Last spring, my 8th grade students were involved in Literature Circles where they read one of six Young Adult Historical Fiction selections. The Literature Circles took about five weeks to complete. Previously, I wrote a series of articles that cover procedures, mini-lessons, and assignments and assessments. One of the major areas I worked on with my […]
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Using Literature For Relevancy
Many English classrooms have gotten away from using classic literature, opting for more current material, which seems to ring truer across our youth. Although current material is important to teach, it’s amazing to see the relevance that classic literature parallels with today’s world. Material like The Picture of Dorian Gray is a perfect example. We […]
Disconnected Audiences: 2015 Oscars and English Classroom Literature
The Hollywood Academy released the 2015 nominations this past week, and their choices for best picture, best actor, and best director lit a firestorm on social media about the lack of diversity in their choices. Some of the heated discussions called into question the make-up of the Academy, which according to a  2014 Los Angeles Times article is: 93 percent […]
Maus: The Text For Such a Time as This
I read Maus for the first time nearly 20 years ago. It was required reading for my adolescent literature class, one of the many English classes I took for my undergraduate education program. My professor hoped that we would value using a graphic novel in the English classroom. So I flew through Volume 1 and […]
Fire the Canon: Curriculum is the Vehicle, Not the Destination
Fire the Canon: Curriculum is the Vehicle, Not the Destination It feels like every year around this time, the English department has a serious discussion about the curriculum. We start with valid PLC questions about key skills and standards at each grade level, but quickly devolve into how we taught specific canonical books and the […]
YA Books for Mental Health Awareness
October is Mental Illness Awareness Month. October also happens to be National Bully Prevention Month with the 11th being National Depression Screening Day. (World Suicide Prevention Day was September 10) To honor this, my Classroom Library display and all my book talks for the month focus on mental illness, wellness, ways the brain […]
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Book Talks
Over the past five years, I have built my classroom library from just 104 books to over 1100 high-interest young adult literature spanning from realistic fiction to nonfiction to fantasy & sci-fi to historical fiction. While I routinely do Book Talks each week–among other things–to get kids interested and engaged with my classroom library, I […]
The Off-Duty Teacher: What I Do to Feel Relaxed and Refreshed
It’s Monday afternoon, you’ve just spent the last 9+ hours on your feet teaching 130 students. You’ve barely had time for lunch and now two hours after dismissal, you’re ready to go home. However, you find that it’s hard to program your time at home because you’re still processing the events of the school day. […]