Teaching with Articles

A comprehensive, go-at-your-own-pace, all-online PD to help busy teachers find the right articles, teach students to read them, and stay sane in the process.

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Note from Dave: The Teaching with Articles course is my earliest online professional development offering and has effectively served hundreds of educators. Purchase orders are welcome at any time -- just email [email protected].

Cut through the clutter and teach like a hero with this workshop-styled, self-paced professional development course from Dave Stuart Jr.

Enough of the noise: in this course, we explore how to increase the quantity of texts our students read using solid, quality articles, without sacrificing our sanity. Here are some of the questions we'll explore:

  • How do we help our students motivate themselves, even when tasked with reading texts they haven't self-selected?
  • What are the highest-bang-for-your-buck instructional moves that we can focus on and master, rather than resorting to Every-Day-A-New-Strategy-styled approaches to before-, during-, and after-reading?
  • Where do we get the time in our overwhelmed schedules to find informational texts, prepare quality lessons around them, and give feedback on text-dependent writing or speaking?
  • When is enough... enough? At what point do we rest easy knowing we've done a good job promoting literacy growth and long-term flourishing skills in our courses?
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This course, made by a teacher for teachers, aims to help with those problems. Ain't no such thing as a silver bullet, but this course serves as a sword for slaying some of the dragons that badger secondary teachers across the content areas.


What Participants Are Saying

I would like to say that "Teaching with Articles" is an amazing class! I have recommended it to our department head and school leaders. I think you were teaching on steroids with that one :) I've been teaching with articles for a couple of months now, and I am surprised - not surprised - to see a big difference in student written responses. One student began with bulleted comments and didn't get the modeling I had done the first time around. He wasn't used to writing 250 words in class on something he just read. Now, a few articles later, he is writing the full 250, making his claim, proving it with textual evidence and all that's lovely.

As far as the pop-debates go, several students were hesitant. One started off with the disclaimer, "This is going to be bad -- I'm terrible at public speaking." Last week he said, "Look at me, all smart." Students are getting comfortable doing what most of them didn't want to do - really read, really write, and argue academically. I work with the struggling students and up through honors. I'm very happy to say that at this point in the school year they are all engaged. I am most proud of those who struggled with getting started. I really appreciate the work you went through to share what you learned from Kelly Gallagher and get it out there for all of us to use!

-Jeanine François-González M.Ed. - Teacher of British Literature, Journalism and Creative Writing in Naples, FL

Teaching with Articles helped to solidify my reasoning for teaching articles of the week. I found the before, during, and after segments to be the most helpful as I'm already completely sold on using AoWs. I also enjoyed peeking into Dave's class. It's nice to get a glimpse of what really goes on (the good and the normal) and how everything works with real students. Dave is fun, knowledgeable, and easy to listen to. The interviews at the end are fantastic. You can't go wrong with this course!

--Kristy L from Alabama

"I am an overthinker and need to be more efficient, so I've liked how you boil everything down to what really matters - not what matters in THE IDEAL WORLD ALL THE TIME, but what matters and works and still allows us to be human beings."

"What you have created here is stunning. I love quality professional development, and this is good stuff.

Here is what I like:

  • short modules that can be completed without having to find a huge block of time;
  • self-paced means I can stop when I know I have reached info overload and need to process before I move on;
  • perfect balance between theory/philosophy and practical ideas;
  • references to sources for additional information;
  • videos can be replayed if I want to hear something over again;
  • multiple reassurances that experimenting is OK/not all lessons go perfectly, especially not the first time.

Thank you for all the work you have put into this and your other offerings."

8 Reasons to Invest in this Workshop

We start with the heart of the matter in Part I: Clarity, Purpose & Obstacles. I especially love the section where I address student motivation, a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot this school year.

We get practical in Part II: Finding the “Right” Articles. This section covers issues like text complexity, curricular fit, and student interest, without getting bogged down in mind-numbing minutiae. Then I actually show you (while timing myself) how I would go about finding articles if I had only 5 minutes a week to do so.

Part III is all about instructional moves. In it, I cover the 9 strategies I limit myself to when seeking to provide authentic literacy experiences in my classrooms. I’ve often written on my blog about the importance of getting kids reading, writing, and speaking purposefully and often — in this section, you see exactly how I approach those tasks.

Part IV involves unfriendly ground for me because it includes the G word (“grading”). When and how should we grade article-based work? What is the role of effective feedback?

Part V includes over 3 hours of conversations between myself and some incredible leaders in education. We're talking about major heroes of mine, like:

All those expert interviews are downloadable, meaning you can listen to them on your commute or when away from an Internet connection.

Cost-effectiveness far exceeds traditional workshops. Teachers get more than a full day's worth of a professional development workshop without expenses like travel and registration; plus, bulk pricing options are available for licensing groups of 4 or 8.

Finally, I'm a teacher. I understand the stresses, pressures, and passions of classroom educators because that is what I am.

Taught by a teacher who's researched and tested these ideas for years.


Dave Stuart Jr.
Dave Stuart Jr.

Hi there, I'm Dave Stuart Jr., the creator of the Student Motivation Course.

I'm a classroom teacher who has spent years reading, researching, and experimenting on the topic of student motivation. For thousands of hours, my burning question has been like yours: How do I get my students to do more work, with more care and less stress? This course is a culmination of that work.

Here is a bit about me:

I'm a husband and father, and I take these roles very seriously. (In other words, teaching is not my whole life.)

Over 35,000 people read my articles each month.

Over 10,000 educators in 25 different states have heard me speak about my work at various workshops, conferences, and keynotes.

My bestselling book, These 6 Things, is read by teaching teams and schools around the world.

I am animated by a simple belief: all students and teachers should flourish.


What's in the Course?


  Introduction
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  Part I: Clarity, Purpose, & Obstacles
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  Part II: Finding the "Right" Articles
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  Part III: Nine Instructional Moves, No More
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  Part IV: Grading v. Feedback
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  Part V: Interviews with Experts
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  Bonus: FAQs from Leaders and Teachers
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Frequently Asked Questions


Is the workshop right for non-English Language Arts teachers?
Yes. For teachers who don't have a rich literacy instruction background, this workshop focuses on the core elements of great literacy instruction. I have a strong bias for simplicity, and past workshop participants report being empowered with actionable advice rather than discouraged with information overload.
Is the workshop right for K-5 teachers?
It depends. My first students ever were 6th graders in Baltimore, and they were the youngest kids I've ever had on my roster. This is important because it means, in my own eyes, I have little authority to presume that I could provide anything of value to a K-5 teacher. When I watch masters of elementary ed in action with my own children, I find mastery of time and pedagogy that I'm far from realizing. With that said, some of the most formative professional learning I've ever done was at the hands of folks who don't teach in secondary settings. These people have taught me how to THINK about teaching in a manner that has proven transformative. So the answer to this question depends: If you're looking for lesson plans and article lists to take away and use with your 3rd grade students, the workshop doesn't have those things. On the other hand, if you'd like an in-depth look at how I think through the task of teaching with articles and tackling literacy development, you'll get that with this PD experience.
Is the workshop right for English Language Arts teachers?
Yes — IF those ELA teachers are overwhelming themselves with minutiae and having a hard time discerning which instructional moves or attitudes are most likely to yield the highest returns, then this workshop will be very helpful. (It's also important to note here that ELA teachers should NOT be the only ones assigning articles for reading!)
How does this workshop compare to Dave's all-day, in-person "Non-Freaked Out Approach to Literacy Instruction Across the Content Areas" workshop?
This workshop is distinct from my in-person workshop in that it focuses specifically on the challenges and opportunities of teaching with articles. I created this workshop as a means of reaching more people with what I hope is excellent, teacher-created professional development, yet I also wanted to keep my in-person PD services distinct. This workshop, in my mind, is a useful companion to my live material, yet it is also designed as a stand-alone professional learning experience.
When does the workshop start and finish?
You have access to it for as long as the Internet exists. It's a completely self-paced learning experience, meaning you decide when and how you work through the material. With that said, at the start of the course I'll ask you to create a window within which you intend to complete the workshop because I think it's important to complete the workshop within a reasonable amount of time.
How long do I have access to the workshop?
You get access for life across any and all devices you own, barring any apocalyptic events like the Internet melting.
What if I am unhappy with the workshop?
As a teacher who also lives where he teaches, I know that whether I pay for PD out of my paycheck or my district's professional development funds (my taxpayer dollars), it's important that each dollar yields fruit in my work with students. Therefore, I'll sleep much better at night if I know you're happy with anything you or your school purchases from me, including this workshop. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact me in the first 30 days and I will give you a full refund.
How do you expect teachers to afford the price of this workshop?
I don't — I expect excellent administrators and wise decision-makers to make cost-effective investments in their educators. This workshop is a highly affordable investment in the professional development of both individual teachers and teams (see the bulk discount pricing options).
Do you accept purchase orders?
Yes, we love them. Please contact us at [email protected].
I need [insert paperwork] from Dave so that my district can complete [insert procedure] and order this workshop.
No problem! Shoot me an email with what you need -- dave_at_davestuartjr.com.
How does bulk ordering work?
When you purchase the "Buy 3, Get 4" or "Buy 6, Get 8" packages, you'll receive an email from me with the appropriate number of single-use coupons. Using those coupons, the rest of your team will be able to enroll in the workshop by "purchasing" it for free.

**Looking for more bulk pricing options? Contact Dave: support_at_davestuartjr.com**