It’s a good day to read this.

Reading is more than pronouncing words. Writing is more than producing simulations for the purpose of a grade. These things have been OBVIOUS for well over a decade and yet the systems that want to rank, sort, and track, rather than engage and develop students ignore this reality.

First writing unit for #ENG4C with a focus on writing for multiple purposes. We started with Critical Review Lists with ideas from the NYTimes writing curriculum! www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/l... Lessons: docs.google.com/presentation... Assignment: docs.google.com/document/d/1... #iteachEnglish📖

Heading back to work with a full day of PD tomorrow. This is on my list of thing I hope to not hear about.

#PoemADayJuly I learned so many things Googling parts of this poem: *The Pink Moon gets its name from creeping phlox that blooms at the same time *Luna moths live in adult form for 10 days, have no digestive system & are nocturnal (yes, I’m making connections to the kids’ show PJ Masks in my head)

#PoemADayJuly Day 6: “…piled against slippery planks.” An action that happened off the page. Life that’s been intentionally stowed away in a dark place to be forgotten, but refuses, hunting for a sliver of light in the dark.

#PoemADayJuly Day 5 - This poem took me to those moments of grief when you are physically present, but there is a thick “static” barrier between you and the reality in front of you.

#PoemADayJuly I love how the speaker says, “But look” to the audience near the end. The act of saying something out loud makes it real for him (“I remember”). He chooses to anchor himself in life and beauty and youth.

Today’s harbinger of the apocalypse: a summer campfluencer I follow (shut up) shared ChatGPT prompts for “writing” letters to your child If there is a reader who cares less about technical proficiency and more about about authentic feeling than a child at summer camp, I can’t think of them

Agreed. They should always be linked. Building relationships needs to happen within the context of learning. It actually increases inequities to provide an environment of comfort and care in the absence of academics and high expectations for all.

Yep.

Say it with me: writing is not a learning style.

Just grade 9s, their books, some chart paper and conversation today. Integrated some morphology into our vocabulary and character study. #LowTech #ITeachEnglish📖

Started our book club unit this week and borrowed @marcusluther.bsky.social ‘s writing reflection idea adapted for reading. Where am I as a reader? What kind of reader do I hope to be?

Lots of folks talk about using AI to brainstorm, organize thoughts, plan, and/or revise and edit, but that’s where the magic of writing and creating happens. Even if a student isn’t plagiarizing, how much of their thinking is changed and shaped by machines?

This is SUCH a thing. I think much of it has to do with the fact teachers are hungry for forms of recognition, growth, status, and a sense of career verticality that traditional school structures don’t offer. These are 100% legitimate needs, but it really sucks that edtech filled that void.

So, I’m trying a thing. Students are revisiting a piece of writing from earlier in the semester, making revisions/edits, and documenting their process each work period. They’ll also create a brand new piece in a new text form. #iteachEnglish docs.google.com/presentation...

My 10 year old made a tiny mailbox for our family to write tiny notes. Pets included. #Love

Help please! Very short mentor texts that deal with appreciation for or the positive influence of a family member (or other person), learning from past generations etc. @senior126.bsky.social @jasonhimsl.bsky.social @rebekahodell1.bsky.social @m-mabrucco.bsky.social @stacieoliver.bsky.social

Thank you @mrshackett305.bsky.social for inspiring this @btcthinks.bsky.social lesson for #ENG2D. I think exploring others' essay openings for how they engage readers helped inspire Ss' creative & personal writing. aledaklassened.wordpress.com/2025/04/19/t... #onted @pgliljedahl.bsky.social

UDL won't work, no matter how much training, unless it's built on a strong foundation of assessment literacy. I see so many teachers in systems where they feel frustrated and overwhelmed by UDL, and end up writing it off as ineffective, when the real probably is a lack of assessment training.

I couldn’t agree with anything more. Time-sapping is exactly how I’d describe it. If fact, I’d go as far as to say that technology, with a few exceptions, has been sapping my time in an increasing fashion for years, with a disproportionate benefit to students (and I’ve embraced a lot of it).

Looking for information and instructional mentor texts that are good examples to showcase writer voice/tone. @jasonhimsl.bsky.social @senior126.bsky.social @rebekahodell1.bsky.social @stacieoliver.bsky.social

Today in #ENL1W1 we tried an activity from @thevogelman.bsky.social ‘s Poetry Pauses. Lots of great thinking and writing! Exploring the Plutchik wheel tomorrow to start some longer term tracking in self selected books. #ITeachEnglish

Hello, world! ELAN Ontario is now on Bluesky. Please give us a like and a follow to help us start connecting our network of literacy educators in the province.

Research supports writing across all subjects. It's not just an English thing; it boosts learning in every discipline. Why aren't we doing it more?

There is something nefarious about how hard and fast people are pushing AI in education. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it doesn’t bode well when corporations, not student need, set the pace with which we adopt new technologies.

We continued our study of texts using different modes this week. Some great discussion around this video featuring Ontario’s former (and first) Poet Laureate Randell Adjei and Olympian Phylicia George. #onted #EduSky docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Tried my first #TQE discussion yesterday with my Grade 12s and I thought it went really well! Sorry @senior126.bsky.social that I left it all over the board. Also, I forgot to take it off again today 😬.

One of my new students made me stickers. They are awesome. #onted #ITeachEnglish #EduSky

Another first day today. 80 more names learned. Finished report cards after class. Semester turnaround is a wild time. #onted #EduSky

Looking for a short, narrative in video format that deals with themes of how passions/interests contribute to a fulfilling life or get people through challenging times. My mind is blank. @georgejaneteas.bsky.social @jasonhimsl.bsky.social @senior126.bsky.social @stacieoliver.bsky.social

As part of our formal summative task for #ENL1W1, students evaluated social media posts, found sources to verify, and then shared/discussed findings with peers, reflecting on their online sharing practices. Can you spot the misinformation? docs.google.com/document/d/1... #onted #EduSky

I'm so tired at this point of hearing the suggestion that "teachers should play/experiment with something" (not just AI) when the VAST majority of our time is in front of students in the classroom. And to be very clear: they deserve better than teachers "playing/experimenting" in front of them.

I’m going to make some changes to my 4C unit 1. It will include some weekly writing experiences from @biblioracle.bsky.social ‘s book. We’re also going to explore how the design features of a text contribute to its effectiveness. If you have favourite multimodal texts, please share! #ITeachEnglish

I’ve been largely wrapped up in my own brain processing my change of schools for the past 5 months, but I am looking forward to being a part of #RFTLOI as a speaker this year! #onted

Do not underestimate the power of oral texts. My Grade 9s had access to a spoken word poem for a summative task, video and print, and many of the 🔥 thinking came out of their noticings related to shifts in the speaker’s tone only accessible through his delivery #ITeachEnglish #EduSky #onted

“I like to be quiet, but I don’t like to be unheard.” 🔥

Reading student writing and there are some great lines: “I like the thought of taking risks, but I don’t like losing.” “I like laughing until I can’t breathe. A real laugh, unlike lol you type on your phone.” #ITeachEnglish

I agree with this. The system of reporting used makes no difference if philosophies around the purpose and methods of collecting assessment information aren’t considered.

Students revised their showcase piece of writing in suggestion mode and I will be doing more of this next semester. Thanks @sarahmzerwin.bsky.social for this idea in #PointLess #ITeachEnglish #EduSky

“The lesson and learning from today was interactive and not available electronically” is a sentence I use quite a bit. Having to create lessons that involve human commmunication and then have “something posted” is absolutely more work. #EduSky theconversation.com/technology-i...

At some point people are going to look back at this current era of education and wonder why there was so much emphasis on getting one type of screen out of the hands of students only to have so much time in the classroom be spent...staring at another screen.

I've been thinking a lot about the death of the research paper and the rise of authentic research in EVERY mode of writing ... #edusky #english #ela movingwriters.org/2025/01/11/m...

It’s amazing how the feedback “that sounds like it came from a Hallmark card” will lead students to craft a more nuanced theme statement. #EduSky

Passing thought. Selling writing in school as a way for students to secure future opportunity was always a losing proposition. It's an even bigger loser now with ChatGPT, et al... Need to get students seeing how writing is a valuable and enjoyable experience for NOW. A way to practice agency.

When you’ve barely made it through the work week dealing with sick kids who haven’t been in school for 2 weeks due to cancelled buses and a tournament, but Friday afternoon hits and you’re almost caught up. The flu:

Yes and yes.