English & Language Arts Teacher Blog

Hello again, teacher superheroes!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the emotion, drama, and anticipation it brings into our classrooms become powerful tools when we know how to use them well.

Valentine’s Day always shifts the energy in the room.

Everything feels a little more emotional.

A little more dramatic.

And that makes this the perfect moment to lean into one of our favorite psychology-backed reading strategies.

It’s called the Zeigarnik Effect.
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And it explains why students can’t stop thinking about unfinished stories.
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Hello again, teacher superheroes! 😀
The second half of the school year hits differently, doesn’t it?
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Our students are reading, they’re talking, and they’re even writing — but somehow the evidence is still missing, misused, or completely disconnected from the claim.