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Practical, self-paced professional development and college credit
for secondary ELA and general education teachers
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2 days ago2 min read
Stories About Modern Media
If we are being honest, most students interact more with modern media than with literature.
54 views

Jan 312 min read
How to Use Freud and Psychoanalysis to Teach Literature
Freud had a lot of wild theories, but a simple understanding of the short essay “The Structure of the Unconscious” can help students easily
61 views

Dec 4, 20243 min read
A Spatial Approach to Literary Analysis: 6 Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers help students that think logically like scientists and mathematicians.
198 views

Nov 18, 20243 min read
How to Teach Shakespeare
Students find Shakespeare challenging for several reasons. It is possible to help students peel back the layers of complexity, but it’s...
219 views

Oct 19, 20243 min read
Reading Blocks for Secondary ELA
I recently encountered an article in the Atlantic titled “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” It scared me a little ...
125 views

Sep 27, 20242 min read
Kids, Phones, and Class Participation
At the beginning of every school year, I quickly talk about grades. Since writing counts weighs the most, the class participation grade is
121 views

Aug 23, 20244 min read
The Best Contemporary Novels to Teach in High School
I have a love for most the literature I read in high school and college. I’m sure you’re familiar with the writers ...
506 views

Aug 1, 20244 min read
How to Decorate and Organize a Classroom
It can be hard to decorate a classroom if you have to share space with a few other teachers or pay out of pocket for supplies.
226 views

Jul 22, 20242 min read
3 Types of Interviews and Conversations in ELA
One of the most rewarding things about being a teacher is watching my students continue the conversation as they leave the classroom.
174 views

Jul 18, 20242 min read
Meaning-Making in ELA: 3 Ways to Get Students Invested
A classroom can be two places at the same time: a place to work hard and learn valuable skills and a place to have fun and make meaning from
218 views

May 10, 20242 min read
Teaching the Podcast Serial, Season 1, Episode 1 with Sarah Koenig
I’m always surprised when my students give their full attention to an hour-long podcast. What keeps kids locked into Serial is not ...
268 views

May 3, 20242 min read
How to Teach or Assign a Podcast
Podcasts promote a very simple, yet important life skill: listening. They also help students understand tone, the emotion behind the ...
149 views

Apr 19, 20242 min read
Close Reading Passages in Novels
There’s nothing like close reading. A bunch of colorful annotations on a poem is a beautiful thing. Close reading is a valuable skill and
228 views

Feb 29, 20243 min read
6 Engaging Activities to Analyze a Novel in ELA
Every day I think about how to keep students engaged when studying novels. Students will lose interest if they do the same thing every...
393 views

Feb 9, 20243 min read
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 ...
348 views

Jan 23, 20243 min read
Media and Genre-Based Units
Schools and teachers usually organize ELA curriculum by novel, theme, or genre, or some combination of those three.
278 views

Jan 10, 20242 min read
Creating Relevance in a Modern Classroom
Sometimes I find myself trying to think of ways to create connections between literature and the real world.
216 views

Dec 21, 20233 min read
5 Fun Ways Students Find Quotes
Teaching students the value of using quotes in an essay is more important now than ever ...
351 views

Dec 12, 20232 min read
Meaningful Project-Based Learning for High School English: 5 Objectives
I recently opened enrollment for a new online course, Meaningful Project-Based Learning for High School English. Enrollment closes Friday
389 views


Nov 29, 20232 min read
5 Ways to Handle the ELA Workload
There’s no doubt that English teachers have to manage a ton of work. Students have to practice writing frequently and gather as many quotes
356 views

Nov 17, 20232 min read
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.
188 views

Nov 1, 20233 min read
10 Whole Class Discussion Strategies
With every passing year, it seems harder and harder to get students interested in whole class discussions. But there are creative ways ...
389 views

Oct 17, 20232 min read
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 ...
491 views

Sep 12, 20233 min read
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 ...
200 views
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