Sometimes fighting back feels like opening the pages of a book. Bridging the political divide sounds like civil classroom discussions. And practicing your civic duty looks like teaching Animal Farm by George Orwell. These Animal Farm lesson plans are designed to help you get to the heart of Animal Farm while making your efforts mean something. With your guidance, students will dig deep into Animal ... Read More about Animal Farm Lesson Plans: Teaching Orwell Like It’s Your Civic Duty
A Christmas Carol Teaching Ideas: Activities for a Festive Novel Study
I don’t remember the first time I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens because it somehow feels like I’ve always known Scrooge. However, I vividly remember the first time I tried to teach it. I’m dating myself, but we’d just received a classroom set of Nooks and one of the pre-loaded books was A Christmas Carol. I jumped at the chance to coast through December with a fun and “easy” book, ha! ... Read More about A Christmas Carol Teaching Ideas: Activities for a Festive Novel Study
Teaching Mars Patel: Podcast Worksheets, Activities, & Discussion Questions
ELA teachers know that visualization is a key component of reading comprehension. And nothing works those visualization muscles quite like a podcast like The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. The sound effects, voice actors, and music really bring this story to life and hook students from episode one! If you are ready to take off, here are some Mars Patel podcast worksheets, activities, ... Read More about Teaching Mars Patel: Podcast Worksheets, Activities, & Discussion Questions
Color Symbolism: The Masque of the Red Death Activities
There are very few short stories where English teachers get to go all out on their love of color symbolism, but “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe provides the perfect excuse to do so! Poe supplies the colors in this spooky short story, but it’s up to his readers to decipher their meaning. Every hue tells a story in this haunting tale, so get ready to go absolutely wild with these ... Read More about Color Symbolism: The Masque of the Red Death Activities
Teaching American Literature: Course Outline, Introduction, & Lesson Plans
If you have been tasked with teaching 11th grade American literature, you are either a baddie entrusted to do the course justice or you’ve ticked someone off in the scheduling department. I jest, but the American literature curriculum is challenging in more ways than one. First, the American literature canon itself is full of some of the most rigorous texts your students will ever read. And on top ... Read More about Teaching American Literature: Course Outline, Introduction, & Lesson Plans
5 Essential ELA School Supplies Backed By Science
I’ve never met a school supply I didn’t love. Pre-sharpened pencils, all the heart eyes. A fresh box of crayons, let me sniff. Crisp new notebooks, gimme. My bank account starts to panic when I walk down a back to school aisle, but the truth is, you only need a few select ELA school supplies to enhance learning in your English class. Here are 5 essential ELA school supplies backed by ... Read More about 5 Essential ELA School Supplies Backed By Science
