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 ...
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- Feb 16
- 2 min
Short Story Adaptations
Creating a short film used to be a long and difficult process, so I gave up on it. But then it became much easier to shoot and edit video.
189
- Dec 6, 2022
- 2 min
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 ...
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- Oct 17, 2022
- 4 min
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 ...
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- Sep 15, 2022
- 2 min
How to Teach Literary Techniques
Literary techniques make literature, literature. Without them, we’d be left with words and facts...
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- Aug 12, 2022
- 2 min
5 Poems to Start the Year
I love to start the year with a month of poetry. The unit gives students the time to read the first novel independently and it functions ..
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- Jun 16, 2022
- 2 min
Free Literacy Blocks
I’ve been thinking a lot about all the challenges of this past year, but also trying to learn from it. I tried book clubs for the first time
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- Jun 1, 2022
- 2 min
The Creative Classroom
I start the school year talking about how language is all around us.
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- Jan 24, 2022
- 4 min
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 ...
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- Sep 16, 2021
- 2 min
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...
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- Aug 17, 2021
- 3 min
5 Ways to Have a Drama-Filled Classroom
No, not that kind of drama. Performance. Few people know how to act, but everyone knows what a good performance looks like. The words...
185
- Apr 8, 2021
- 4 min
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...
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- Mar 29, 2021
- 2 min
The Magic of Storytelling: Real and Fictional
I recently listened to the podcast “The Story of Your Life” on Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam. I felt like I was listening to ...
211
- Feb 19, 2021
- 3 min
Magical Realism: Interpretation and Creation
Magical realism goes beyond the place that a metaphor takes us. It goes beyond the realm of comparison.
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- Dec 23, 2020
- 6 min
10 Creative Projects for Remote Learning
My colleagues and I recently had a conversation about the rest of the year and what we could do to keep our students engaged....
212
- Jun 27, 2020
- 3 min
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.
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- Jan 30, 2020
- 3 min
Demonstrating Understanding with Creativity
There’s something amazing that happens in a class when you ask students to write creatively.
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