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…
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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.
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.”
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.”
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, […]
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 […]
I am excited to announce that I have recorded enough voice-overs for the Adapted Literature books to start an Enraged2Engaged YouTube channel! I feel extremely fortunate to have friends and co-workers to add their uniqne voices for these modified texts. It is always gratifying to work with a team and bring new materials into the […]
