writing

A Spatial Approach to Literary Analysis: 6 Graphic Organizers

Dec 43 min read

novels

A Spatial Approach to Literary Analysis: 6 Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers help students that think logically like scientists and mathematicians.

145 views

Preventing the Use of AI in ELA: 6 Methods

Feb 93 min read

writing

Preventing the Use of AI in ELA: 6 Methods

There will always be new tools to help teachers combat the use of AI. A Chrome extension called Origin by GPTZero provides a writing ...

347 views

Jan 233 min read

project-based learning

Media and Genre-Based Units

Schools and teachers usually organize ELA curriculum by novel, theme, or genre, or some combination of those three.

260 views

Dec 21, 20233 min read

writing

5 Fun Ways Students Find Quotes

Teaching students the value of using quotes in an essay is more important now than ever ...

344 views

Nov 17, 20232 min read

novels

Character Study: A Whole-Novel Activity

Students love to think about how a character develops because they too, because they’re teenagers, experience a lot of change.

187 views

The Purpose of Literary Devices and Techniques

Oct 17, 20232 min read

writing

The Purpose of Literary Devices and Techniques

It’s easy for students to get caught in the trap of simply identifying literary techniques without considering their purpose ...

446 views

Sep 12, 20233 min read

college essay

Storytelling and the Personal Narrative

Because I teach seniors, I start the year with a short unit on the personal narrative and college essay. It helps me get to know ...

196 views

Modern Learning with Free Literacy Blocks

Jul 18, 20232 min read

project-based learning

Modern Learning with Free Literacy Blocks

There are many students that love literature for the world it creates, the brand-new world that exists only within the front and back cover

154 views

The Personal, Philosophical, and Political Response to Literature

Apr 26, 20232 min read

writing

The Personal, Philosophical, and Political Response to Literature

It’s spring, which means it’s time to get creative. At this point in the year, students should be close to meeting our expectations ...

89 views

Mar 24, 20233 min read

writing

Mini Writing Conferences: 4 Stages of Feedback

My students write most of their essays by hand in class. There are a lot of reasons for that, but at this point in the year ...

229 views

Feb 23, 20233 min read

novels

5 Ways to Introduce a Novel

Some books, maybe most, don’t require much introduction. Novels, to some extent, exist in their own world.

1,203 views

The Best Engagement Strategy: Scaffolding and Guided Notes

Jan 24, 20233 min read

classroom management

The Best Engagement Strategy: Scaffolding and Guided Notes

It feels like it’s getting harder and harder to keep the attention of our students. Every teacher knows that if a student doesn’t use ...

564 views

Dec 21, 20223 min read

project-based learning

Man vs. Machine: AI and ELA

AI is all the buzz lately. No need to teach writing anymore, a computer can do it...

415 views

Dec 6, 20222 min read

project-based learning

7 Ways to Make Learning Personal

It’s difficult to find a book that every child will love. They like contemporary stories that seem similar to their own ...

176 views

Oct 17, 20224 min read

writing

Creative Writing: The Be-All and End-All

I used to get moans when I asked students to write a poem. But in the last few years ...

933 views

How to Close Read Poetry or Prose: 5 Steps

Oct 5, 20223 min read

writing

How to Close Read Poetry or Prose: 5 Steps

Close reading may be the most important skill taught in an English class. It’s the heart and soul of what we do: uncover the world ...

919 views

Sep 27, 20223 min read

writing

Academic Success Explained in 7 Steps

It’s becoming more and more common for students to think that they shouldn’t have to work for an answer or a solution to a problem...

368 views

Sep 15, 20222 min read

writing

How to Teach Literary Techniques

Literary techniques make literature, literature. Without them, we’d be left with words and facts...

362 views

Jun 1, 20222 min read

project-based learning

The Creative Classroom

I start the school year talking about how language is all around us.

377 views

Autonomous, Relevant Learning and Good Conversation

Apr 6, 20222 min read

project-based learning

Autonomous, Relevant Learning and Good Conversation

This week, I asked students to connect the literature we study in class to the modern world. We had amazing, open-ended conversations ...

563 views

Mar 25, 20224 min read

writing

The Research Paper Made Easy: 8 Steps of the Writing Process

It’s that time of year to assign a college-style research paper to my seniors and I’ve found myself giving more and more time in class ...

396 views

Jan 24, 20224 min read

project-based learning

Filmmaking Made Easy: 10 Tips

After I taught the elective Filmmaking for the first time a few years ago, I realized how easy it is for students to quickly create a ...

749 views

Dec 17, 20212 min read

Diverse Literature

How to Make Fiction Relevant

To wrap up my unit on Things Fall Apart, I’m doing what I believe Chinua Achebe would have wanted....

195 views

Nov 26, 20213 min read

writing

How to Write a Meaningful Conclusion

I’ve long held the belief that we’re doing conclusions all wrong. Traditionally, it’s a moment in the essay where the writer wraps ...

292 views

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