DAMN these kids are LITERAL. Like, I could leave them a trail of breadcrumbs and they’d eat the bread off the floor and still not find their way home. Not exaggerating. They can’t make an inference to save their lives.
Author Archives: sara
Animal Farm Is Still Relevant (Sigh).
The students who MOST NEED to read and understand the message of Animal Farm are also the same students most likely to struggle to read it…
Alphabet Posters…for Teenagers?!?
If you’ve got struggling (or emergent ELs) middle school or high school readers, you need an alphabet chart in your classroom. BUT…no teenager wants to see your lame, teddy bear picnic alphabet posters. That would be insulting. Still, they DO need it… Here’s your age-appropriate solution! A 26-page, printable alphabet chart that uses brand names […]
Black Speculative Lit: Stories for Teens That “Don’t Suck”
There’s a renewed interest in the genre right now, since Octavia Butler’s Kindred was made into a series for Hulu (BTW…it’s really good). Speculative lit is a genre that gets teens thinking about the world, the consequences of actions, and the fickleness of history–one SMALL change can create a massive ripple effect.
“But I Read It On the Internet!”
I f–king hate TikTok. It’s like heroin for distractable teenagers, which messes up my instructional flow, but even worse, they believe EVERYTHING they see on there. And I mean EVERYTHING. Flat Earth? Must be true. 5G chips in vaccines? Factual. Eating a tablespoon of cinnamon? Great idea. The internet can be a blessing if you […]
That Standardized Testing Grind
Ugly truth. Standardized tests matter. I f—-ing hate them, but it’s not up to me whether or not my students take them. And I needed to help them be ready.
Don’t Kill Shakespeare!
I think they’re pleasantly surprised how many of the insults and roasts in Shakespeare still make sense today. I’ve really enjoyed hearing them refer to one another as “three inch fools” for the past month. See? Sometimes they do pay attention! “College and Career Ready.”
The Gracelessness of “Grace”
By extending limitless grace, we tell students exactly what we expect of them. Apparently, we don’t expect much; there, I said it. Ugly truth? It’s just easier to let them get away with murder and call it grace than it is to hold them accountable in ways that are effective and teachable. Maybe we just don’t have the resources, and calling it grace sounds nicer than “we’re just too tired to fight them.”
MASSIVE Summer School ELA Survival Unit!
If you’re teaching secondary ELA in summer school, I’ll bet you’ve been using a lot of colorful language as you try to figure out what on earth to do with a roomful of teenagers for five hours a day for six weeks! If you use the same materials you use during the normal school year, […]
Fahrenheit 451 Is Live, And You Can’t Burn This Version!
Easier-To-Read Fahrenheit 451 is Ready To Go! Once again, I am delighted to bring you a new title for your ELL and SPED students! Also useful, I’d like to add, for lazy kids and literal kids. Kind of a one-stop shop. The irony that I’ve created an un-burnable digital copy of a book about burning […]
