How to Teach Essay Writing to Make Your Writers Stronger in 5 Easy Steps

woman learning how to teach essay writing

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; […]

7 Simple Short Story Literary Prompts You Need for Your Classroom

student working on short story literary elements

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 […]

Teaching Literary Elements The Best Way At The Beginning of the Year

story book with pop up images to use for teaching literary elements

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 […]

How to Create Engaging ELA Review Games That Spark Classroom Excitement

ELA review games blog post

ELA review games: my secret weapon for the post break blues. I know the struggle—coming back from a break, students feeling the lingering holiday joy, and the challenge of reigniting their focus. That were ELA review games save teh day. These aren’t your ordinary games; they’re my answer to turning the struggle of refocusing into […]

Create Your English 10 Short Story Unit in 5 Easy Steps

english 10 short story unit blog post cover

Looking for a refresh on your English 10 short story unit? Still, trying to figure out where to start? Maybe the thought of a short story unit rewrite seems too daunting. Friend, I am here for you! I want to make your life easy. In this post, I will give you my English 10 short […]

How to Teach a Novel Unit That Engages High School Students

teacher sitting on the floor reading a book figuring out how to teach a novel unit

As English teachers, we know we should teach a novel but the question is “How to teach a novel unit?” There seems to be so much to consider when planning a novel unit. And it always seems like a daunting task. Sometimes it feels easier to just keep doing what we are doing. And keep […]

Five First Week of Class Activities for High School ELA

open calendar page with first week of class activities title

If you are like me, you might be starting the second semester which means planning your first week of class activities. Having to start over can be a great thing but at the same time, you just don’t have that same excitement that the beginning of the year brings. So, what better way to get […]

Five Ways Reader’s Notes Can Transform Your High School ELA Book Clubs

readers notes on flat lay with blue flowers and gold pen

Looking for a new way to invigorate your book clubs: try reader’s notes! Allowing students to choose their own novels and have time to discuss them is something my kiddos always love to do. However, you want to bring in some accountability without overwhelming them with classroom book club activities. That’s where reader notes can […]

Teaching Students How to Write Literary Analysis Paper in Six Easy Steps

Teacher typing on a computer planning how to write literary analysis paper

How often do you hear your students ask how to write a literary analysis paper? When you get to writing in your curriculum, do you get excited? Maybe you have heart palpitations? Perhaps you love the idea of teaching writing or you feel lost in the lesson ideas. Whatever you are feeling related to essay […]

Using Google Forms to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

Blog Post: Google Forms

My favorite element to teach my students is writing especially by using google forms to write. My students struggle the most with writing their literary analysis essay. After trying numerous methods and tweaking my curriculum each semester, I feel that I have found a better way to teach my students how to write their essay: […]

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