Jan 28
Fake receipts are a great way to change up your worksheets and increase engagement. I mostly use them for creative writing and comprehension assessments, but I’m sure you’ll come up with a few ideas as well. 1. Reading Comprehension Create fake receipts for various characters and have the students guess which character they belong to. …
Jan 17
If your students love Serial, wait until they hear In the Dark! Season two explores how Curtis Flowers has been tried for the same murder case six different times over a 21 year period. As the host says, it’s about “a black man from a small town in Mississippi who’s spent the past 21 years …
Dec 17
My students and I love “A Jury of Her Peers“ by Susan Glaspell. Keep reading for seven reasons you should use it in your classroom as well. ***Spoilers ahead. Read with caution*** 1. Feminist Lens Written by a woman and about women, it gives excellent insight into the social roles of men and women in …
Oct 31
Whenever my students start to get a little squirrely, I try to create a game to release some energy and to keep engagement up. Today’s game: Name That Tone! Keep reading for a step-by-step on how to create your own. Or keep scrolling for a link to my version in Google Slides. Come up with …
Jan 13
Want to try podcasts in the classroom? I can help! This post lists out my favorite podcasts along with what standards and texts to pair them with. Many teachers prefer seasonal activities so I’m going to break this up by month. However, any of these can be used at any time throughout the year. *UPDATE! …
Nov 15
Our students are more stressed and anxious than ever. They need help learning how to manage and decrease this excess of stress. Luckily, there are some engaging Ted Talks to help with that. 1. Why we choke under pressure – and how to avoid it I wish I had seen this talk when I was …
Sep 26
This year my students are coming up with their most complex characters yet, and I know it’s because of the creative prewriting activities we did. Bonus – my students really enjoyed the activities! What Inspires Authors? I start my unit by looking at what has inspired some prominent YA authors. We look at Laurie Halse …
Sep 06
For real. No cheesy music, no bad acting, and no trick endings where everyone is okay and it was all just a big misunderstanding. Seriously, your students are going to love these and they have just the right amount of horror while still being appropriate for school. Myths and Legends I can’t say enough about …
Jul 15
There are many Ted Talks about race and injustice, but here I’ll list the best talks to pair with The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Even better, there’s one perfect for the beginning, middle, and end of the novel. This way you can space them out throughout your unit. How to raise a black son in …
Apr 07
Help your students practice clear, concise, and organized writing by creating police reports. This real-world writing prompt helps keep students engaged and gives a specific focus to their writing. I often use this technique to have students summarize a character’s death or an important scene in a novel. Start with a Terrible Example I begin …
