We know that teaching symbolism can be tough to teach. It’s abstract. It requires critical thinking. And students don’t want to put in the effort. But what if you could pull from a universal symbol that students can recognize pretty easily: bird symbolism. And the easiest way to access this
My classroom is on the courtyard. There is a forsythia bush right outside our fire escape. Often, there are blue jays that sit in the bush. Students frequently observe them and comment. There is actually something fascinating about birds and flight. This is likely why birds are so frequently the
Teaching Shakespeare is hard. There are so many barriers created by teaching something that is over 400 years old. The language is archaic; the plots are intricate and the settings unfamiliar. The key is using the first few minutes of class to create the bridge by using bell ringer activities
Sometimes it feels like it is hard to keep teaching Shakespeare relevant. The language is hard. The plays are long. And they are over 400 years old. Yet, the stories are so captivating when you get down to it. And whether you like it or not, he is still one
Using book clubs for high school English classes is a great way to give students choice. It adds to their buy-in. I have found that using a selection of Byronic Hero books works really well in upper level courses like AP® Literature. *** This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org. If you
Symbolism is one of those things. We want our high school English students to know about it and be able to identify it, but… (There is always a but, right?) Sometimes, it is really hard. That’s why starting by teaching symbolism in poetry might just be the way to go.
As high school English teachers we often find ourselves challenged to engage our students in reading and discovery. One of the best ways I have found for this is teaching the original bad boy: the Byronic Hero. Students love exploring this character because they are familiar with this brooding character
As high school English teachers, it is our job to get our students to think more deeply about the texts we read together. In fact, on the AP Literature exam, students are often tasked with writing about the complex ideas of a text. Yet, it is often difficult for students
When I went to college, back in the dark ages, I don’t think that teacher preparation programs did enough to focus on the importance of having opening and closing routines. So here is a list of exit ticket ideas to get you started. The More Things Change, the More they
As high school English teachers, I don’t think we spend enough time looking at how poets develop characters. Yet the College Board suggests its importance as it lays out the essential skills for AP Literature. In Poetry Unit 1 (Unit 2 of the year), they suggest that teachers include the
I help AP Literature and High School English teachers create engaging classrooms so that students will be prepared college and beyond.
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