I’m an English baby, of course. But few who don’t know me personally would guess that I’m married to an accountant. He hated English classes in high school, scoffing at students who could validate an interpretation and still be called “right.” (Which is funny, because that is one of the reasons I ...
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Five Action-Based Things I Learned from the 2023 NCTE Conference
Let’s get this out of the way first—yes, I was there was Tom Hanks spoke. Yes, it was as good, nay, better, than everyone says. But that’s now what I’m here to talk about.Aside from the attention and consideration of Tom Hanks, the 2023 NCTE Conference was filled with many teacher-led sessions. I ...
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Creating Rubrics That Inform Students and Save You Time
I recently led a professional development session for my colleagues on a workshop day. In it, we compared rubrics for different types of assignments. It ended up being quite informative, so I’ve synthesized the information into this blog post.Comparing rubric typesAs we all know, not all rubrics are ...
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My 7 Favorite Short Stories For 9-10 Grades
I recently finished work on my Short Story Unit for 9-10 grade ELA. Rather than pick stories and pair skills with each, I decided to pick skills and allow YOU to pick a story for each. As I created the unit, I noticed a trend as I was making short story recommendations. There were some that seemed ...
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Strategies to Help Your Students Prepare For On-demand Writing
Our quarter ends next week, which means my AP Lit students have to write a timed writing on their independent reading. Although we’ve done some practice essays and lots of paragraphs, this will be their first summative, on-demand essay. And, I’ll be honest, they’re anxious.To help them feel ...
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A Free Poem Lesson: “ Zz Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins
Every once in a while, you teach a text and everything is perfect. It’s the perfect blend of the text, the class make-up, and the lesson. This week, I had that moment with Billy Collins’ “Introduction Poetry,” so I wanted to share it with you!For context, my school is on a modified block schedule. ...
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