There are some texts that teachers absolutely insist on teaching. With AP Lit, I have to teach Frankenstein or Beloved. In World Lit, it's Cyrano de Bergerac. And with my sophomores, it's Fahrenheit 451. I think there are several reasons that I love the novel. First, I read it when I was a sophomore ...
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On This Day in ELA: A Year of Literary Events
Back in 2019, I got the ambitious idea to research and identify a literary-related event for every day of the year. I published each under a now-defunct Instagram account and listed them on my old website. I even created posters for classroom use that had each daily event on it. Not long after ...
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How to try a silent discussion
In my last blog post, I mentioned that my AP Lit students’ first discussion on a short story revealed the need for more processing time and introspection. I have a lot of verbal processors who resist think-pair-share style lessons. I’d heard about silent discussion techniques but had never tried ...
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How to Plan an AP Lit Lesson in 5 Minutes
Today was the last AP Lit lesson of our third week of school. My AP Lit kids are capable and hard-working, midway through their study of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I was scrolling through my prepared notes on HTRLLAP, only minutes before my lesson, when I realized something.I just ...
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Bellringers: The unsung hero of the ELA classroom
One of the most universal problems facing English teachers is how to fit it all in. What is “it?” Well, “it” could include:VocabularyGrammarTesting strategiesWriting lessonsResearch unitsSELLiterary termsFormative assessmentsSummative assessmentsWriting workshopsAnd heaven forbid, time for fun ...
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Creative and Low-Prep Ways to Improve Independent Reading
You’ve gathered the books. You’ve cultivated a classroom library. You have even created a cozy book nook for your students! And still, when you start independent reading…students resist.This is a classic problem in ELA classrooms, especially as each year the world grows more digital. Every year I ...
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