Have you ever had a moment of absolute triumph when you finished a lesson in your high school English class? A time where you just thought to yourself: YES, this
There are many ways for analyzing a poem. Consider providing a series of questions for analyzing a poem that can grow and change throughout the school year. At the beginning
When I teach poetry I’m looking for poems that will engage and challenge students. I want something that can connect to their lives but also give them something to dig
November is a great time to explore gratitude. With Remembrance Day in Canada and Thanksgiving in the US, it’s the perfect occasion to give thanks for what you have as
In all of my English classes, I’m on a mission to include poetry beyond National Poetry Month in April, both in terms of reading it, analyzing it, and writing it!
One day in early October a group of 11th grade students entered their high school English classroom and their teacher (me!) bellowed “Let’s get ready to rumble!!!” You can imagine
Personal narrative writing has been a success for me and my senior students in English. It works because students gain comfort with “I” as a starting voice, sharing an experience
Year after year I have used George Ella Lyon’s Where I’m From Poem in my classroom but in the last couple of years I’ve also added an alternative Where I
Flashback Mid-1990s. My grade 10 English teacher – Mr. K. – declares “these are writing journals for students of English” and distributes random notebooks, asks the class a question, and
The days are long and the years are short! The first part is absolutely applicable whether you’re a parent – where this saying seems most often used – or a
