MsThankappan

8th grade English Language Arts teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Urban educator. Story teller. Love spreader.

[We Are Teachers @WeAreTeachers]

Failure is success in progress. —Albert Einstein

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

After working consistently in an intimate group, he's built a foundation of confidence, knowledge, and skills that he's brought with him to whole-group. He pulls evidence from rigorous texts to answer challenging questions. The cherry on top? He completed his last writing task :)

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

Small group instruction works. So does getting tips for struggling readers from your gifted teacher friend. For a large majority of this year, B did not engage with whole-group lessons, nor did he attempt independent assignments.

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

@mcglynn3 @WALKTHRUs_5 @teacherhead @MrsHallScholars @wyattoroke When I read the quotation in the third photo about scaffolded support for rigorous tasks paired with gradual release, I kept on saying "YES!" in my head! This is exactly what we were talking about. Just ordered the book--thank you for the recommendation!

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

@janiselane22 @WitWisdomELA @SonjaSantelises @mcglynn3 @CurriculumMatrs @LizManolis @rachelmstack @AshleyPCook24 I'm truly flattered by this comparison; it's my goal when planning every lesson. Thank you! The students are the stars--my job is simply to give them the tools they need to shine.

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

@mcglynn3 @ClassroomWonder @BaltCitySchools @janiselane22 @WitWisdomELA They're pretty spectacular, huh? I feel lucky to spend my days learning with them :)

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

There's nothing quite like these "aha!" moments that students earn after closely studying text and making connections to previous pieces of literature, art, and film in a focusing question arc. Listening to Davin unlock this complex poem makes my heart swell with pride.

[Knowledge Matters @KnowledgeMatrs]

On the #KnowledgeMatters tour of @BaltCitySchools, 8th Gr tchr @MsThankappan guides a text-specific analysis of the poem, “In Flanders Field,” as students build knowledge of WWI.

Way to go, Devin!
@janiselane22 @WitWisdomELA

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

Sharing this anecdote on the Knowledge Matters tour made me realize that it's been too long since I've told my teachers at @BrynMawrSchool thank you for nurturing my love of text analysis. This rainy Sunday seems like a perfect opportunity to pen my appreciation :)

[Knowledge Matters @KnowledgeMatrs]

While discussing teaching the toughest texts to all students, @BaltCitySchools 8th gr teacher @MsThankappan noted the value of personally inspiring kids. A master teacher on the #KnowledgeMatters tour!

@janiselane22 @SonjaSantelises

[Knowledge Matters @KnowledgeMatrs]

We visited with amazing teachers—@johnson_Experience, @kstoryscotti, and @MsThankappan—using knowledge-rich curriculum to read and analyze grade-level, challenging texts that complement the ELA classroom with history, science, and art content. @WitWisdomELA

[Janise Lane @janiselane22]

Baltimore had some amazing visitors to see our incredible teachers and talented scholars in action. Empowering students as literacy leaders! Thankful everyday to serve in @BaltCitySchools - just a teaser...@SonjaSantelises @LizManolis @CurriculumMatrs @natwexler @rachelmstack

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

@janiselane22 Here's the behind the scenes view! Not pictured: the coffee table underneath the chair and bedside table. Virtual teaching has certainly required some creativity :)

[MsThankappan @MsThankappan]

In All Quiet on the Western Front, the book we're reading in 8th grade ELA, Paul returns home on leave for two weeks. As you can imagine, home feels different after fighting in the trenches of WWI. T made an impressive observation about the symbolism of Paul's army uniform.