For a few years now, a debate has been simmering in my department about the college application essay: what’s our role? Some of my colleagues think we have an obligation to help the students with this very important piece of writing, and they’re not alone. Many of the school districts around us require all juniors […]
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 […]
Creating maps allows students to turn their prewriting into a visual representation of their ideas.
Before reading this post, you might want to catch up with my grand grading experiment this year in my first post and second post in this series! I cried at graduation this year. No, that’s not right. I sobbed at graduation this year. Something that has never happened to me in the previous 10 graduations […]
Students have a story to tell. So why not let them tell it as a way in to literature — to walk an idea around to see how far it will go and where else it might lead them.
We owe a lot to Tom Newkirk. Actually, we owe almost everything to Tom Newkirk. This brilliant man has been a leader in our fields for decades, but one cold morning in Boston 2 1/2 years ago he spoke directly to Allison and me through a crowded room. And everything changed. We talk about this […]
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 […]
One of my favorites things about the end of the school year—aside from summer vacation, of course—is the opportunity to reflect on another year gone by. And as I look back on this particular year, I see many bumps in the road: lessons gone awry, students I didn’t quite reach, and material I didn’t get […]
8th grade writers and Honors artists collaborate in a study of children’s literature!
Mentor Text: An Open Letter to the Person Who Stole My iPod: Please Let Me Explain My Music Collection by Dan Ozzi (Be aware, contains some cussin’!) Writing Techniques: Reflective Writing Humour Writing about music Background: In Canada, this past weekend was a long weekend. I did my best to shut off the TeacherBrain and […]
