Mentor Texts: Excerpt from Labors of the Heart by Claire Davis Writing Techniques: Word Choice Background: In Nova Scotia, where we usually spend July, there is an amazing chain of thrift stores. They usually have an interesting selection of books, which corresponds nicely with my having more time to read. This year, I really lucked […]
Mentor Text: Jesse Newton’s Facebook post about his Roomba and dog poop Writing Techniques: Anecdotal writing Descriptive writing Humour Background: I’m originally from Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. That means that there are a few things hardwired into my soul. One of these things is an appreciation for a good story. I […]
Mentor Texts: Various letters from McSweeney’s “Best Of”& website (The archive of letters on the website is huge.) Background As you may have noticed, the folks that contribute to this site have been putting together ideas dedicated to kicking the year off in your classroom. I had to decide whether I would share something related […]
Mentor Texts: An Open Letter to Taylor Swift From a Disillusioned Fan by Ashley Devine An Open Letter to a Canadian Boy by Sher Maryn LeBay An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton’s Haters by David Hershkovits An Open Letter from Chris Sale’s Jersey to Chris Sale by Joe Schiller Open Letter website Writing Techniques: The […]
Mentor Texts: How Batman Made Me Fall In Love With Comic Books by Neil Gaiman Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie Writing Techniques: Writing About Literature Memoir Background: It’s the last week of school. Report cards and marks were submitted this morning. I have a couple of days to return my classroom to something I […]
Mentor Texts: Mama’s Eyes by Justin Townes Earle Lyrics Audio (via YouTube) Chris Carrabba’s cover (via YouTube) Writing Techniques: Writing Memoir Writing Poetry Background: This is a mentor text that I’ve been sitting on for a long time. Justin Townes Earle is the son of legendary singer-songwriter Steve Earle, and a fine songwriter […]
Mentor Texts: Sometimes, The Earth is Cruel by Leonard Pitts Jr. Patton Oswalt’s Facebook response to the Boston Marathon Bombing Take Time To Heal – A Gay Educator Looks At Orlando by Jess Lifshitz Finding Love In Our Anger – A Straight Educator Looks at Orlando by Doug Robertson I Still Love America by Devin […]
Mentor Texts: Batman: Evolving the Legend by Kristian Williams (@kaptainkristian) (Any of the videos on his YouTube channel are awesome!) Writing Techniques: Presentation Analytical or Critical Writing Pop Culture Writing Curation of material to augment presentation Background: You’ve already reacted with a sigh or a fist pump. Another geeky one. This is another one […]
Mentor Texts: Fandom is Broken by Devin Faraci Ghostbusters, Frozen, and the strange entitlement of fan culture by Jesse Hassenger Yes, Disney Should Have A Queer Princess by Devin Faraci Fandom isn’t ‘broken’—it’s just not only for white dudes anymore by Charles Pulliam-Moore Writing Techniques: Informative or Explanatory Writing Writing Opinion Connecting texts Responding to […]
Mentor Text: CIVIL WAR, SPIDER-MAN 2, And The Dangers Of Assumed Empathy by FILM CRIT HULK Writing Techniques: Critical Writing Literary Analysis Voice & persona Background: I grew up a fan of comic books and science fiction. So, obviously, I’m in a great era for entertainment right now. As an English teacher, I bring the […]
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