2019… We Follow by Sheryl Lain 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 I rode with Dad in our old Ford pickup, through a spring blizzard. Thick white snow blinded us. I was safe and warm inside Dad’s competence as he drove to…
2019… From Café to Class: Bringing Book Clubs Into Your Classroom by Hayley Vetsch 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 It’s easy to discuss books if you like to read. Hobby reading comes easily to most of us English teachers, but I’d wager that it is one of the hardest…
2019… The Sustainability of the Empathetic Teacher by Shaina Lane 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 At 6:30 on a snowy Monday morning, I click my key into the lock of the school office to start my day. There is never anyone there before me, which I…
2019… Opposites Attract: Binary Opposites in Alice Sebold’s Lucky by Tanya Stafsholt Miller 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 The cover of Alice Sebold’s memoir reads, “In the tunnel where I was raped, a girl had been murdered and dismembered. I was told this story by the police. In…
2019… Write Anything: How STEM Connects to the Writing Curriculum by Amber Beattie 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 I must begin with a confession: I am an English person. Truly, there is little that I love more in life than a new book or fresh sheet of stationery.…
2019… Owning Their Stories: Teaching Memoir at an Alternative High School by Amy Vizenor 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 On a sunny afternoon in May, I sat in the parking lot of Midwestern Alternative (pseudonym), a high school for “at-risk” students where I was interviewing for an English teaching…
2019… Educating with Little Tree: Reshaping The Education of Little Tree’s Cultural and Pedagogical Value in English Classrooms by Chris Drew 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 At a recent conference session on literary diversity in classrooms, I and other attendees were encouraged to pass around a selection of books, examine them, and discuss their possible classroom…
2019… Internalizing the Message by Kay J. Walter 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 I had a few extra minutes that day when I entered the classroom in which I was teaching composition to second-semester freshmen at my university. I teach at the University…
2019… The Same School Year: Narratives of Early- and Middle-Career Teachers in a U.S. Public School by Lisa M. Dembouski & Kari Eloranta 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 At the Start of the Year Kari: I thought I was ready. Student teaching had been everything I’d dreamed it would be. I’d spent countless hours studying, training, and volunteering…
2019… Minding the Body: Towards a Pedagogy of Enactment by Catherine Fox 26 Apr 201915 Sep 2019 Although unable to theorize it at the time, I dropped out of college when I was nineteen because the disconnect had become intolerable. To be a disembodied mind, taking in…
2018… #StayWoke: Empowering Students to Respond to Fake News by Mariah Morin & Heather Hurst 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 As my (Mariah's) own social media feeds were flooded with fake news and articles about fake news, my thoughts turned to students who must also be grappling with the tricky…
2018… Centering LGBTQ People of Color with Young Adult Literature in Secondary ELA by Cody Miller & Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 As English language arts teachers, we believe young adult literature offers an avenue for voices and experiences that are largely ignored by canonical texts. LGBTQ voices are among those omitted…
2018… Centering Students’ Voices in a Public Speaking Genre Study by Burke Scarbrough 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 Today’s students have access to stirring, powerful text in an ever widening array of forms. As we invite our students to discover the power of the carefully crafted written word,…
2018… Public Grammar: Creating Community by Larry Gavin 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 There are five things most educators can agree on. First, most educators value student questions as a measure of student engagement in the classroom. Actually, questions are frequently the most…
2018… Seriously, What’s the Difference? by Jeanette Lukowski 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 It all began with an article from The New York Times titled “The Community College / ‘Real College’ Divide.” The article was part of an assessment tool being used by the…
2018… A Few Confessions of an English Teacher by Alexandra Glynn 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 Preparing for classes rouses up the guilt again. I teach writing, but I don’t do what I tell my students to do. I plagiarize, in a sense, all the time.…
2018… Listening to the Silence: Addressing Anxiety Disorders in Our Schools by Abby Rosen 26 Apr 201815 Sep 2019 As teachers, we ask a lot of our students. We demand not only respect for our authority, but curiosity, effort, and perseverance in the face of failure and humiliation. They…
2017… Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Piece 1–“Beauty and the Beastess” by Melanie Magaña 9 May 201715 Sep 2019 Please read the Introduction first. Then continue reading each piece in order. Click on the following titles to be magically transported to each piece of the triptych. 2. "Beast's Beauty" …
2017… Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Piece 2– “Beast’s Beauty” by Melanie Magaña 9 May 201715 Sep 2019 Please read the Introduction first. Then continue reading each piece in order. Click on the following titles to be magically transported to each piece of the triptych. "Beauty and the…
2017… Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Piece 3–“Beauty’s Beginning” by Melanie Magaña 9 May 201715 Sep 2019 Please read the Introduction first. Then continue reading each piece in order. Click on the following titles to be magically transported to each piece of the triptych. "Beauty and the…
2017… Beauty and the Beast Triptych: Re-imagining Stereotypes and Gender Roles by Melanie Magaña 9 May 201715 Sep 2019 [Ed. Note: At the end of this Introduction, readers are directed by links to the three pieces comprising the triptych.] Introduction I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the…
2017… Addressing Racial Injustice Through Allyship: Teaching to See by Using Poetry by Sharon Rudnicki 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 Introduction In 2016, America was treated to two excellent television series that focus on the life of O.J. Simpson, FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson…
2017… Closing the Door on Standardized Test Preparation and Opening the Door to Next Generation Literacy by Vicky Giouroukakis & Maureen Connolly 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 Introduction “I want to facilitate learning that helps students be the best versions of themselves.” “I teach to inspire a new generation of book lovers!”…
2017… Writing is Elemen‘tree’: A Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Framework for Navigating the Writing Process by Lyndi Maxwell 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 Abstract This article describes how teachers can use manipulatives, visual aids, and poetry to help students navigate a process-approach writer’s workshop. The workshop is presented as being analogous to how…
2017… Dogmatism and Teaching Writing by Alexandra Glynn 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 The great writing textbooks seldom prompt aspiring writers to be certain. The ancients assumed that they would already be, so there was no need to discuss it. The moderns deride…
2017… The Elements of English Studies by Brittany Stojsavljevic 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 Introduction As part of the introductory English studies class I took during spring semester 2016 in a graduate program at the University of St. Thomas, I was asked a deceptively…
2017… We Made it for You by Daniel Ellis 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 I’m here to speak truth. I’m here to speak truth. I’m here to speak truth. Truth in the light of histories textbooks. That deny my heritage. Truth in the light…
2017… The Formation of Thesis Statements: Beyoncé in the Secondary English Language Arts Classroom by Summer Melody Pennell 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 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…
2017… Poetry Selections from Joshua Feliciano 3 May 201715 Sep 2019 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…
2016… Infographic-Making Activity by Michael MacBride 7 Jun 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: MacBride-Infographic-activity] Objective: To encourage the use of charts, graphs, maps, and other infographics in student writing. Approximate Time Required: 30 minutes Materials Needed: A computer with access…
2016… What Is a Civic-Minded Student and How Can We Foster This in Our Classrooms? by Heidi Burns 6 Jun 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Burns, Heidi--News Summary Activity] (Burns also has a new book forthcoming, which contains similar activities ready to plug into your classroom. Check it out here: http://amzn.to/1U4195g) Civic-minded students…
2016… Five Ways in Which High-Quality Literacy Instruction Can Increase Student Interest in Our Content Areas by Kelly Birkett 31 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Birkett-FiveWays] Each year, on the day after Labor Day, the invasion begins. We stand in the hall next to our classrooms at the sound of the warning…
2016… Increasing Student Motivation in the Classroom by Mary Jo Kerekes 23 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: MaryJoKerekes-StudentMotivation] How do I increase student motivation in my classroom? It is a question that I ask daily. Some students have a desire to “get a good grade”,…
2016… Building Literacy in all classrooms by Melissa Brandt 18 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Brandt-BuildlingLiteracy] As new teachers embark on the challenge of the classroom, they are given a barrage of guidance:…
2016… The “Write” Track: Effectively Leading Your School to Incorporate Writing in Every Classroom by Jennifer Simpson 12 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Simpson-TheWriteTrack] Currently, 42 states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the Common Core State Standards (NGA). Minnesota adopted…
2016… Making Literacy Teaching a Priority in a Culturally Diverse Classroom by Adrienne Rische 10 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Rische-LiteracyTeachingCulturallyDiverse] Implementing culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom has become an increasingly important priority for English teachers. In this piece, I will explore the difficulties that come with…
2016… Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman 4 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Wee-Lehman-ReadThemTogether] Abstract: The need for global literature is growing as the society rapidly becomes more diverse. This study documented American children’s responses to global literature when it was…
2016… Implementing Tabletop Gaming in the English Classroom: Promoting Literacy through Interactive Gameplay by Mike P. Cook, Ryan Morgan, & Matthew Gremo 2 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: cook-implementing-tabletop-gaming-in-the-english-classroom] Introduction Table-top gaming, at its core, is simply a term used to refer to any social game that is traditionally played in person around a…
2016… Teaching Fiction: Craft, Composition Theory, and a Lie by Luke Daly 2 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Daly-TeachingFiction] [see the companion creative pieces here: "The Four Deaths of Mitchell Fish"] My first magic trick as a new lecturer of creative writing was reappearing three days…
2016… The Four Deaths of Mitchell Fish by Luke Daly 2 May 201615 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Daly-FourDeathsofMitchellFish] [see the companion essay "Teaching Fiction: Craft, Composition Theory, and a Lie"] I. Oxygen I slash in like a dull knife but don’t tip into the…
2015… Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby by Elisa Malinovitz 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Malinovitz-Wolfsheim in Gatsby] Introduction: The Great Gatsby is included in the Common Core exemplars for literature, it’s rare to find a high school or university in the…
2015… Graphic Novels in the Classroom: Suggestions for Appropriate Multimodal Writing Projects in Graphic Novel Units by Michael P. Cook & Jeffrey S. J. Kirchoff 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Cook-Kirchoff-Graphic Novels in the Classroom] Abstract While the NCTE (2008) definition of 21st century literacies is several years old now, the role of the ELA teacher continues…
2015… The Kite Runner From A Marxist Perspective by Kristine Putz 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Putz-KiteRunnerMarxistPerspective] The use of Marxist and other literary theories in the classroom helps students to realize that the subject of English is beyond the rudimentary put your…
2015… Theory in Practice in the High School Classroom: Using The Kite Runner to Teach Literary Theory by Taya Sazama 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Sazama-Using The Kite Runner to Teach Literary Theory] Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel, The Kite Runner, is one of the newer modern sensations to hit high school classrooms.…
2015… Technology and Critical Thinking by Jennifer Hiltner 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Hiltner--Technology and Critical Thinking] In education, a tidal wave of technology is upon educators, administrators, and students. The message to teachers by students and the media is…
2015… My Not-Quite-Scientific Composition I Experiment by Jeanette Lukowski 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Lukowski-My Not-Quite-Scientific Composition I Experiment] Although I have been teaching college writing courses non-stop since I first entered the classroom as a T.A. in 2001, and have…
2015… The Ethnographic Research Paper by Karla Knutson 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Knutson-The Ethnographic Research Paper] Preface: This article describes an ethnographic research assignment created to help first-year college students practice rhetorical source use and develop expertise necessary to…
2015… A Tale of an Introductory Literature Class Gone Well by Heidi Burns 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Burns-LiteratureClass] Teaching introductory-level English courses has many positive and negative aspects for the instructor. The obvious positives include working with students who haven’t yet become disillusioned with the…
2015… Five Poems by Dallas Crow 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Crow-poems] Antigone in Her Tomb _____________________________________________________________________________ Zeus, Your will, finally, is unknowable. I am exhausted, exasperated. Look where my most willful vows have landed me. Father,…
2015… Information Is Not Enough: Facilitating Reflection and Changing Beliefs by Susan Leigh Brooks 30 Apr 201515 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Brooks-Facilitating Reflection and Changing Beliefs] Preservice English teachers come into teacher education programs with strongly held beliefs about literature and reading. In some cases, they loved Great Expectations and…
