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Sep 16, 20212 min read
Voice to Text: The Keys to Great Storytelling
What makes a great personal narrative? In the beginning of every year, I ask my students to write a story that communicates something...
216 views
Jul 11, 20213 min read
Displaying Student Work
A few years ago, I was the advisor for my school’s student-run art gallery. My district converted an old garage used for storage space ...
248 views
May 30, 20213 min read
Graduation 2021: Love and Stories
Every year, I complete the final assignment that I give my seniors. I ask them to talk about how it feels to graduate, what they've...
238 views
Apr 8, 20214 min read
One Year Later: Reflection
Sometimes I like to complete the essay that I assign my students. In this case, I assigned a reflection on the last year. I also wanted...
143 views
Mar 12, 20217 min read
Meaning-Making in the Secondary ELA Classroom
It’s easy to say to our students that literature should be meaningful. It’s easy to ask students … what does that line mean?
211 views
Feb 8, 20213 min read
Screencast: The New Essay?
It’s pretty typical for a teacher, or anyone for that matter, to feel like they are swimming in new tech tools. But this year, it’s...
241 views
Dec 15, 20203 min read
Politics in the Classroom: 5 Goals
Even now, an open and honest conversation about politics can quickly turn ugly. Sometimes the conversation doesn’t happen at all because ...
149 views
Dec 10, 20202 min read
The Teaching of Writing: Feedback and Revisions
Tomorrow I’ll give virtual feedback on an essay my students wrote on a poem. I usually provide feedback right before I assign the next...
409 views
Dec 7, 20202 min read
Rethinking Research
I attended the virtual NCTE conference this past Friday and it got me thinking about the research paper, or really, rethinking it. Part...
363 views
Nov 29, 20202 min read
Self-Reflection and Metacognition
At the end of each quarter, I like to give my students the opportunity to reflect on what they’ve done and what they will do next.
169 views
Nov 18, 20203 min read
Writing For and In the Present
I recently came across Several short sentences about writing, a book by Verlyn Klinkenborg that I read a few years ago. It’s a must read...
103 views
Nov 10, 20202 min read
Sketchnoting in the Digital Age
Last week, I told my students to create sketchnotes on the poems we studied in class. I didn't really specify what I was looking for, I...
246 views
Jul 30, 20207 min read
Language and Power
As an English teacher, I’m always thinking about the power of language. But recently, I’ve been thinking about language and power. How...
51 views
Jun 27, 20203 min read
How to Write or Teach the College Application Essay or Personal Narrative
I talk to my students about what I call "The 4 T's" of the college essay - topic, tone, theme, and time.
291 views
Jun 12, 20204 min read
The Class of 2020: A Time for Creativity
I’ve always known the resilience of children, but this year, as I watch, or imagine, my students graduate and go off into the world, I’ve n
73 views
May 20, 20203 min read
5 Ways to Provide Meaningful Feedback
In my first few years of teaching, I remember feeling completely consumed by grading.
277 views
Apr 2, 20203 min read
Rethinking the Structure of the Essay
Over the years, I’ve discovered that there’s a fine line in the teaching of writing between convention and creativity.
57 views
Mar 22, 20204 min read
Can the Teaching of Writing Be Fun?
The teaching of writing is at the heart and soul of any English language arts classroom. We need to show each student how to weave an organi
43 views
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