Sep 07
Oedipus the King is one of the oldest works taught in high schools, and by far it is one that gets the best reactions from my students: “Ugh! Why are we reading about this?!” If you do choose to (or are forced to) read about poor Oedipus, here are a few things that may help …
Aug 30
Saturday Night Live is loaded with examples of satire set to current events. Most sketches, however, are not appropriate for the classroom. Here is a list of three that are completely clean and on a level most high school students can understand. 1. Totino’s Super Bowl Ad Click here to watch it. Vanessa Bayer plays …
Aug 04
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, is a text frequently read in middle school about a 16-year-old boy on trial and facing a life sentence. Because it has a Lexile score of 670L, students at the middle school level can read the text. This actually makes it perfect for my special education students (and sometimes standard …
Jul 11
As a teacher, I see and hear a lot about students who are affected by online bullying and social media shaming. The students are both victims and perpetrators depending on the day. But how can teachers help break this vicious cycle? Starting the Conversation I wish I had the time and resources to pull a …
Jun 18
*UPDATE: A new interview between Winona Ryder and Tavi Gevinson (Mary Warren in the Broadway revival) added to the section on The Crucible! American literature loves a good female villain. A woman who is too sexual, jealous, emotional, or ignorant. But isn’t there more to this stereotypical female villain? As an extension to the classics we …
Jun 11
*The list keeps growing – there are six now! Ted Talks are increasingly popular with educators for use with the faculty as well as the students. However, it can be tricky to find just the right talk for the occasion since there are so many available. There’s also the problem of occasional profanity or inappropriate …
Apr 10
I love breaking up the monotony of a lesson with a quick video, visual, or audio example of whatever it is we’re doing in class. One of my go-tos is Disney since I have a three-year-old son. But do not let these too-cool-for-school high school students fool you; they love the these classic movie clips. …
