Teaching classic American literature becomes a lot more engaging when you find an angle that makes it relative to modern high schoolers. When I was researching teaching Frederick Douglass, the perfect way to frame my lesson plan came into focus. Did you know that Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man in the 19th century? Do you know who else breaks records for selfies? Teenagers! Frederick Douglass believed that his image could be just as powerful as his voice. That connection between identity and storytelling is something students instinctively understand, even if they have never thought about it in those terms. Using this photography angle, here are three ways ... Read More about Teaching “The Battle with Mr. Covey” by Frederick Douglass
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Unhinged Things I’ve Done to Travel as a Teacher
When I was growing up, I thought my teachers were rich because they got to travel. They would spend their summers going to national parks, the beach, or even to other countries. As a little girl whose family vacations usually looked like a day trip to Dollywood, their travels sparked some serious wanderlust in me. Don’t get me wrong– Dolly Parton is my hero and my parents made my childhood so magical, but the dreamer in me couldn’t wait to travel farther from home like my teachers one day! And while my first teacher’s paycheck was more money than I had ever seen in my life, I soon realized that maybe my teachers weren’t as rich as I thought they were. Sure, my travel budget went ... Read More about Unhinged Things I’ve Done to Travel as a Teacher
Macbeth Unit Plan: Lesson Plans, Activities, and Ideas for the Play
Macbeth is (bloody) hands-down my favorite Shakespeare play to teach. I love all things witchy plus my Ancestry DNA results reveal I’m 25% Scottish, so this drama tracks. Once high schoolers get over the challenging language, Macbeth can be a lot of fun for students too because it lends itself well to creative activities. Teaching Macbeth allows students to dig into universal themes such as ambition, power, and morality while helping them tap into their creativity through interactive notes, reenactments, and group activities. With a solid Macbeth unit plan, you’ll be able to break the boredom curse and help students appreciate Shakespeare's tragic tale. So with ... Read More about Macbeth Unit Plan: Lesson Plans, Activities, and Ideas for the Play
The Outsiders Lesson Plans: Activities, Themes, & Ideas
How many times in your career will you get the chance to teach a book to teens written by a teen? The raw and rare voice of 16-year-old S.E. Hinton is pure coming-of-age magic that makes The Outsiders so iconic. Unfortunately for me, I botched my chance many years ago. As a brand new ELA teacher with no team nor TpT (it didn’t exist yet), I found myself absolutely SCRAMBLING to piece together some sort of Outsiders lesson plans on the fly with zero resources or help. So, I created the Outsiders unit plan I wish I had back then. A unit that is intentional, meaningful, and FUN. A unit that would give me some breathing room in my lesson planning and make me quit questioning ... Read More about The Outsiders Lesson Plans: Activities, Themes, & Ideas
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