I’ve written several blog posts about the importance of independent reading in the ELA classroom. This week, I rolled it out with both my Honors and AP Lit students in different ways. Here is a rundown of different ways you can roll out independent reading with your high school students, regardless ...
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Creating a Classroom for Focus and Creativity
I recently put the finishing touches on my classroom and shared some images on Instagram. One teacher gave me one of my greatest compliments after viewing the pictures, saying, "I want to learn here."
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Cultivating Student Curiosity in the High School Classroom
In a recent conversation with educators, we were comparing our collective class attitudes from year to year. Some years I have classes filled with complacent bodies not interested in learning. Other years I have eager and curious students, coming to class ready to ask questions, not just to earn a ...
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18 Contemporary Titles to Upgrade your Classroom Library
I’m writing this at the end of July, which means summer is drawing rapidly to an end. It also means it’s time to start planning for the upcoming school year. The 23-24 school year has me teaching AP English Literature for the 17th year (!!!) in a row. While I don’t change up my whole class texts ...
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A Fun Slang-based ELA Final That Actually Works
I am SO excited to share my latest lesson with you. I used it for my sophomores in English 10 as their final project, but it’s a great assignment any time of the year. They playfully referred to it as Slang for Old Folks or Slang for Boomers. And, despite the fact that no boomers were actually ...
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Using Apples to Apples for Your Exam Review
In my attempts to find a fun way to review for the AP Lit exam I saw someone post about playing Apples to Apples. I didn’t see exactly how they used it, but I tried it with my students this past week and it was easy and fun! So here’s what I did if you’d like to squeeze it in the days before the ...
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