Marilyn

Ekphrastic poems for high school students

Bring art into your classroom by including ekphrastic poetry in your writer’s workshop. #poetry #edchat

First Chapter Fridays: Testing Testing 1-2-3

Here’s how I’m testing First Chapter Fridays in my classroom this fall

Three poem ideas for Veterans Day

Try these three poem ideas for Veterans Day with your middle and high school students.

Will the phrase “stuck out” please go away?

Here are five alternative ways to say “stuck out”

When Christian Bale becomes Beowulf

Here’s another way to infuse relevance into Beowulf If you extend your Beowulf unit into a mini-unit on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, three things will happen: 1) You’ll build excitement to read an Anglo-Saxon poem so old we don’t even know exactly when it was written or by whom. 2) You’ll open students’ eyes toContinue reading “When Christian Bale becomes Beowulf”

Life lessons from Beowulf

I tried this Life Lessons in Beowulf essay with high school seniors. Here’s how it went.

Three new articles to pair with Beowulf

Three contemporary articles to pair with Beowulf to build relevance for high school students.

My post-COVID Follow-Up: Creative Vocabulary Resources

Here they are: the links for “Eight Ways to Explore New Vocabulary Words” Since COVID mixed things up a bit for me personally last week, I’m mixing things up a bit this week. I’ll explain in this quick video. Links: Please leave a comment with all the questions you have! And if you’re wondering aboutContinue reading “My post-COVID Follow-Up: Creative Vocabulary Resources”

Eight ways to explore new vocabulary words

I’ve used these vocabulary strategies from Always Write for years now. “Vocabulary is about precision.” Those are the words of Sheridan Blau, author and Professor of Practice in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I heard Blau speak at the Writing & Thinking Conference hosted by the Ozarks Writing Project at Missouri State UniversityContinue reading “Eight ways to explore new vocabulary words”

A Sept. 11 Artifacts Poetry Display

Personal 9/11 artifacts and acrostic poems recall the depth of human loss Today, I’m posting some photographs sent to me from a fellow high school teacher, Joe Wolf, who last week tried my “The Stories the Artifacts Tell” lesson plan featured in this 9/11 lesson post. Wolf teaches at Hollister High School in southwest MissouriContinue reading “A Sept. 11 Artifacts Poetry Display”