My first attempt with hexagonal thinking Dear Teacher-Friends: If you’re here for Part 2 of my “Teaching the Sonnet” post, please bear with me. I am still in the process of obtaining permission from a few students to post their wonderful sonnets. As soon as I have those permissions rounded up, I will publish thatContinue reading “Hexagonal Thinking and The Great Gatsby”
Tag Archives: High school
The Sonnet for High School (part 1)
The power of repetition in Terrance Hayes’ “Sonnet” If you’ve ever worked with students and sonnets, you know how difficult writing a sonnet can be. In a word, it’s complicated. In fact, these little box-shaped poems offer all kinds of challenges for young writers (and their teachers–ha!). For example, when my British Literature students studyContinue reading “The Sonnet for High School (part 1)”
Creative high school poetry idea: Poetic Art
If you want to give your high school students a new angle on poetry that allows them some hands-on and screen-free time, this might be a good activity to try. #poetry #NationalPoetryMonth #poeticart
Enthusiasm in the high school classroom
I can’t tell you how many times students enter my room and say something like “I’m SO tired,” or “Man, I’m exhausted,” or “Mrs. Yung, I’m gonna sleep in class today because I CANNOT keep my eyes open.” This happens not just during my 8 a.m. first hour class, but all day long. I bet I hear someone tell me they’re SO TIRED about nine or ten times a day.
Gatsby Text Pairing: John Green’s “Our Capacity for Wonder”
If Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is your favorite novel to teach, here’s a new essay from John Green you need to either read or listen to.
Doctor Faustus: 10 Multi-Media Resources and Activities
High school students need to know the basics of the Doctor Faustus and also come to appreciate the staying power of Marlowe’s most famous work. Do that with multi-media selections to the max! Here are ten resources that have worked for me.
The Book Bento
Have you tried book bentos yet? I’ve assembled a handful of my book bento articles in this post that I hope will introduce you to this new reading assessment project.
Connect to Thoreau with Into the Wild
Whether a modest, yet sturdy cabin at Walden Pond or Fairbank City Transit Bus 142 on the Stampede Trail, this is American Transcendentalism at its core.
Henry David Thoreau for the High School Mindset
Ever have students tell you that school just doesn’t apply to them? Yeah, me too. Like all the time… maybe even more often than that.
Poetry Lesson: The Ode
If you’re needing an easy and fun poem form to explore with your students, definitely add the ode to your list of upcoming poem ideas. Discuss the form and its classical roots, but then shift the focus to the contemporary form so students can readily apply it to their experiences.