PRESTO PLANS BLOG

We’ve all been there. You’re standing in front of the classroom, calmly asking students to take out their notebooks, or whatever it may be, and you’re being completely ignored. Then, you start talking over the students, repeating what you said but a little louder and more emphatically this time. Before you know it, your emotions […]

As we approach winter break, students tend to come to the classroom increasingly less focused and more energetic. It’s hard to blame them—this is an exciting time of year! In my experience, the best way to keep middle school ELA students engaged in this time leading up to Christmas is with a fun, movement-based activity […]

Are you looking for fun and festive ways to keep your students engaged around the winter holidays? I know that some schools and districts do not permit holiday-specific activities, so I thought it might be helpful to share a few other options for non-Christmas classroom activities. Each of these will help you and your students […]

Are you tired of hearing groans and grumbles whenever you tell students you will be working on grammar? Let’s face it: grammar is not the easiest sell for students in ELA. Still, it’s an important topic. Chances are that you’ve found yourself correcting the same grammar errors over and over again in your students’ writing. […]

Taking a day off when we need a sick day is a real challenge for teachers. For things to run smoothly, it is often necessary to write a detailed sub-plan that will keep students engaged in our absence. We all know how long these can take to prepare, especially if you don’t want to come […]

Ever feel like you need to come up for air while reading a long piece of student writing that has absolutely zero commas in it? There’s the alternative too—a bunch of commas in all the wrong places, which also makes for difficult reading. In the students’ defense, learning the comma rules can be challenging (and […]

If you are teaching “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, you may be looking for tips and strategies for analyzing the story. I wanted to take this opportunity to share my best tips for helping you navigate all elements of this spooky tale with your students! In Roald Dahl’s story, a young businessman travels to a local bed […]