Author Archives: Erik Palmer

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About Erik Palmer

The #1 language art is speaking. By far. I'm committed to promoting the teaching of oral communication in all of its forms.

Can Numbers Be Biased?

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Erik Palmer

We love statistics. Specifically, we love raw number statistics: number of students proficient or advanced, number of babies named Emma, number of hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes, and more. We also love percentage statistics: grades; batting averages in baseball, … Continue reading →

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Giving Little Kids Voice

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Erik Palmer

Speaking Activities for Early Elementary School Students In a previous post, we looked at speaking activities for middle and high school students (https://www.hmhco.com/blog/public-speaking-activities-middle-high-school-students). I noted that there are many speaking activity suggestions available online for teachers who want to encourage … Continue reading →

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Better Student Podcasts…Way Better

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Erik Palmer

Most student podcasts are pretty poor. We taught students how to use the tool but didn’t teach them the speaking skills needed to be impressive when using the tool. Read this post I wrote for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to learn … Continue reading →

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But what about the introverts?

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Erik Palmer

I get this question a lot when I do workshops. In my presentations, I point out that speaking well will benefit all students for their entire lives; I share a framework that makes the complex art of oral communication simple … Continue reading →

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Listening skills: Way More Than “What’s the main idea?”

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Erik Palmer

I sometimes get emails from an organization about improving student listening skills. They point out that speaking and listening are not being addressed in schools and claim that listening is a key piece of the “literacy puzzle.” Kudos to educators who … Continue reading →

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Instead of an essay

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Erik Palmer

“What does democracy mean to you?” That was the writing prompt I gave to my class. I was expecting a three-paragraph essay about the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens. Ryan asked if he could make a video. Of course, … Continue reading →

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Why Student Presentations Bore Classmates

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Erik Palmer

“In New Jersey v. TLO, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider the appropriateness of the application of the exclusionary rule.  The Court overturned the lower court ruling in a 7-2 decision and held that the search did not violate … Continue reading →

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Teaching Speaking, the Forgotten Language Art

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Erik Palmer

What are the skills involved in effective oral communication? Nobody exactly knows. This is what I find out when I ask teachers the question. We all have some ideas, but no one knows for sure what is really involved. It’s … Continue reading →

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Essays Muttered Aloud!

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Erik Palmer

The annual convention of the largest association of English teachers in America. The president of the organization addresses the thousands in attendance. A keynote address? Not exactly. More like reading an essay at the audience. Listen to a piece of … Continue reading →

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100 English Teachers Walk Into a Bar

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Erik Palmer

Originally published in California English          One hundred English teachers walk into a bar. One by one, the bartender asks them why they became English teachers. The first one says, “I love poetry! I write poetry and … Continue reading →

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