When it came time for me to write a personal narrative essay for my college applications, I instinctively went to a five paragraph essay format. Naturally, this is the format (or a variation of it) I learned in my English classes in high school, and I was good at it. However, something felt ...
Blog
4 Ways To Engage High School Students When Teaching Beowulf
Over the years, I’ve come to realize just how much I love wonder tales. And, apparently, I’m not alone. Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Bridgerton are just a few of the many famous book series turned television series that are/were wildly popular. So, when it came time to teach a unit on Beowulf to ...
5 Reasons Keeping the Wonder Is an Important Teacher Mission
Last week, my co-authors, Ashley Bible, Abby Gross, Staci Lamb, and I were invited as guests on the Brave New Teaching podcast with our friends, Marie Morris and Amanda Cardenas to talk about our bestselling book, Keeping the Wonder: An Educator’s Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful ...
A Full Year’s Worth of ELA Ideas for Every Classroom
Last week, I wrote about how one of my greatest passions is collaborating and learning with other educators. It is truly the best way to discover new ideas, experiment in my own classroom, and adjust to make it just right for my students. Last year, I had the opportunity to collaborate with ...
How to Quickly and Easily Teach the Difference Between MLA, APA, and Chicago
It’s really easy to see how students can become frustrated and confused with the different documentation styles. I, for one, had such a love for MLA from my undergraduate degree (English Literature) that I tried to ask my professor if I could use MLA instead of APA once I got to graduate school. (He ...
Should I teach MLA, APA, or Chicago? Your Guide to Documentation Styles
Ah! The age old English-teacher dilemma! Should I teach MLA, APA, Chicago, or something else? For most teachers, you’ll probably settle on the style that you’re most familiar with from your college experience. Still, this might mean that students will be learning one style in your classroom and a ...
