The “Write” Track: Effectively Leading Your School to Incorporate Writing in Every Classroom by Jennifer Simpson

[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 the ELA standards, but not the math. Within the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, there are specific writing standards that have been a … Continue reading The “Write” Track: Effectively Leading Your School to Incorporate Writing in Every Classroom by Jennifer Simpson

Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman

[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 paired with a home country book. The data were collected in a third grade classroom in a midwestern state. The results showed that in paired … Continue reading Read Them Together: Paired Book Reading for Global Literature by Jongsun Wee & Barbara A. Lehman

Implementing Tabletop Gaming in the English Classroom: Promoting Literacy through Interactive Gameplay by Mike P. Cook, Ryan Morgan, & Matthew Gremo

[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 table. Over the years, the term itself has become an umbrella for all forms of board games, but in gaming culture it is most commonly applied … Continue reading Implementing Tabletop Gaming in the English Classroom: Promoting Literacy through Interactive Gameplay by Mike P. Cook, Ryan Morgan, & Matthew Gremo

Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby by Elisa Malinovitz

[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 United States that doesn’t teach it, making it one of the most analyzed novels in modern American literature. Students examine and often re-examine the novel … Continue reading Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby by Elisa Malinovitz

Theory in Practice in the High School Classroom: Using The Kite Runner to Teach Literary Theory by Taya Sazama

[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. In a setting where a majority of the studied texts were written before the start of the twentieth century, this is quite an achievement. Especially … Continue reading Theory in Practice in the High School Classroom: Using The Kite Runner to Teach Literary Theory by Taya Sazama

Information Is Not Enough: Facilitating Reflection and Changing Beliefs by Susan Leigh Brooks

[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 can’t wait to read the book with their own students. In other cases, they hated Great Expectations and vow to never waste their students’ time … Continue reading Information Is Not Enough: Facilitating Reflection and Changing Beliefs by Susan Leigh Brooks

Minnesota Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of LGBT-Themed Children’s Literature by Jongsun Wee

[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 Minnesota recognizes the importance of understanding diverse learners in education and lists it in standard 3 in Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers  (see: … Continue reading Minnesota Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of LGBT-Themed Children’s Literature by Jongsun Wee

Teaching The Giving Tree by Kandi Heenan

[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 academic, can be gained from any type or genre of literature. Children’s books specifically, even those as perceivably simplistic as works by authors like Seuss and … Continue reading Teaching The Giving Tree by Kandi Heenan

Approaches to Teaching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Jennifer Thiel

[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. The following essay is about certain options of how this book can be used in a teaching context. In the beginning I will focus on … Continue reading Approaches to Teaching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Jennifer Thiel

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