Dana Huff's Page

Reading Across Content Areas

Over the years, I've done much work with teachers outside of the ELA content area around literacy instruction and assessment. I've relied upon Ellin Oliver Keene, Stephanie Harvey, and Cris Tovani to inform what we do well, but I'm looking for additional resources/research/information. Whose work do you value most? How is reading supported across content areas in your neck of the woods?

Digital Portfolios

Peer Lisa Huff and I have been discussing and debating the best way to set up digital portfolios. She experienced this adventure last year with her AP students. For the rest of the students, though...how much choice in format? Should we use a blog format?

Please share your thoughts on this. What about assessment of the portfolio? What requirements do you have? Comments?

How do you begin the school year?

Does anyone use any interesting community building activities in the beginning of the school year? My year usually begins with all the necessaries on day one and a summer reading test on day two. I'm looking for something that will really engage the students and get them talking. Any ideas?

Conference for English Teachers

If you could create a conference for English teachers, what would you include?

This is my dream for our area of our state. With a little encouragement from our educational co-op teacher-center director, I am dreaming even more and am interested in what English teachers want to learn, discuss, share at such a conference.

What session topics would you include? Time lengths?

How many days?

How much would you pay to attend a conference led by teachers…not those who have been out of the classroom…

Research Paper Guidelines

I had sent this out via twitter last week, but this looks like a more captive and focused audience for the topic.

What should our high school research process look like? In looking at our guideline, and the rules we teach students, there seems to be little that reflects the tools and the media our students have access to. Is it practical to require that they all use notecards (source cards and bib cards)? Do we require that they learn the correct way to write out MLA or APA for their works cite…