(Note: The editors have chosen to partially redact a form of the n-word that appears when quoting Kendrick Lamar's lyrics.) 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 and ESPN’s O.J.: Made in … Continue reading Addressing Racial Injustice Through Allyship: Teaching to See by Using Poetry by Sharon Rudnicki
Closing the Door on Standardized Test Preparation and Opening the Door to Next Generation Literacy by Vicky Giouroukakis & Maureen Connolly
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!” “I teach to change lives!” “I teach to show students how BRILLIANT they can be!” These are the words of four … Continue reading Closing the Door on Standardized Test Preparation and Opening the Door to Next Generation Literacy by Vicky Giouroukakis & Maureen Connolly
Writing is Elemen‘tree’: A Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Framework for Navigating the Writing Process by Lyndi Maxwell
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 a squirrel navigates an oak tree, as the squirrel represents the writer, each part of the oak tree represents a stage of the writing process, … Continue reading Writing is Elemen‘tree’: A Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Framework for Navigating the Writing Process by Lyndi Maxwell
The Formation of Thesis Statements: Beyoncé in the Secondary English Language Arts Classroom by Summer Melody Pennell
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
A Tale of an Introductory Literature Class Gone Well by Heidi Burns
[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 system, the ability to work from the most basic skills and then witness students turn those skills into successful mastery of the learning outcomes, and … Continue reading A Tale of an Introductory Literature Class Gone Well by Heidi Burns
Students Teaching Teachers to Teach Students by Michael MacBride
Every semester I tell my students that I learned from them, and I'm sure this is something that most teachers say, or at least think, at the end of the semester. This last semester, Fall 2014, I thought my students should take this to the next level by writing their own pedagogical essays. The logic … Continue reading Students Teaching Teachers to Teach Students by Michael MacBride
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
SWOT and the Analysis of Literary Characters by John Banschbach
Like many teachers, I have a collection of teaching activities that can be used in different situations and that require little preparation. Freewriting, for example, can be used as an invention activity for writing or class discussion or it can be used as a classroom assessment technique (e.g., the “muddiest point” assignment). Another activity is … Continue reading SWOT and the Analysis of Literary Characters by John Banschbach
Promoting Literacy Outside the Classroom by Mitzi Watkins
“Ms. Watkins, my family and I took your book bag with us on our trip to Mexico, and we read the books in the car on our way there and back. Thanks for letting me take these books home!"---Esmeralda, 2nd grade student Before my first year of teaching, I had many delusions about what my … Continue reading Promoting Literacy Outside the Classroom by Mitzi Watkins
Rhetorical Empathy in the Writing Classroom by Erin Kunz
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 an intellectual environment. We try to create community for our students, but because of a number of issues—resistance, apathy, and misunderstanding, to name a few, … Continue reading Rhetorical Empathy in the Writing Classroom by Erin Kunz
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