Kelly Gallagher @KellyGToGo Twitter profile

Last Seen Profiles

@CoreSkorp

@yf51ktmbv

@DohaFireStation

@ren_knpr

@pj_the_artist

@JakeElrod44

@Lindenwood_OC

@paisleereneee

@BDisgusting

@transladyboy66

@HabibiSouth

@PhrWi66629

@RunwithRo

@skntr_man

@Deshawn99937200

@CordryHartmanNJ

@Poey_Art

@SiHealth_

@hope_lubisi

@whosbuzztin

@baydil_songul

@AnaMic

@MathafModern

@A26Prado

@moriyo_info

@sellinor_

@SODB_

@J323YH

@davidiach

@Checkout

@yeoenwnk

@kellykleine

@BaytQatar

@WarOnTheFloor

@dickshews

@istrihipsex

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

I stand at my classroom door between each period to greet my kids. My new year's teaching resolution: pick one student before each class and engage that student in a 1-2 minute conversation. I'm first selecting kids who tend to fly under the radar.

76

471

4K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

It is important that students read books where they see themselves in some of the characters. It is also important that students read books about people they would not ordinarily meet.

35

796

4K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

No paper is ever finished. It is just due. Papers always remain eligible for revision, even after a grade is placed. Latest papers are called "best drafts," never "final drafts."

49

1K

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

As I sit down to write lesson plans for next week (for students who will be staying home), I know one thing: my students need to write daily about this time in history. They need to capture this moment in time.

68

674

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

I never go over rules on the first day. We start reading and writing immediately. Besides, I only have two rules: 1) Work hard; 2) Be nice.

65

798

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

I gave my students some cash register tape, asked them to find their favorite line in Hamlet, and now the walls of my classroom are awash in the language of Shakespeare.

51

426

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Conundrum: There is no better way to understand students than to read their writing, but teachers are given too many students so reading the papers wears them out. Truthfully, I should look forward to reading their papers, but sometimes I am in serious avoidance mode.

113

417

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Today concludes my 35th year of teaching. What a year.

90

17

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Surveyed my new seniors. 72% of them cannot identify a single author they like. Two-thirds of them “never” read in their spare time. Never. I know there are many factors behind this, but I can’t help wonder what role schools have played in killing the ❤️ of reading.

283

589

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

This.

28

1K

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Please don’t tell me this is too political. People are being murdered. All curriculum—intentional or not—is political. Good teaching is responsive to what is happening in our students’ lives. Teaching Materials – Black Lives Matter At School

27

710

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Sometimes when history unfolds, it immediately supersedes tomorrow’s lesson plan. Today is one of those days. Students will need to read, write, and talk about this.

49

380

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

As part of a poetry unit, I am having seniors find poems that “capture” or “represent”each of their HS years. Each student finds one poem for 9th grade year, one for 10th, etc and explain the selections. High engagement.

73

457

3K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

If the only reading students do is at school, they will never get the necessary practice that is foundational to being literate. They need to read books, and they need to do a lot of this reading outside of school.

47

1K

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Yesterday marked the end of my 34th year of teaching. Time for a little mental break, but truth be told, I am already starting to think about year 35.

71

44

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Today I begin my 35th year of teaching. Each year is a unique, living mosaic. Will meet my new students this morning. I am excited by what I know and what I don't know. Let's go!

60

58

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

As a teacher in a high-poverty school, I walk a delicate balance: I try to maintain love and hope for all students, but I consciously find myself fighting the effects of compassion fatigue. There are times I need to disconnect for self preservation. The needs are so great.

66

358

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Three years ago, @pennykittle and I created book clubs for our HS students around the theme of social justice. Here were the titles we selected at that time. Any suggestions for updating the list?

220

600

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

I will be submitting a proposal to my school district to renovate our school library. Maybe something like the George Peabody library in Baltimore?

59

52

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

It is striking to me how many people who do not know my students believe they know what is best for my students.

24

486

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

So much of reading comprehension is influenced by a reader's prior knowledge. The more you know, the better you can read. That's why I have been giving my students an article of the week for years. I have now posted the 1st one for the 2018-2019 year here:

article of the week — Kelly Gallagher

www.kellygallagher.org

58

697

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Today is my first day of school. Year 33. Let's do it!

53

55

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

2 years

I have withdrawn from participating in the 2022 Plum Creek Literacy Festival. It is the first time I have ever backed out of a speaking engagement. Here is why I made this decision:

124

117

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

My students also “speed dated” books today as they created “What I might read next” lists.

38

229

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

In class today we read the final and climactic scene in Hamlet. The plays ends, there is a pause, and then one student says in hushed tones, "Whoa! That was very Game of Thrones-ish."

24

214

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

A lot of hand wringing about reading loss going on, but it was my experience that many of my students had stopped reading books years ago. This was a curriculum problem and a teaching problem long before the pandemic.

35

284

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Day 2 of school. Books on every table. Students will "speed date" 200 books and create "What I might read next" lists.

59

503

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Here I will share my lesson plans for my students who will not be coming to school for the next two weeks. These plans were developed with my friend @pennykittle , as well as from input from some of my ELA colleagues at Magnolia High School. But before I share, some thoughts:

69

519

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

The life of an English teacher = reading student papers on December 26. I know I will not fully enjoy my winter break if these papers sit there for two weeks beckoning me. I have now willed myself to my desk. May the force be with me!

78

96

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Just received an email from a student I had 10 years ago asking me if I can remember the title of a book I book talked in class one day. You never know what sticks.

27

81

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

With an average class size of 40, do not talk to me about accountability. I will do my best. Do not expect miracles.

48

212

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

I book-talked Michael Pollan’s in Defense of Food today. Love how he summarizes his entire book in the first seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” My 7-word teaching version: “More reading. More writing. Choice. No worksheets.” Yours?

82

378

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

If I were in school this week, I would have my students practice their reading skills with this @NewYorker cover. What does it say? What does it not say?

27

434

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Today is our first day of writing in our notebooks. I will begin with talking about my central goal for them as writers this year: moving them from victimhood to agency. I will use this figure from 180 Days.

24

489

2K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

My English dept. is out to save the world. I'm Thanos (far right). Happy Halloween all!

26

47

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Today's New Yorker cartoon

16

628

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

The presidential "debates" should adopt the model I used with 9th graders: side A talks while side B is muted. Then side B talks while side A is muted. Rotate. It's not that hard.

29

137

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

9

640

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

And just like that, my 33rd year of teaching ends today. Deep exhale.

49

11

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

So here we go. Today I begin year 34 in the classroom. Let's do it!

42

18

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Punctuation matters

44

357

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

The writer's notebook is a place to collect ideas, not to perform.

13

170

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Analysis | It looks like the beginning of the end of America’s obsession with student standardized tests

Analysis | It looks like the beginning of the end of America’s obsession with student standardized...

Here are the trends.

www.washingtonpost.com

43

302

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Our job is much more important than teaching kids how to identify theme in a novel. Teachers are agents of change. I leave #ncte17 with hope as I have met many agents of change here in St. Louis. Thanx for all the conversations and for making me a better teacher.

4

298

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

This just got real. Literally. I received an advance copy in the mail today of 180 Days---the book Penny Kittle @pennykittle and I wrote. More good news: release date moved up to 3/29. Thankx @HeinemannPub

52

157

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

My favorite thing said to me today by a student in a reading conference: “The book started a little slow, but it is starting to get spicy!”

10

50

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

I want a doctor who stays well-read in her field. Students deserve the same level of professionalism from their teachers. I encourage all young teachers coming into the teaching profession to subscribe to @ncte English Journal:

English Journal

NCTE English Journal

ncte.org

16

422

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” Margaret Mead

6

442

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

Lesson idea: have students adapt from the graphic below. E.g. advice from a dog; advice from the ocean; advice from a musician, etc. Brainstorm your own list. Once you have a list, pick one and write. (My apologies: I do not know the source of the chart).

20

322

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Today I feel more like a social worker than a teacher. Of course, we are social workers every day, but I have these moments where I feel a bit overwhelmed by the trauma my students are experiencing. Today is one of those days.

44

119

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

2 years

I have made the decision to cut professional ties with Heinemann. This means that I am pulling a book I have started (and which they have sent me a contract), and that I am canceling future professional development workshops I already had scheduled.

28

94

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Excellent classroom library suggestions:

I asked the readers of this site to recommend books for teen and young adult readers. They gave me this list of over 100 outstanding titles.

www.cultofpedagogy.com

13

558

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Many years ago I started giving my students an article of the week so as to build awareness about the world they are soon to inherit. The articles are chosen to inform them, not entertain them. Seemed necessary when only 10% of my students could name the vice president of the US.

38

188

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

2 years

Wow.

California Governor

@CAgovernor

2 years

Starting in June 2023, every California child under the age of 5 will be able to receive a free book in the mail, every month, thanks to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expansion to California! 📚

462

6K

28K

16

98

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

8 years

This age of over-testing coincides with a rise in remedial college courses. Maybe kids should be reading and writing instead of taking tests

12

684

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

If your students do not have good books to read at school, building readers will not happen. Does not matter how many standards you cover.

10

694

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

My students are in book clubs and they are reading selections all tied to social justice. They will finish this week and I am going to have them write to this prompt (in the picture).

35

305

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

I was scheduled to do an all-day workshop in Texas on Thursday. Because of the governor’s order, the district could not ensure that the attending teachers would be masked (indoors, all day). This is insanity. I am not coming.

48

38

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Having students imitate the New York Times "My Ten" column would be a good way for teachers to learn about their new students---and for students to learn about one another: And, of course, the teacher should write one, too.

My Ten

Arts

www.nytimes.com

28

284

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

So excited that the book I have co-authored with Penny Kittle @pennykittle is in production. Due in the spring. Here is the cover:

42

245

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Here are the lesson plans. Scroll down to "Coronavirus lesson plan":

instructional materials — Kelly Gallagher

www.kellygallagher.org

91

353

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

The Anaheim Union HS District---my home district---has announced they will begin the next school year with 100% distance learning. They join the two largest districts in CA---L.A. and San Diego.

28

60

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

Here's Kobe reciting his poem to basketball. Won an Oscar:

23

383

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

It’s going to be a good day when your Lyft driver’s name is Atticus.

8

38

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately:

Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living

Nic Stone, author of the best-selling young adult novel Dear Martin, explains why your anti-racist reading lists aren’t enough.

www.cosmopolitan.com

21

315

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Lesson idea for Monday: Have students write "6 Things You Should Know About the Events of the Last Week." This is modeled after a column that used to run in ESPN magazine. Have them weave in photos, memes, headlines, etc. Maybe students do this w partners?

24

235

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Head + heart = good teaching. If either side of the equation is missing, instruction/learning may be compromised.

4

480

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

"If we could institute only one change to make students more college ready, it should be to increase the amount and quality of writing students are expected to produce." - David Conley

20

487

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Best shoes ever?

40

77

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

About 15 years ago I created the article of the week because my students had a narrow understanding of the world. You have to know stuff to read stuff. I have posted the first AoW of this school year here:

article of the week — Kelly Gallagher

www.kellygallagher.org

38

186

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Teaching paradox: reading student papers informs and energizes my teaching, and reading student papers exhausts me.

19

170

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Poetry is under-taught. It deserves an equal place at the table alongside narrative, inform/explain, argument.

35

324

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

As mentioned in earlier tweets, I have started an argument unit on the topic of mass shootings. Many of you requested that I share my lessons, so I will be posting daily blog posts over the next 2.5 weeks. If interested, start here:

23

330

1K

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Lesson idea: have students select a meaningful photograph, meme, tweet, or IG posting and write next to it. Why do they deem their selection "meaningful"? Why is this selection worth talking about?

13

186

992

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

8 years

A president who ran a fake university has chosen an education secretary who doesn't understand education. Am I missing something?

30

460

935

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

My students have been writing 2-scene narratives. They are due today. They have worked hard. When they walk in today, I’ll have this Dorothy Parker quote projected: “I hate writing, but I love having written.”

5

109

946

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

L. R. Knost: Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break, and all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.

8

343

956

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

@caroljaxon There are many other reasons why kids should be reading books (not just excerpts). Here's one: Holding on to your thinking over 300 pages is a different skill than "drive-by" excerpt reading. This is important in an age of distraction addiction.

20

316

937

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

It is interesting how many interpreted my earlier tweet as me grading papers. I was not. I was providing mid-process commentary. I spend almost all my time mid-process. I spend very little time with “best drafts.” They need coaching at “halftime.”

20

139

938

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

Another example of why a media studies class should be mandatory for all students. Look at the different choices made here in images and words.

24

185

933

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

We need to teach students how to read media critically. Love this from Vanessa Otero's blog: "All Generalizations Are False." Located here: Thanks to Jeff Krapels for this.

21

497

920

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

They're back! I have just posted the first article of the week (AoW) for the 2020-2021 school year. Go here:

article of the week — Kelly Gallagher

www.kellygallagher.org

24

171

918

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

My district is giving teachers permission to "pivot" from their standard curriculum so that teachers feel free to tie the pandemic into all content-area classes. "Business as usual" seems shortsighted and a missed opportunity to me.

36

115

908

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

This is a remarkable site of resources for teachers trying to broaden our students' understanding of the world: . Thanks to Laura Uresle for this.

Programs for K-12 Teachers and Students

The Pulitzer Center's K–12 education programs and resources cultivate a more curious, informed, empathetic, and engaged public by connecting teachers and students with underreported global news...

pulitzercenter.org

7

398

902

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

I am finally reading a stack of essays I collected just prior to my school's shutdown 10 days ago. It is REALLY making me miss my students.

31

9

904

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

2 years

Building background knowledge for readers and writers is critical. You have to know stuff to read and write stuff. Today, I begin a new year of posting articles of the week (AoWs). See the first one of 2022-2023 here:

24

158

902

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

Some teachers believe kids won't write unless they receive points. I believe the opposite: grading often harms the development of writers.

26

410

882

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

The events of the last few days are an opportunity to teach students about media bias. Look at how the same story is framed by different news organizations.

13

144

878

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

4 years

When the pandemic first hit and isolation began, I found my creativity sapped. I was unable to write. Now, many weeks in, I am beginning to feel the opposite. I am writing again as a means of escape. Writing is a refuge from the horrors of the daily news. A daily grounding.

20

55

881

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

7 years

For those of us still teaching this week, we made it to break!

8

147

881

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

Now that March is here, I can say the release date is next month! @HeinemannPub

32

197

875

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

Coming soon: our new book! We are proud of this work and excited to share it with you. Pre-ordering with a 40% discount will start Sept. 27. Publishing on Nov. 2. @pennykittle @HeinemannPub

37

130

875

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

Kids who read for pleasure build better vocabularies, empathy, decision-making, and social skills. They also write better.

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

Why reading for pleasure is so important——Opinion: Fewer kids read for fun anymore. They’re losing out on more than great stories

7

121

346

4

237

876

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

One letter can make all the difference.

23

144

855

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

I am reading the new David Sedaris book, Calypso. Today’s favorite line: “Anyone who has spent time in the company of small children knows that a crushing boredom can unlock great powers of invention.”

20

141

861

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

6 years

I am up at 5:00 a.m. on a three-day "weekend" so as to get started on the 73 student essays that need to be read and responded to. Perhaps I should quit tweeting and get started...

42

29

848

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

A former student of mine emailed me today reflecting on an essay she wrote in our senior English class in 1996. Twenty-five years ago. It is not a coincidence it was a personal essay. Never underestimate the power and importance of having students tell their own stories.

3

96

846

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

3 years

Interesting idea: "One of my best writing teachers used to ask her class, after finishing a novel, to go back and read the first paragraph for the ways in which it predicted the rest of the text, or in the most skillful cases, taught us to read it."

A Close Reading of the Best Opening Paragraph of All Time

From Shirley Jackson's ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’, of course.

getpocket.com

17

175

842

Kelly Gallagher

@KellyGToGo

5 years

This.

Independent Reading

Independent reading leads to an increased volume of reading. The more one reads, the better one reads. The more one reads, the more knowledge of words and language one acquires. The more one reads,...

ncte.org

12

338

846