One of the great ironies in life is that teachers have lots of time to travel but limited funds to do so. But as you’ll see in this post, when you start using flexibility as your currency, a whole new world opens up for more teacher travel (literally). This post contains affiliate links; I may earn a commission if you apply through these links. I recently booked a business class seat ... Read More about Teacher Travel: Flexibility is your Currency
Teaching “The Battle with Mr. Covey” by Frederick Douglass
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? ... Read More about Teaching “The Battle with Mr. Covey” by Frederick Douglass
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 ... 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 ... 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 ... Read More about The Outsiders Lesson Plans: Activities, Themes, & Ideas
Teaching Critical Lenses: Fun Ways to Apply Lenses in Literature
I feel that it is essential for every English literature student–whether that be AP, honors, regular, or support level– to have the ability to read a single text through different critical lenses. This skill teaches students how to have an open mindset and view the world through multiple perspectives. And isn't that one of the fundamental purposes of reading? Plus, literature lenses ... Read More about Teaching Critical Lenses: Fun Ways to Apply Lenses in Literature
