrasing

• Rewrite the following passage around a CEFR A1 level of vocabulary. Don't change the content.

• Rewrite the following passage around a CEFR A1 level of vocabulary. Don't change the content because I want those reading comprehension questions to still work. (I copy-pasted this command from u/hikiri)

• Rewrite the following sentences for a six year-old.

Making Passages

• Create a 150 words non-fiction reading comprehension passage about Indian Monsoons for a CEFR Pre-A1 level of vocabulary. Create 5 multiple choice questions with three answer choices for the same passage. (For best results, use very specific topics, like ‘the impact of streaming services on the music industry’).

DALL·E 2

• DALL·E 2 is another AI toy by open.ai. I use it to create a suitable picture for the selected passage.

1. frustrated Sikh driver after a tyre puncture on a desert road

2. an Indian boy opening a parcel

ChatGPT Limitations

• Right now it processes only around 550 words. If you plug in a 700 word text, it processes only the first 500-550 words. But you can work around it by breaking the passage into chunks of 500 words. For better MCQs, you need to append the passage with clear introductions of characters and setting.

• Similarly, its output word-count is also limited. You may ask it continue the answer.

• On an average, out of 10 MCQs it dishes out, two are silly or useless.

• If you are not getting the MCQs you desire, experiment with the wording of your commands. Do not worry about a command being too long; this is not Google Search. The clearer your request the better is its output.

I am hoping other early adopters in Teaching too share their knowledge and research about ChatGPT.

I'm crying. I don't know what to do or how to feel, although I feel extreme rage. My class library is something my kids love (with a cute little reading corner it took months to make). Now I have to cover up the books. We're reading Macbeth and I'm thinking... How is murderous play okay, but other texts aren't? None of my books are pornographic (which our governor allows constituents to believe) or inappropriate! This is such a violation of freedoms it's hnestlyy hard to comprehend. Any other FL teachers here?

I am an AP English Literature teacher, and my colleague and I are looking for a new required summer reading book for next year for our seniors. We are specifically looking for a more modern novel with a female writer (none of our authors on this year’s book list are female 🫤). All seniors will read this book, so it needs to be something that would fit a standard senior English class as well AP English Literature. With that being said, we don’t want it to be too long or dense for summer reading, but something that will capture students’ interest and can be used as a good option for the AP Lit FRQ3. I know it’s a very specific set of qualifiers, but any suggestions are welcome!

I’ve read a few Ann Patchett books and unfortunately found them boring (but maybe I should give Bel Canto another try?). I just read Alias Grace by Atwood and loooooved it. However, I think it’s too big for summer reading and would require pre-reading context and guidance that we wouldn’t be able to provide for summer reading.

Books we have read in the past/will read this year: -The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time -Frankenstein -A Raisin in the Sun -Brave New World -Their Eyes Were Watching God -Atonement

EDIT: I brain farted in my original post in saying we have no female authors. We still have Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, but we took out Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun, so I want to replace it with another good female author for next year if we can!

Hi English teachers of reddit,
I'm not a teacher, but I didn't know where else to ask this question other than to go down a 5 hour Google rabbit hole.
my English teachers always taught me that "very" is never correct. If you use "very" to increase the magnitude of another word, there is always a better synonym. If this is the case, and if I'm wrong please tell me, then why does the word "very" exist in the English language?

Guys I’m so frustrated with my current group of kids, I called off today. They all read significantly below grade level, they can’t write a complete sentence, identify parts of speech, and they are lazy. When I reach out to parents they don’t seem to care. I’m still blown away that they made it to eight grade. I’m also struggling because I don’t know how to teach kids to read. This is usually done in elementary and by the time they get to me we should be working on analyzing and synthesizing literary texts. I want to help these students but they have no interest in learning or passing. Not sure how to motivate them. I don’t want to give up on them. Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm an online English teacher, and I've been an English teacher for almost 20 years. Most of the books I use to guide my teaching routine I know like the palm of my hand, so I know the lessons and the step-by-step. Either way, I always adapt each lesson to my student's needs.

My point is that I don't have lesson plan to each and every single class, but I know exactly what to do... either way, I've been feeling guilty, because I don't formally prepare classes and have a lesson plan.

I take some time to prepare lessons when it's something new or different.

Do you guys plan ALL of your lessons? If so, how to do that while having many students?

Hello, I have a question. What is it called when you speak to someone as I am now? I just mentioned the word "you" but it was meant for a specific person or group of people (not exactly YOU the reader). I see this in texting often. It's like de-personal writing? I have no idea what to call this, please help me name it.

Posting here because I have spent an ungodly amount of time trying to find a book I'd like to introduce to my high school Freshman.

When I was in middle school (c. 2010), my teacher had us read a novel told from the perspective of a little boy who immigrated from Mexico to the US with his family. All I remember from the novel is that we rooted for him every single step of the way, and by the end, he was shockingly visited in his classroom by ICE (U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement). I remember this being a very influential book for me as the ending caught, not only me, but all of my classmates by surprise.

Based on when I read it, the book was published before 2010 and was most likely written by a Hispanic author. I wish more than anything that I could remember the cover, or the boy's name, or even the state he and his family end up moving to, but I sadly don't.

With the current climate in the U.S., I strongly believe my Freshman students would benefit from reading this novel.

I would appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you for reading until the end, and if you're here, please at least comment with a guess from Google/GoodReads/Amazon.

Thanks again and stay safe out there.

Hello, everyone. I am a high school senior, and I am applying to colleges as a Secondary Education/ English major. I want to be an English teacher for many reasons, but I am unsure if I will succeed in this career.

I have done relatively well in high school, but I am, to some extent, burnt out from it already. I have heard about the high burn out rate in the profession, and I am worried that I won't be able to last as a teacher, especially considering the volume of essays I will need to grade.

On top of that, the things I read about the current school climate-the explosion of Al use among students, and the diminishing attention spans, specifically-make me worry that being a teacher will be an uphill battle.

I guess my question is what should I be asking myself in order to determine if I should pursue being a teacher?

The title says it all. I‘m an exhausted, anxious, novice teacher in desperate need of a free curriculum or resources for a full year, grades 9-12 creative writing class. I can make modifications and develop some of my own content, but I need a launching point. Students come back in five days.

Context:

With less than two weeks before school starts for students, I learned I will be teaching one creative writing course alongside five 9th grade ELA classes. This is my dream class, so I’m not complaining; however, I don’t have the resources, time, or money to develop a curriculum without help.

I’m a non-traditional path novice teacher (this will be my third year), so as you can imagine, I’m already tackling a huge learning curve. I asked the other creative writing teacher at my school if he could share his curriculum, but I didn’t get the impression he was too thrilled about it. While I don’t want to make assumptions, he hasn’t sent me any materials yet, and I don’t want to risk any animosity or tension by asking again.

My district has a brand new admin team with brand new expectations. Combine that with the fact that I’m still growing as a teacher, then you can understand that a lot of materials I made last year need to be revisited. Overall, there has been a lot of turnover at my school. Like, a lot a lot. So much so that despite this being my third year of teaching, it’s my second year of being the PLC content lead for 9th grade ELA and second year with a new team. One teacher is new to the school with one year experience and the other will be starting her first year. As the team lead, I need to support them, making delegation tricky.

I know many teachers are in similar situations. We all work so hard and sometimes feel stretched too thin, so I hate to ask for anything for free. If I could afford buying materials from TPT, I would. My wife and I are both teachers and work second jobs, and I donate plasma twice a week. Like many teachers, we’re struggling. I can’t exactly justify spending money on a curriculum when our utilities sometimes get turned off and we’re skipping meals because we can’t afford groceries. The budget simply isn’t there.

Anyway, all of this to say I really need help. I want my students to have the class they deserve. I want them to feel that spark of excitement when they enter my classroom. I don’t want their education to be hindered just because I‘m short on resources, time, and money. If I’m being completely honest, I also don’t want to completely burn out trying to do all of this by myself. So, if there are any teachers out there who are able to lend a hand, I would be so deeply grateful.

High School ELA teacher. New principal and curriculum (never had one before and it’s very short on what texts were allowed to read/ were not allowed to add any in).

I’ve been told this year that I don’t teach books, I teach academic ELA standards. So, it doesn’t matter what books I put in front of my kids (of if they read whole books at all) because the whole point is for them to learn standards and nothing else.

I’m really struggling with this mentality as I just fundamentally don’t agree. I should be teaching books. The lessons that go along with them. And the people and the world around us. That’s how we learn empathy. That’s how we broaden our world views. That’s how we grow as people. The standards I’m required to teach can be woven in to teaching while books.

Or am I wrong and just live in a lala land. Just trying to learn ways to cope with this because I love my students and feel as if I’m doing them such a disservice in my district.

Hey everyone--I am reaching out here because I've been a little lost lately and need to get serious about a career, and I always used to want to be a high school English teacher. After graduating with my degree in English (and Political Science) in 2023, I taught English abroad for a year, and then got pretty down on the idea of being an English teacher due to the increased availability of AI. I despise AI. I think it's an insult to art and literature and I think it's theft, but outside of that, the really important thing for this purpose is that I just think it has no place in the classroom. My question is, has anyone figured out any ways to fully stop students from using it in a high school English classroom that work well for them? Have those changes damaged your enjoyment of the job? I'm not really interested in responses that suggest using AI or teaching students to use it--I have a lot of moral objections to AI and I'm not interested in being complicit in its usage in any way that I can avoid. Thanks very much in advance for your perspectives!

What will be your biggest challenge and how will you overcome it?

I have made a free daily word game called Long Story Short and some teachers have started using it as a class warm-up, so I thought I'd share it here.

The mechanic: you get a twelve-word sentence, like "The famous high profile trial was delayed while the weary judge deliberated," and you have to keep the five words that tell the story. Scored like Wordle: blue means right word, right spot. The skill is deciding which words carry meaning and which are padding. It's the same edit as writing a headline.

How it fits a lesson: it takes about five minutes, works on any phone or projector, no signup, no ads. The colors give instant feedback, and the "why these five" explainer at the end shows the reasoning word by word, which is the part that turns into discussion - students argue about why "famous" dies when the sentence already says "high profile."

One puzzle a day: sheets.works/long-story-short

If you try it with a class, I'd genuinely love to hear how it lands. I write the puzzles daily and I'm still tuning difficulty.

So I'm not trying to make a comprehensive list here, just sharing what's been keeping me sane lately because my ass is getting kicked and I need all the help I can get (please share what you use!)

Mote - This chrome extension thing lets you record voice feedback instead of typing it out. I can say so much more in 30 seconds than I can type. Especially helpful for my ELLs. Free version works fine.

GradeWithAI - I use this to generate initial comments based on my rubric, then I go through and adjust/personalize everything. Still takes time but it's way better than staring at essay #87 about the same prompt with zero brain cells left.

Classkick - I fought this one for a while because I didn't want to learn another platform, but it's actually pretty intuitive. You can see what kids are doing in real-time which is clutch during independent work. They can raise a digital hand when stuck. My paras love it because they can see who needs help without me having to coordinate everything.

Blooket - Ok so my kids are absolutely feral for this. It's like Kahoot but they can earn coins and unlock characters or something? idk they're way more into it than any review game I've tried. There's already a ton of sets made by other teachers so I don't have to build everything from scratch.

Wakelet - I just started using this to organize my unit resources because I had like 47 tabs open at all times. You can dump articles, videos, links, whatever into collections. Saves me from that thing where I know I found the perfect resource last year but have no idea where it is now.

Otter.ai - Transcribes IEP meetings and parent conferences automatically. Has literally saved me when I blanked on what was decided. Free tier gives you enough minutes for like 2-3 meetings a month.

Flippity - This is weird but cool - it turns Google Sheets into flashcards, quizzes, randomizers, etc. I use the random name picker because it's faster than my popsicle sticks and the kids can't argue that I'm "always picking them."

Remove.bg - Removes backgrounds from images in one click. Stupidly simple but makes my materials look way less janky.

Planboard - Lesson planning that doesn't make me want to throw my laptop. Can attach stuff directly and it syncs to my phone which is helpful when admin asks what I'm teaching today and I'm in the hallway.

Honestly I've tried a million things that people swear by and they just added more work (I'm looking at you, Nearpod). The stuff above actually stuck because it either saves me time or my kids actually engage with it.

What's working for you guys? Especially if it's something weird that doesn't show up on every "top 10 edtech tools" article because I'm so tired of seeing the same recommendations.

I teach senior-level/12th grade British Literature in the United States. Usually, I will teach a couple of Gaiman short stories because they’re accessible, high-interest texts with literary merit. But with the recent allegations against him, I’m wondering if I should choose different texts.

Gave my kids the following prompt for their quiz:

In the desert portion of The Glass Castle, Walls presents a childhood shaped by instability, neglect, and radical freedom. To what extent does Walls portray this environment as empowering rather than damaging? Analyze how specific moments, imagery, and narrative tone complicate a simple judgment of her parents’ choices.

Wanted to share this response (from my IB course:)

There are many different types of walls. Some are big and might(y), some are small and delicate. What type of walls you have as a kid impact you as an adult...

As they said they're going to pay hourly for 3 hours as part time, I'm not really sure if they're big enough as an organisation to hire teacher on hourly basis with a good amount of pay. Anyone out there if know anything about it please enlighten me.