We are all just trying to get to Christmas break, but have you thought about any New Year activities for students? I know you are just trying to keep the frenzied kids together this week. And that is hard enough. But…. friend, what are you going to do in January? When your students get back …

Can I let you in on my favorite end-of-semester activity: literature circles? My  English course is state-tested so by the end of the semester, they have worked so hard. And, they are starting to feel burnt out. So what better way to test their reading comprehension than with literature circles? These circles give students a …

Ready to start showing your students what are the persuasive techniques but struggling to know how to start? You know you want to start with the basics of rhetorical analysis and persuasive techniques seem like the best place to start. BUT you aren’t sure how to grab your students’ attention. You want something that will …

Ever notice how hard it is to teach an author’s style to your students? While teaching plot or conflict is easy for students to grasp, the author’s style is an elusive concept that is hard to nail down. Sometimes it feels like it’s hard for use ELA teachers even to know what to look for. …

Trying to figure out the perfect lesson plan for Halloween? I know, it’s tough. You want to do something fun with your students, but at the same time, you don’t want to waste a day of instruction, right? The good news is, you don’t have to choose! You can totally teach suspense in short stories …

Wondering how to teach essay writing and still make it engaging for your students? Teaching essay writing can feel like an uphill battle, right? We’ve all been there—staring at a pile of papers wondering how some students missed the mark despite clear instructions. It’s tough because writing isn’t just about putting words on a page; …

Searching for an authentic way to help your students analyze short story literary elements? As ELA teachers, we know that our students struggle to move past identifying literary elements to analyzing their purpose. So often my students feel like it’s enough that they found the conflict. But let’s be real. We should be expecting so …

We are past the first few days of getting-to-know-you activities and we read to start teaching literary elements to our students. By high school, most of our students know the elements of a short story even if they claim that they don’t! But, teaching story elements can be tedious. And, we don’t want to create …

Summer is over and that means that all of us ELA teachers are headed back to teacher inservice. That feels like a curse word to teachers, doesn’t it? We should be excited to have the chance to jump back into our classrooms but it never feels that way. And what’s worse is that I feel …

You have avoided it long enough but now it’s time to start searching for teacher first day activities that don’t suck. You’re an amazing ELA teacher! And you know better than to just review the paperwork. You even know that icebreakers are major cringe right now for high school students. So right after your teacher …

Want to know the secret to a better start to every day: classroom routines. And no, before you start judging, classroom routines and procedures are not just for elementary classes! I find that high school students actually crave structure because they are given so much freedom. When they have a class where they can predict …

Think back to your first year as an ELA teacher and remember how excited but intimidated you felt. Some days, you crushed it. And other days, you doubted that you should be the adult in charge. Looking back on my own first year, the cringe is real. Even now, as an experienced teacher, I am …

Before I really dive into summer teacher mode, I love taking a little time to reflect on my ELA activities. As much as I want to just abandon all thoughts of my class, thinking about the best interactive ELA activities helps me prep for next year. And, August me will be thankful! So how do …

If you are looking for a way to bring some authentic learning into your ELA classroom: the answer is entrepreneurship class project ideas. Are you tired of hearing the classic “When will I ever use this?” phrase from all your students? As ELA teachers, we know that writing and communication skills are things that we …

Finding yourself Googling “How to Sell Teacher Resources” lately and not sure where to begin? Friend, you have been looking for ways to make money as a teacher. And you know you have quality projects that other teachers could really love. But, now that you have made that decision, you have no idea where to …

Looking for The Tortured Poets Department activity that you can use with your students? Friend, I have just the thing for you. My list of six The Tortured Poets Department activities that you can do with your class. First, teaching Taylor Swift as poetry is a great way to bring Miss Americana into your classroom. …

Ready to teach rhetorical analysis and need a list rhetorical strategies that will help your students? If you want your students to start analyzing a speech, having a list of rhetorical techniques makes it easier. Think of this as your rhetorical choices cheat sheet. Use this guide as a reference for you and your students. …

You know what I could never seem to find as a teacher: a poetry analysis project. It’s April. And we as ELA teachers are gearing up for our poetry units. But my students are so over the literary analysis essay. And, if they have to write one more analysis paragraph, they might revolt. So, I …

With her popularity only growing, every ELA teacher is looking for the best Taylor Swift lesson plan. And while we Swifties would be content just to jam out to her music. We should try to find a way to bring some standards into the mix. That’s why I created this Taylor Swift lesson plan to …

Searching for a stronger SPACE CAT example to help your students understand rhetorical analysis? Unlike other types of analysis, rhetorical analysis tends to trip up our students. However, with the right system, students can easily evaluate the intentions and choices of any writer or speaker. That’s where the SPACE CAT acronym comes in to help. …

Needing some help teaching how to write conclusion for rhetorical analysis? Do you feel like by the time you get to conclusions, you and your students are tired of writing? Maybe you just assume that students know how to wrap up their thoughts. Or maybe you don’t really know how to differentiate the different parts …