Abstract The author shares an example from her own teaching experience (with a student population of primarily African-American and Latinx youth) that illustrates that the lyrics and video for Beyoncé’s Formation can be used to teach thesis statements. This lesson was successful because (a) the lyrics paired with the video created depth of meaning, and … Continue reading The Formation of Thesis Statements: Beyoncé in the Secondary English Language Arts Classroom by Summer Melody Pennell
Poetry Selections from Joshua Feliciano
More Than Just Words Poetry is like a song written on paper It doesn’t always have to rhyme It doesn’t always need time You could make a poem in poetry about everything It could take seconds and it can take hours But poetry is like a way of expression You can always use it when … Continue reading Poetry Selections from Joshua Feliciano
Selections by Richard Terrill
Click the link below: DICK TERRILL POETRY AND PROSE
Daylight Savings Time Vocabulary in Context by Bill St. Martin
Daylight Savings Time Vocabulary in Context Bill St. Martin Irondale High School Focus Composition Name ______________________________ Vocabulary In Context Building your Personal Thesaurus Hour _____________ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/daylight-saving-time-is-terrible-heres-a-simple-plan-to-fix-it/281075/ Column ATarget Word Column BBased on the context, what do you THINK it means? What does it sound like/look like? What parts of the word are familiar? Column CLook … Continue reading Daylight Savings Time Vocabulary in Context by Bill St. Martin
Two Truths and a Tall Tale: An Ice-Breaker Activity by Michael MacBride
Exposing Yourself to Students: You are a Source! I like to start the semester with a popular ice-breaker activity—two truths and a tall tale. During my first TA orientation, the TA director (Randall McClure) used this activity to get us talking. From that activity I learned that Dr. McClure had in fact been involved in … Continue reading Two Truths and a Tall Tale: An Ice-Breaker Activity by Michael MacBride
Analyzing Poetry and Songs by Scott Hall
Find a song that has been recorded by several artists (at least 4) over the past 30-60 years (or re-recorded/re-mixed in a new style by the same artist). Listen to each version of the song and take notes about the style. Style includes sounds, vocal delivery, pacing, beat, structure, and lyrics. YouTube is a good … Continue reading Analyzing Poetry and Songs by Scott Hall
The Women of Beowulf and Student Responses by Kathryn Campbell
If you’ve ever taught an early British Literature text, you know that strong, multidimensional female characters are hard to come by. Take Beowulf, for example: women are only named after they become wives, with the exception of one monster mother, who is depicted as a vengeful threat who must be vanquished after her son Grendel’s … Continue reading The Women of Beowulf and Student Responses by Kathryn Campbell
4 Poems by Richard Robbins
St. Francis and the Birds —a painting by Stanley Spencer The parade will go no further than the wall, where the gardener shields her eyes, the ducks, hens, and geese scuttle toward his frock, each dove and jay leaning forward on the low tiled roof to watch the boy lead each one, saint and bird, … Continue reading 4 Poems by Richard Robbins
Comics, Dickens, and Teaching by Serial Publication by Michael MacBride
Teaching the "huge" text s-l-o-w-l-y: taking your time with Dickens and Comic Books How do you teach a 500- or 900-page Dickens’ novel—heaven forbid a 1,500-page Richardson novel? (1) How do you teach a comic book, like Detective Comics, that has been running since 1937, or a comic strip, like Katzenjammer Kids, that's been around … Continue reading Comics, Dickens, and Teaching by Serial Publication by Michael MacBride
The iPad Invasion by Cassandra Scharber
"What I hope for you ... [is] that you think of technology as a verb, not a noun; that poetry drives you, not hardware." - Red Burns Setting the Scene In January 2010, the iPad was born and its birth instantaneously ignited a craze within K12 schools around the county. The iPad’s invasion of Minnesota’s … Continue reading The iPad Invasion by Cassandra Scharber
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