The first group of students I used literature circles with was the class of 2005. They were tenth graders at the time. (And don’t tell my current classes, but this group of students is one of my favorites of all time.) Back then, Harvey Daniels’s notion of literature circles was
Have you ever gone to one of those restaurants where they suggest the perfect beverage pairing for the meal you are ordering? It might be the perfect white wine or the smoky bourbon, but their expert staff has found exactly the right balance of flavors. In a new series of
Have you ever had that moment when you think, “I just can’t grade another essay”? If you haven’t, you’re probably not an English teacher or maybe you’re still new (WELCOME!). For me, there are a couple of times of year that this hits: right before a big holiday break and
Imagine a classroom of high school juniors sitting in groups, completing analysis of poetic devices. They are totally engaged and they are doing all the hard stuff. They are working at stations of their own designs. And they are using picture books. Yep. It was a beautiful day. Since that
Literary juxtaposition or contrast in literature is one of those concepts that is sometimes hard for high school students to grasp, but once they get it, it’s a game changer. Just the use of the word juxtaposition in a literary argument essay seems to take it next level. So how
High school students LOVE gothic in literature. There is just something about the darkness of the setting, characters and plot that high school students fall for, every time. So here is a list of eleven gothic stories for high school English class that will be just the thing. What’s Gothic
Once students get to high school English, it is important that they not only know the full definition for characterization but that they can apply it in multiple situations. Characterization is very nuanced and the definition of characterization needs to be expanded as upper level students go into greater analysis.
Who doesn’t love poems with imagery? Amazing imagery. Stop in your tracks imagery. And what if you could pair those poems with back to school? Sounds like a win if you ask me. So here are 10 of my favorite poems with imagery for back to school season plus 10
I have talked before about the strategies for close reading first through the 5 ways to bring close reading into the classroom and second how to incorporate daily close reading, but today I want to focus on the steps for close reading in the high school classroom. Even students in
I have recently been reading a professional development book that suggests that high school English teachers are sending their students off to college unprepared for the amount, frequency and difficulty of college reading. While our students will often skate on the reading outside of class, we can spend time in
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