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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- Mar 24
- 3 min
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 ...
195
- Feb 23
- 3 min
5 Ways to Introduce a Novel
Some books, maybe most, don’t require much introduction. Novels, to some extent, exist in their own world.
174
- Dec 21, 2022
- 3 min
Man vs. Machine: AI and ELA
AI is all the buzz lately. No need to teach writing anymore, a computer can do it...
376
- 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 ...
163
- 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 ...
928
- Oct 5, 2022
- 3 min
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 ...
549
- Sep 27, 2022
- 3 min
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...
361
- 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...
332
- 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
453
- Jun 1, 2022
- 2 min
The Creative Classroom
I start the school year talking about how language is all around us.
367
- Apr 6, 2022
- 2 min
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 ...
544
- Mar 25, 2022
- 4 min
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 ...
259
- Dec 17, 2021
- 2 min
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....
179
- Nov 26, 2021
- 3 min
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 ...
244
- 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...
214
- Jul 11, 2021
- 3 min
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 ...
221
- May 30, 2021
- 3 min
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...
235
- 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...
142
- Mar 12, 2021
- 7 min
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?
198
- Feb 8, 2021
- 3 min
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...
226
- 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
- Dec 15, 2020
- 4 min
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 ...
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