The weeks before a break always seem like the longest. The kids are restless, I’m restless, and we all understand that all we’re really doing is biding our time until that last bell before break. Thanksgiving is a different type of beast altogether though. My district gives an entire week, the first real break … Read moreWhat I Teach the Week Before Thanksgiving
We can’t have enough lessons over speeches or the rhetoric within those speeches. There is no end to it. The least we can do is have fun. So… I created a lesson, analyzing Trump’s victory speech and Obama’s victory speech. I wanted to give students a look at a speech that is heavy in rhetoric … Read moreTrump vs. Obama: Analyzing Rhetoric
When it comes to evaluating students at the beginning of the year, I find that analysis is one of those topics that get swept under the rug. We assume that by high school, students have already learned these skills, and yet we find out, year after year, that that is not the case for some … Read moreAnalysis Overview
The two philosophies of collectivism and individualism are heavy throughout Anthem by Ayn Rand. When I decided to teach this book, I researched both ideas and knew that if I wanted the kids to understand these heavy concepts, I was going to have to simplify and condense. And what better way to simplify and condense … Read moreTeaching Collectivism and Individualism for Anthem by Ayn Rand
In Texas we have this handy dandy standard: (11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to: (A) evaluate text for the clarity of its graphics and its visual appeal; and (B) synthesize information from multiple graphical sources to draw conclusions about the ideas … Read moreIncorporating Infographics into the ELA Classroom: Writing an Essay
Last week I mentioned hashtag summaries and then realized that I had never mentioned them before. Sounds about right… Anywho… #hastagsummaries have changed my life: they’re quick, they’re fun, they’re creative. And I’ve had quite a few kids tell me that this is the easiest way for them to retain information when it comes to those … Read moreUsing Hashtags to Retain Information
I’m not going to get on my high horse about what happened to Cracked.com. That isn’t what this post is about. It is, however, a post about one of their articles that I’ve been teaching for a while. The 6 weeks before STAAR become STAAR prep. Therefore, all of the units that we work on … Read moreAn Introduction to Gender Stereotypes
I remember somebody telling me that ABYDOS used to be a THING in our district. I remember somebody telling me that ABYDOS was one to the district what other strategies are now. That it was one of those things that the district fell in love with and then decided everybody else needed to be doing … Read moreABYDOS: A Weekend in Review