The 2020-2021 school year was the year of the unexpected, the year of changes, the year of disappointments, the year of frustrations, and certainly the year of loss. It goes down in my book as the hardest year of my teaching career -- that includes the first year I taught in middle school, the first year I was a lead in an inclusion classroom, the year I taught while building a house, the first year I was the new yearbook adviser, and the year I taught while having multiple surgeries for some serious medical issues. And let's not forget that I … [Read more...]
Lord of the Flies Island Challenges for Each Chapter
Each time I teach a novel, I try something different. I love teaching Lord of the Flies, and this past year I decided to give island challenges a try. Let me tell you... best decision I made for teaching this novel! I taught the novel out of class and hosted book clubs each Friday. (See more about my book clubs here.) Fridays, then, were when we did our challenges, discussions, and quizzes. I'm so excited to be sharing these Lord of the Flies island challenges for each chapter with you. I worked really hard to select and … [Read more...]
Why and How I Teach Shakespeare with a Translation
The debate surrounding whether to teach Shakespeare or not to teach Shakespeare continues to grow in discussions of modern curriculum. I don't wish to engage in that debate because for me it's simple; teach Shakespeare. Even in that camp - those brave teachers of Shakespeare - there is another debate. That debate is whether or not to use translated supplements of the plays. In that debate I would like to participate and make my case for Shakespeare Made Easy, or other similar publications. Some people may feel using supplemental tools like … [Read more...]
