In today’s rapidly changing world, the importance of teaching real-world skills in English Language Arts (ELA) cannot be overstated. From crafting compelling resumes to developing critical thinking through literary analysis, the ability to apply classroom knowledge to practical situations is essential for students’ future success.
This blog post highlights various innovative strategies educators use to make ELA both engaging and relevant, preparing students for the challenges of life beyond the classroom. Seven educators have teamed up to share their ideas for teaching real-world skills.
Real-World Skills That Can Be Taught in ELA Class
Kristy: Resume Writing
Kristy from 2 Peas and a Dog teaches real-world skills using a real-life writing approach to engage her students in writing through the creation of cover letters and resumes. In many English Language Arts classes, the focus often revolves around literary analysis, grammar instruction, and creative writing. However, the practical aspects of writing, such as crafting a cover letter and resume, are frequently overlooked due to time constraints and the pressure to meet curriculum objectives. These real-world skills are key when students want to move beyond the education sphere and find a job.
Teaching students to write cover letters and resumes bridges the gap between classroom learning and practical application and equips students with essential skills for their future. It also helps students develop a sense of confidence and preparedness as they navigate future job applications and interviews.
Learn more about teaching resuming writing in this blog post, The Benefits of Teaching Resume Writing in Middle School. If you want ready-to-go resume writing lessons, check out this resource: Cover Letter and Resume Writing Unit Career Lessons.
Lesa: Read Between The Lines – Inference Skills
Critical thinking is one of those real-world skills in ELA that will ALWAYS come in handy for people. Whether it’s deciphering the news and its credibility, really understanding what that co-worker’s email said, or figuring out the plot of a confusing movie, reading between the lines is essential! As a result, Lesa from SmithTeaches9to12.com incorporates inference skills into lessons whenever possible throughout the school year.
It might start with optical illusions to ask students what they see, shift to word games like rebus puzzles, and become more ‘intense’ while examining the (hidden) meaning within short stories. Whatever the case might be, it’s about adding joy with skill building.
You can do this with short stories like this freebie of the short story “Eleven” from Sandra Cisneros. It has built-in prompts for the full story to get students thinking, well, critically!
From there, you can practice again and again with different short stories! Try it out with this bundle of six popular stories with built-in inference prompts, plus analysis and writing activities, or choose this set of four stories to create literature circles and differentiate for your students during the spooky season.
Carolyn: Silent Debates
Carolyn from Middle School Cafe understands that teaching ELA involves more than just reading and writing. She is committed to helping her students with skills that extend beyond the classroom, preparing them for real-world interactions.
To achieve this, Carolyn uses silent debates with her curriculum, a method that emphasizes clear, evidence-based communication. This approach shifts the focus from verbal conflict (traditional debates) to constructive discussion, fostering an environment where students learn to articulate their thoughts and arguments thoughtfully and effectively. This real-world skill is essential for both academic and professional life.
In silent debates, you’ll assign students to groups and either give them a topic or let them choose one to explore. Students collaborate in pairs to research their topics and develop well-supported arguments. The debates are conducted entirely in writing, giving students time to reflect on and process the information.
This method not only ensures that every student participates (including those who might shy away from verbal debates) but also encourages a more contemplative and meaningful exchange of ideas.
By incorporating silent debates in your curriculum, you help students see that effective debates hinge not on how loudly one speaks but on the clarity and persuasiveness of their arguments. These skills prepare them not only for academic success but also for active, informed citizenship, making silent debates an invaluable part of teaching real-world skills in your ELA classroom.
Learn how Carolyn uses silent debates with her students on her blog in the post, Academic Conversation Through Silent Debates.
Krista: Teach Essential Skills Through Literature
“Is Goldilocks guilty of trespassing? What about property damage?” These are questions that Krista from @whimsyandrigor has her students explore when they embark on their Fairy Tale on Trial unit.
This activity is a dynamic way to teach real-life skills in a language arts classroom. In this project, students are divided into two teams—Prosecution and Defense—tasked with arguing whether Goldilocks is guilty of crimes like trespassing, criminal damage to property, and breaking and entering. The activity culminates in a mock trial, with the teacher serving as the judge and other teachers, administrators, and students from other grades acting as the jury.
Through this process, students develop critical thinking by analyzing the story and forming arguments. Krista created detailed pieces of “evidence,” such as notes from a school bully who regularly chases Goldi through the woods and Papa Bear’s insistence on not joining the Neighborhood Watch. Students pore over this evidence, thinking carefully and strategically about how to frame it for their purposes. The engagement students show is absolutely astounding!
Public speaking skills are honed as they present their cases, learning to persuade and engage their audience. Collaboration is key, as teamwork is essential for building a strong case. Ethical reasoning is also explored, prompting students to consider the morality of Goldilocks’ actions and the relevance of external factors that impact her decisions. Additionally, writing and research skills are emphasized as students prepare their arguments. These are all real-world skills that students benefit from.
This activity is not only wildly engaging, but it also prepares students with essential skills like critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and ethical reasoning—skills that are valuable in real-life situations and future careers. If you want to explore this unit in detail, check it out here.
Katie: Presentation and Speaking Skills
One of the biggest life skills that is weaved throughout ELA courses is presentation and speaking, which you will no doubt find yourself relying on as you embark on different paths in life.
Katie from Mochas and Markbooks works at an Indigenous high school where many of her students come from homes that speak English as a second language. Like most teenagers, many students are shy when it comes to presenting or speaking in front of the class; however, this is amplified by their language and cultural barriers.
To get her students comfortable speaking amongst their peers, Katie uses a lot of daily warm up activities that require students to speak their answers to each other or the class, like asking a “Would you Rather?” question or playing a short TED-Ed video and then asking a question for discussion.
Another way Katie has helped her students get comfortable with speaking is by incorporating podcasting projects. In these projects, students record themselves speaking as though they are podcast hosts discussing a topic instead of writing about it in an essay or report. These types of projects have really helped students get comfortable speaking on a topic and increase their confidence in their voices. If you’re looking for an example of a project like this, you can check out Katie’s Book Talk Podcast here.
Jeanmarie: Being a Discerning Reader/Viewer Through the Rhetorical Situation
One of the most important real-world skills we can teach our students is to be discerning consumers of text in all its forms. Jeanmarie from McLaughlin Teaches English likes to do this by teaching students about the rhetorical situation of a text. She asks them to consider the speaker, audience, purpose, message, context, and exigence, or the reason the text was produced in the first place.
A great way to do this on a regular basis is through a Rhetorical of the Week Daily Warm Up Cycle. You can give students a short non-fiction passage or a video to watch and then have them begin by identifying the speaker, audience and purpose.
They can continue to examine the text throughout the week by rereading and reviewing to go into deeper layers of summary, exigence and the rhetorical choices the speaker is using to develop their message and purpose. You can end the week with a formative assessment through a Spill the TEA (topic, evidence and analysis) or a thesis.
If you are interested in learning more about “Of the Week” Warm Up Activities, you can check out this post. Don’t forget to grab this free sample, which has 10 different styles of daily warm up activities for high school English, including a rhetorical analysis of the week.
After exploring various strategies to teach real-world skills through English Language Arts, it’s clear that integrating these practical approaches into the curriculum enriches students’ learning experiences and equips them with essential tools for their futures.
By incorporating these skills into your classroom, you can help your students build confidence, think critically, and communicate effectively—abilities that will serve them well beyond their school years.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your curriculum or seeking new ideas to engage your students, these approaches offer valuable insights into making ELA relevant and impactful.
Additional Real-World Skills Resources
- Teaching Non-Fiction and Real World Connections
- 7 Reasons To Teach Email Writing Skills in Middle School
- How To Use Geocaching With Students To Enrich Their Learning
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