by Kristin | Jan 1, 2025 | Back To School, Poetry, Writing
At the start of the New Year, making resolutions can be a fun way to develop critical thinking skills and teach life skills, both of which are important, especially in middle and high school. The start of January is a fantastic time as students are acclimating to a...
by Kristin | Dec 25, 2024 | Poetry, Reading Comprehension, Test Prep, Writing
When we get back to school after a two-week break, it can be practically impossible to start something big, whether that is a unit, a project, or a book study. Instead, you might want to begin the new year by gently guiding your students back into the swing of things....
by Kristin | Dec 21, 2024 | Poetry, Reading Comprehension, Writing
As you know, I am a huge fan of killing many birds with a single stone, metaphorically at least. I try to integrate several skills and texts into every single activity I teach. That’s why I start off the year with a New Years Poem after Winter Break. It is tough...
by Kristin | Aug 20, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Teaching the Standards, Writing
I will never completely understand why it is considered so “bad” or “lazy” to teach movies in the classroom. As a society, we watch movies ALL of the time. In fact, there are few days I don’t see at least some sort of movie clip, usually...
by Kristin | Aug 13, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Rhetorical Analysis, Writing
Like many lovers of British Literature, I fell in love with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in high school! Who doesn’t love the tangled conflict between Darcy and Elizabeth? Who doesn’t enjoy the descriptions of the manners, beauty, and simplicity...
by Kristin | Jul 9, 2024 | Reading Comprehension, Writing
I have been learning a lot about teaching reading lately, particularly from Natalie Wexler’s The Knowledge Gap. As I finish this fantastic read, I am continually thinking about ways to include real and relevant texts like historical sources, nonfiction narrative...
