Hello Teachers,

This post sums up exactly how I felt last Friday evening.

Anyone else exhausted?

New Resource

Here is a fun homework activity for students to practice reading aloud and following directions with a parent or guardian.

More Resources

What Do You Think About Your Textbook?

I like to give students space and time to thumb through their new textbooks. Here is a task that aims to do this.

Video:

Worksheet:

10-Sentence Writing Challenges

I’ve used 10-sentence writing challenges for years.

But I didn’t realize how powerful they could be until two years ago.

I was given a creative writing elective with no curriculum, so I experimented nearly every day.

Thematically, the class was all over the place.

But that’s where I discovered something: as a tool for experimenting with writing, the 10-sentence challenge is king.

It’s short enough for students to take risks without feeling overwhelmed.

Experimenting with sentence structure, metaphors, anaphora, repetition, and other techniques can be exhausting in a full essay.

But 10 sentences is manageable.

And there’s a huge difference between reading about a literary device and actually trying to use one.

Students might forget the definition of anaphora. But when they have to struggle to use anaphora in a sentence, the concept sticks.

The challenges are also perfect for sharing. Students love reading their creations aloud, and 10 sentences is short enough to keep everyone’s attention.

If you want students to experiment with language, take creative risks, and actually use the techniques you’re teaching, try a 10-sentence challenge, bruh.

Here they are:

10-Sentence Writing Challenges

Newsletter Sponsor

Today’s email sponsor is Ground News.

These sponsorships help me continue creating and sharing quality teaching resources for free. Every click on today’s sponsor earns me $3—so even a simple click helps support Tolentino Teaching.

Thank you for your support!

Classroom of the Day

Here is a cool 7th-grade classroom from North Dakota! Thanks for sharing your classroom with us, Stacey Lakey.

If you would also like to share screenshots of your classroom, feel free to email me at tolentinoteaching@gmail.com

Thank You For the Support!

I give away all of my teaching resources for free, and I hope to keep it that way.

That means Tolentino Teaching depends on donations from educators like you. If you’ve found my resources helpful and would like to support the work I’m doing, feel free to donate below.

Every donation helps me continue creating and sharing free resources with teachers everywhere.

Thank you for your support!

Donate Here