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
Wes Anderson. Le Sigh. Here’s the trailer. When this movie came out I was a freshman in high school and I fell in love. This movie is whimsical and quirky and my teenage brain didn’t understand how the story worked but I knew that it just did. And I knew that it was brilliant. And … Read moreIf I Could Get Away With It: Movie Edition | The Royal Tennenbaums
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
Here we go again… 1. “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness” by Robert Waldinger Okonkwo is obviously an unhappy man. Turns out the key to happiness is the relationships we build. I guess someone should tell Okonkwo that… 2. “How movies teach manhood” by Colin Stokes I love the ideas … Read more4 TED Talks to Use While Teaching Things Fall Apart
I love Disney. Honestly, at this point, it’s probably a bit irrational. My husband doesn’t understand it. My kids don’t understand it. But Disney movies in the 90s were the companion to an only child, i.e. me. So anytime I can go back to my happy place I will. Therefore, I use a lot of … Read moreUsing Mulan to Teach Gender Stereotypes
There is a certain time of the year where I feel like I eat, breath, and dream ethos, pathos, and logos. State of Texas, can I please teach mythology? Or archetypes? Or WHOLE NOVELS? I’ll even take Julius Cesar at this point. But alas, it’s always coming up persuasion. Anyway, audience is always a tricky … Read moreAudience: Teaching Persuasion
I know that everyone who has to teach persuasion has done this at least one time in their teaching career. So I’m not proposing anything new. I’m just putting mine out into the ether. Hands down, the best way to get teenagers to understand persuasion is to appeal to their hungry little consumer on the … Read moreAdvertisement Project: Teaching Persuasion
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