2021… Reimagining Teaching Middle School English with Digital Tools by Cami Christman and Lan Vu 28 Apr 2021 The touch of a keyboard replaces the turn of a page, just one of the many ways that digital tools have transformed the educational landscape. Today’s educational experience is saturated…
2021… Using Mnemonics to Comprehend Narrative by Evan Vargas 28 Apr 2021 Stories are everywhere; they seem to be things we gravitate to. As teachers we see the importance of narratives, for they allow us to make connections to the world and…
2020… Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World: A Cautionary Tale of Totalitarian Ideology by Shahin Hossain 5 May 20206 May 2020 In Texts and Pretexts, first published in 1932, while discussing his concern regarding the present and future, Aldous Huxley asserted, “Personally, I must confess, I am more interested in what…
2020… Becoming THAT Teacher—An Account of One Year of Teaching by Kasden Watson 5 May 20206 May 2020 Like many, I believed that crossing the threshold of the downward ramp, and passing my tassel, meant that I was a full-blown teacher. I had graduated, and amidst the roar…
2020… #ReadingWars and Equity by Allison Sirovy 5 May 20206 May 2020 Following the #ReadingWars on social media? If you are, you may feel like me—lost and confused. Although I teach middle school English, reading instruction is near and dear to my…
2019… From Café to Class: Bringing Book Clubs Into Your Classroom by Hayley Vetsch 26 Apr 201927 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… Write Anything: How STEM Connects to the Writing Curriculum by Amber Beattie 26 Apr 201927 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 201927 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 201927 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… 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 201927 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…
2018… #StayWoke: Empowering Students to Respond to Fake News by Mariah Morin & Heather Hurst 26 Apr 201827 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 201827 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 201827 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 201827 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… Listening to the Silence: Addressing Anxiety Disorders in Our Schools by Abby Rosen 26 Apr 201827 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… Addressing Racial Injustice Through Allyship: Teaching to See by Using Poetry by Sharon Rudnicki 3 May 201727 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… We Made it for You by Daniel Ellis 3 May 201727 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 201727 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…
2016… Infographic-Making Activity by Michael MacBride 7 Jun 201627 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 201627 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 201627 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 201627 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 201627 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 201627 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… Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman 4 May 201627 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 201627 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…
2015… Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby by Elisa Malinovitz 30 Apr 201527 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… Theory in Practice in the High School Classroom: Using The Kite Runner to Teach Literary Theory by Taya Sazama 30 Apr 201527 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… Information Is Not Enough: Facilitating Reflection and Changing Beliefs by Susan Leigh Brooks 30 Apr 201527 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…
2015… Minnesota Preservice Teachers Perceptions of LGBT-Themed Children’s Literature by Jongsun Wee 30 Apr 201527 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Wee-Perceptions of LGBT-themed Children’s Literature] Diversity is an important topic that preservice teachers need to explore a great deal before they launch their career. The state of…
2015… Teaching The Giving Tree by Kandi Heenan 30 Apr 201527 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Heenan-TeachingTheGivingTree] Introduction The struggle is real. Defending the significance of using literature across the curriculum is something many instructors face—especially teaching “kid’s books.” Lessons, moral or…
2015… Approaches to Teaching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Jennifer Thiel 30 Apr 201527 Sep 2019 [pdf version here: Thiel-Approaches to Teaching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] Introduction Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the most popular children’s books in the last 50 years.…
2014… Analyzing Poetry and Songs by Scott Hall 1 Apr 201427 Sep 2019 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…
2014… Comics, Dickens, and Teaching by Serial Publication by Michael MacBride 30 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 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…
2014… The New Face of Homelessness by Melissa Brandt 30 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 You know that moment when you’re at a party or a social gathering and a person you barely know asks, “So, what do you do?” I dread that moment. Not…
2014… Rhetorical Empathy in the Writing Classroom by Erin Kunz 30 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 When developing a college composition course, content and methodology are always important considerations, but as instructors we also must consider how we can develop good practices in order to foster…
2014… Beyond the Research Paper: Exploring New Genres for Original, Authentic Inquiry by Jeremy Corey-Gruenes 30 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 After sequestering myself in my home office for nearly four hours on a Saturday morning—using headphones and a closed door to counteract the distractions of domestic life—I emerge, over-caffeinated but…
2014… Crime and Punishment: An Evolution of the Narrative Techniques of Dostoevsky by Wes Schaller 11 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 The notebooks of Fyodor Dostoevsky have both complicated and enriched the analyses of Crime and Punishment. Whereas some writers may employ the notebooks to supplement and illuminate their ideas, others…
2014… Making Dostoevsky Relevant: Teaching Notes from Underground to College Freshmen by Heather Porter 11 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 Relatively little has been said regarding how to teach Dostoevsky’s novels to students. Even less has been said about how to make his work relevant to twenty-first century American students…
2014… Redefining Literacy with Graphic Novels by Becca James 11 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 A line has formed, populated with people holding signs and speaking inaudibly to those that pass by. Move in closer, and it’s evident that the line is composed of high…
2014… Examination of the Cultural Influences Behind The Hobbit by Gillian Singler, Alicia Guthmiller, & Kevin Smith 10 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 Introduction The New York Times first pointed out in its review of The Hobbit, that "…there may come the thought of how legend and tradition and the beginning of history…
2014… The Hobbit Companion Essay: A Pedagogical Tool by Gillian Singler 10 Mar 201427 Sep 2019 The initial topic for this research project was a culturally-based analysis of a text of our choosing. Each group was expected to examine sections of their choice that would highlight…
