A stylized drawing of a saxaphone, a keyboard, and musical notes. At the top there is a white border with purpe and black text that says "7 Harlem Renaissance Artists to teach in Secondary ELA"

7 Important Harlem Renaissance Artists to Teach in Secondary ELA

Teaching the Harlem Renaissance is essential for any English class as it provides a wide variety of lessons on culture, artists, poets, and literature. Here are some key Harlem Renaissance artists, facts, and teaching tips to make your lesson planning a breeze. What is the Harlem Renaissance? The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic movement of African American writers, artists, musicians, thinkers. The epicenter of this movement was in Harlem, New York, but its impacts could be felt widely in the Northern cities and across the world. What was the goal of the Harlem Renaissance? The Harlem Renaissance was also known as the “New Negro Movement.” African American thinkers wanted to remake their image instead of being cast into racial stereotypes created by and for white people. They wanted to use art to change how Black

Danielle Hall December 28, 2022

A photo of books in front of a blue wall. At the top of the image there is a white border and pink and blue text that says "Best YA Books of 2022 for the Classroom Library"

Best YA Books of 2022 for the Classroom Library

Looking for the best YA books of 2022? Look no further! These new releases are all great choices for your classroom library. Are you looking for book recommendations for your classroom library? I polled my Instagram followers and got their picks for the best YA books of 2022. You’ll love the variety of stories. Best YA Books of 2022 for the Classroom Library The Getaway by Lamar Giles “Welcome to the funnest spot around . . . Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that. As

Danielle Hall December 20, 2022

A small pile of brown gift boxes with multicolored ribbons. There is a white border at the top with pink and blue text that says "Free Student Gift for Middle & High School"

Free Student Gift for Middle and High School

Are you looking for a free student gift for middle and high school? Do you need something that’s easy on the budget and easy to assemble? Free Student Gift Below! Here are my free holiday bookmarks for students! Just add a Jolly Rancher™ for the pun and you’re good to go! I’ve used these bookmarks for several years because it’s awesome to have an easy student gift for middle and high school. Everyone loves a fun gift, but it’s just not practical to make decorated mugs of hot chocolate for 120 students! When you teach middle and high school, a free student gift is really important. You can print these bookmarks on bright paper or in black & white for an added coloring activity! If you’re interested in other free student gifts, here are other

Danielle Hall December 6, 2022

A photo of multiple pieces of blue-shaded paper. At the top of the image there is a white border with pink and blue text that says "Free ELA Worksheets"

3 Free ELA Worksheets for Middle and High School

These free ELA worksheets will help you engage students in drama, poetry, rhetoric, and more! Perfect for middle AND high school ELA. Teachers, you pour so much of yourselves into your classroom. Your time, your experience, your love, and unfairly, your own money. So today I’m going to share 3 free ELA worksheets that you can use with little-to-prep, and without spending any money! Without any further ado: Free ELA Worksheets for Middle & High School Poetry Bell Ringers Are you looking for poetry activities that engage and inspire? These poetry warm-ups will totally hook your students during your poetry unit! Each task has a different snippet from a classic poem, so you’ll keep things fresh and fun. The original format for these bell ringers is individual slides, but a free ELA worksheet like this

Danielle Hall November 22, 2022

A photo of a student in a light green shirt writing with a yellow pencil. At the top there is a white border with pink and blue text that says "Nonfiction Writing Activities for Secondary ELA"

Memorable Nonfiction Writing Activities for Secondary ELA

Nothing says nonfiction writing has to be boring, and yet, that’s what many middle school and high school students think. If you’re looking for nonfiction writing activities to engage this crowd, here are some great ideas. Nonfiction Writing Examples Nonfiction writing examples are EVERYWHERE and part of showing students that this isn’t an umbrella term for “boring writing” is showing them engaging examples. In addition to AMAZING nonfiction texts like Radium Girls by Kate Moore and Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (both available as young reader editions), you can show students exemplar blog posts, self help articles, and tourism brochures. The sky is truly the limit. I’ve blogged before about my favorite nonfiction books for the ELA classroom. Here are 8 Nonfiction Excerpts Worth Teaching from a post over at the Secondary

Danielle Hall November 15, 2022

A photo of a woman with brown skin and red-painted nails reading a book. There is a white border at the top of the image with pink and black text that says Reader's Theatre for Secondary ELA

Why I Love Reader’s Theatre in the ELA Classroom

Reader’s Theatre is a fun, low-stress way for students to learn about drama, practice public speaking, and embrace their creativity. What is Reader’s Theatre? Reader’s Theatre is the lowest-risk way you can bring drama into your ELA classroom. Students have the support of a script, but you encourage them to add vocal inflection and potentially some light blocking. You want to see some emergence of characterization and fluency. Reader’s Theatre, however, doesn’t have to be super-rehearsed. In my classroom, Reader’s Theatre replaces our in-class reading for that day. I try to choose scenes so that we have a mix of RT and reading/discussion days. If you want students to become super familiar with the script and have rehearsed blocking and even costumes, you’re in the realm of a Staged Reading. What does good Reader’s Theatre

Danielle Hall October 25, 2022

Adaptable Class Novel Study Activities

These class novel study activities will help increase student participation and strengthen their critical analysis! Even if you’ve got the most incredible unit ready for your core novels, having some generic class novel study activities in your pocket is a great idea. I once had three students in my class not allowed to participate in our Speak unit, and I had to come up with something QUICK! Having activities for any high school class novel ready to go will help you weather changes. Class Novel Study Activities I break my activities for high school reading into four verbs: remember, understand, create, and analyze. Remember What are some basic ways you want students to show that they remember portions of your class novel? The key here is to stay out of the nitty-gritty and focus on

Danielle Hall October 11, 2022

A stack of newspapers. There is a white border at the top of the image with pink and blue text that says "Short and Sweet Media Literacy Activities"

3 Quick Media Literacy Activities for Secondary ELA

These quick and low-prep media literacy activities will help you improve your student’s critical thinking skills, teach rhetorical analysis and persuasive techniques, and even practice public speaking! To me, teaching media literacy goes hand in hand with teaching Secondary ELA. After all, understanding and interpreting a novel, or analyzing an author’s purpose isn’t so different from critically reading a news article or blog post. Media literacy is especially critical if you’re teaching about current events or exploring topics like immigration or social justice in ELA. I also have a new resource (2023) that has 15 lesson plans analyzing pop culture short texts, like TV episodes, songs, short films, and more! It is a fantastic, standards-aligned resource that builds media literacy skills. Check out the 15 Pop Culture Analysis Activities resource here. What is media literacy?

Danielle Hall September 27, 2022

Profit Booster Bootcamp Review for TpT Sellers

Hey, y’all! I wanted to drop in today with some special news. I consider myself a cheerleader for TpT sellers, and I’m coming at you with some anti-hustle messaging. Profit Booster Bootcamp by Kristen Doyle is opening registration today! Growing your TpT store with less work So, here’s the question I’ve been working on for the last year: how can I get my TpT store to run and GROW without a constant investment of my time? I found one of my answers through Kristen Doyle’s Profit Booster Bootcamp. Now, I have taken several courses for sellers through the years, and nothing stands up to Kristen’s bootcamp. It’s the real deal. When I took it last November, I chose two existing product listings to improve using the strategies she outlines, and WOW! What a difference! Here’s a

Danielle Hall September 16, 2022

A book lying open on a wooden table with a sunny lawn in the background. There is a white border at the top with pink and blue text that says "Reading Response for Any Novel"

Creative Reading Response Activities for any Novel

Are you looking for ways to make your independent reading more engaging? Try these reading response activities! Using reading response activities is a great way to give students choice and help them connect to the texts they read. Middle and high school students want to share their opinions in addition to learning to analyze, and these activities can develop both skill sets. Creative Reading Response Activities for Secondary ELA What are reading response activities? Reading response activities ask students to refer to the text as they make an observation, argument, or prediction. These are useful for independent reading activities and class novels because students ground their writing with supporting details from a fiction or nonfiction text. Example reading response prompts: Reading response activities are great informal daily writing. They can be short – perhaps 4-6

Danielle Hall September 7, 2022

An image of a teal wall with white rectangles hanging from the wall. In the center of the image there is a white rectangle with blue and black text that says "Designing a museum exhibit in secondary ELA"

Creating a Museum Exhibit in Your ELA Classroom

Creating a museum exhibit in your middle or high school ELA classroom is easy and fun with these step-by-step tips and ideas. Let’s talk about how to turn a classroom into a museum! Creating a museum exhibit is a great way to provide student choice in any subject area, and Secondary ELA is no exception. A classroom museum project can hit so many standards, all while transforming your classroom for the day. What does a great classroom museum project accomplish? Any museum project asks students to zoom in on a person, object, or event and showcase it in a way that’s interesting to a passerby. This means that students are researching and curating information. Since they can’t say everything in their museum exhibit, they’ll be selecting the main idea and choosing important supporting details. Sounds

Danielle Hall August 23, 2022

Teacher tips for making your own worksheets, color coding your classroom, having emergency sub plans, and succeeding as the new teacher. An image of a brightly colored and organized classroom with orange school desks.

4 Easy Tips for Making Your Own Worksheets, Color Coding Your Classroom, Succeeding as the New Teacher, and Having Emergency Sub Plans

Are you making your own worksheets this school year? Are you starting at a new school site or entirely new to the teaching profession? Are you feeling the tickle in your throat and planning your sub plans just in case? No matter what brought you here, we’ve got tons of helpful easy-to-implement advice on color coding your classroom, succeeding as the new teacher, having emergency sub plans, and making your own worksheets (that are cute, too)! Making Your Own Worksheets Have you ever wondered how to make cute worksheets like the ones you find on TeachersPayTeachers? Even if you don’t want to know how to be a TpT seller, you can still make your own worksheets for your classroom. Here are 4 easy-to-follow tips: Don’t design worksheets using Microsoft Word Most of the worksheets that

Danielle Hall July 19, 2022

9 Summer Bucket List Ideas for ELA Teachers

It’s summertime, and that (hopefully!) means rest and relaxation! Here are nine things for every English teacher’s summer bucket list. These suggestions include some super fun and super enriching activities. Summer Bucket List for Teachers – 9 Ideas What are your summer goals? For me and my wife, Amanda, our summer is all booked up spending time with the newest addition to our family. Maybe you, too, have your summer all planned out. But if you’re stuck in a rut, or having analysis paralysis, here are 9 ideas to get you started 🙂 Grow your teaching toolbox Read a book for professional development. And no, it need not focus on reading strategies or teaching writing! For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood by Christopher Emdin is a critical look at how we relate to our

Danielle Hall July 5, 2022

A photo of a typwriter with a pair of hands typing on it, and a lamp on top of a stack of books beside the typewriter. There is a white border at the top with pink text that reads "10 Quotes About Writing"

10 Inspirational Writing Quotes for High School Students

These inspirational writing quotes will help energize the young writers in your classroom, and get them excited to write! Writing Quotes for High School Students There are many ways to inspire young writers, from providing them with a diverse classroom library to letting them collaborate with their peers in a writer’s workshop. It’s also vital to let them learn from the best by introducing them to quotes about writing from the experts. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy my favorite inspirational writing quotes 🙂 “Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.” —Philip José Farmer So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.” -Virginia

Danielle Hall May 31, 2022

A photo of three girls gathered around a desk with a laptop and pieces of paper on it. There is a pink square at the center of the image with white text that says "Using Procedural Writing for Classroom Community"

Using Procedural Writing to Build a Healthy Classroom Community

It might seem like an unusual combo, but I love using procedural writing to build classroom community. Intrigued? Let me show you how! Teaching procedural writing is a great way to build student writing skills AND develop a strong classroom community. The “how-to” format allows students to become the experts, and you can sit back and enjoy. Note: If you’re looking for nonfiction writing activities in a different format, check out this post on teaching personal narrative writing 🙂 What is a procedural format? You can basically break procedural writing into an introduction, steps in a process, and a conclusion. It is easy to engage students in the procedural format because there are TONS of engaging examples out there: makeup tutorials, crafting TikToks, and video game walkthroughs. If your students are on the internet at

Danielle Hall May 17, 2022

A square photo of sheetmusic pages with jagged, burned edges stacked on top of each other. At the top there is pink text that says "Using Music in Secondary ELA"

Using Music In the Classroom to Boost Engagement

Using music in the classroom has countless benefits. This post has song suggestions, teaching tips, ready-to-use resources, and much more! How does music connect with ELA? Think about your favorite song. How many elements of literature are present in the lyrics? Rhyme and meter are obviously connections, but many of my favorite songs also utilize characterization, symbolism, irony (no, not THAT song about irony), metaphor, and figurative language. Even instrumental music can be related to ELA concepts! Many students might be familiar with “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev, a piece that is commonly used to introduce children to the different instruments of the orchestra. The characters of the story are represented by different instruments (e.g. the Wolf is represented by the french horn, the hunters by timpani, and my personal favorite, the duck

Danielle Hall May 10, 2022

A row a four lightbulbs against a blue background, one of the lightbulbs is lit up. At the top of the image there is a white border with pink text that reads "Using Team Trivia in Secondary ELA"

Fun Classroom Games – Team Trivia for ELA

Looking for some fun, new classroom games? This post will show you how to play Team Trivia in ELA, & even give you a free week of questions! If you’re looking for classroom games to play as a group, team trivia should definitely be on your list! Trivia is such a low-stakes way to get kids thinking critically and working collaboratively. How do you do trivia in the classroom? After years of playing pub trivia with my friends, I’ve come up with a surefire way to get that same energy in the classroom. I want my classroom games to be fun and competitive, even as students build ELA skills. Here are some basic principles: 1. Students work best in groups of 3-4 This is the ideal number to make sure everyone can participate and have

Danielle Hall April 26, 2022

A photo of a hand touching a barbed wire fence. There is a white border at the top with pink text reading "Dystopian YA Book Recs"

12 YA Dystopian Novels for the ELA Classroom

Whether you’re planning a lit circle or you need classroom library recs, I’ve got you covered with this list of YA dystopian novels. Last week, I blogged about how to conduct a Dystopian Literature Circle in your classroom, and as promised, here are my recommendations of YA dystopian novels: Note: If you decide to purchase any of these books for your classroom, please consider using my Bookshop affiliate list. Bookshop’s mission is supporting independent bookstores, and as an affiliate, I receive a small percentage that helps with blog upkeep 🙂 Dystopian Novels for Literature Circles and Beyond: The Program by Suzanne Young Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have

Danielle Hall April 5, 2022

A black and white photo of a city skyline with mountains in the background. There is a white border at the top with blue and pink text reading "Dystopian Literature Circles"

Dystopian Literature Circles in Secondary ELA

Want to have a dystopian literature circle in your classroom? Let me plan it for you! This post has book recs and a step-by-step guide. Students love dystopian literature, and there’s an endless amount of quality texts covering different themes. That’s why I love to do dystopian literature circles with my students. This allows us to compare themes across different settings and characters. If you haven’t tried literature circles in high school, I’ll share some tips about getting started with those as well. Introduction to Dystopian Literature Before we ever start literature circles, we come together as a class and create a common understanding of what dystopian literature is. We discuss four types of control present in dystopian novels: Corporate (Minority Report) Bureaucratic (1984) Technological (The Matrix) Ideological/Religious (The Handmaid’s Tale) As we’re discussing these

Danielle Hall March 29, 2022

A dark blue background with cartoonish images of joystick and Nintento style video game controllers. There is a pink box in the center of the image with white text saying "10 Video Games for Secondary ELA"

10 Video Games to Use in Secondary ELA

Video games can be helpful tools to help students gain a deeper understanding of literature. Here are 10 video games to use in Secondary ELA. Using video games for mentor texts is a great way to connect with students who are reluctant to analyze elements of literature. Since so many students already love video games, these texts are an excellent way to leverage their interests. I also have a new resource (2023) that has 15 lesson plans analyzing pop culture short texts, like video games, TV episodes, songs, short films, and more! Check out the 15 Pop Culture Analysis Activities resource here. Using video games in the classroom You can harness the goodness and power of video games without turning your classroom into a gaming den. In the blurbs below, I recommend specific scenes you

Danielle Hall March 22, 2022

An illustration of a lady in a light blue lacy dress, standing in front of an old fashioned parlor. There is a white border at the top with pink and white text that says "Lamb to the Slaughter teaching ideas"

Teaching Lamb to the Slaughter

Looking for new ways to use this classic short story? I’m sharing tips and activities I’ve learned while teaching Lamb to the Slaughter. Usually, I’m all about finding contemporary short stories to teach in middle and high school. However, one classic short story my students adore is Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mrs. Maloney is a pregnant housewife whose husband announces he wants a divorce. In a stupor, she gets a frozen leg of lamb out of the freezer for their dinner, but ends up bashing him over the head with it. The police come to investigate and she plays innocent. Then, she insists they stay for dinner (it’s lamb!). Lamb to the Slaughter pre-reading activities One of my students’ favorite activities of the year is the pre-reading activity

Danielle Hall March 1, 2022

An overhead photo of books standing upright. There is a blue box in the center with white text that reads "Teaching Characterization in Literature with Short Stories"

5 Perfect Short Texts for Teaching Characterization in Literature

Looking for short stories (and other short texts) you can use to teach characterization in literature? This post is for you! If you’re a fan of using short texts to teach literary concepts and more, I have a new resource (2023) that has 15 lesson plans analyzing pop culture short texts, like TV episodes, songs, short films, and more! Check out the 15 Pop Culture Analysis Activities resource here. Teaching Characterization in Literature Are you tired of teaching the same short stories over and over? Today I’m sharing 5 texts – four contemporary and one classic – that you and your students will love. Analyzing characterization in literature is a vital part of understanding an author’s purpose, and one tool I love to use when teaching characterization is interactive notebooks. I even have a resource

Danielle Hall February 15, 2022

a photo of the book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, lying on top of a weeking planner. At the top there is a white banner that says "Teaching Ideas for Bronx Masquerade" in pink text.

Why I Love Teaching Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes

In this post, I share tips, ideas, & resources for teaching Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. My students love this book – yours will too 🙂 In Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, high school narrators explore themes of identity, family, and community at the new Open “Mike” Friday in Mr. Ward’s class. Each chapter includes a prose section that reads like a journal entry *and* the narrator’s slam poem. In this post, I’ll be sharing some ideas for teaching Bronx Masquerade that helped me *and* my students. Why do I love Teaching Bronx Masquerade? As I’ve mentioned before on Instagram and the blog, I had a rough first year of teaching. I was working 70 hours a week and wasn’t sure it was a good fit for me. My school was highly segregated because of a

Danielle Hall February 1, 2022

A photo of a blue door with a rusty, antique lock. There is a white border at the top with pink text "Escape Rooms for Secondary ELA"

Over 20 Escape Rooms for ELA and Beyond!

Whether you’re a pro at escape rooms or a total newbie, this post will help you find a game that your students will love! I’ve blogged before about using escape rooms in ELA, and I’m here to tell you I still believe in the power of these sorts of games. Whether you’re using digital or paper escape rooms, students have the chance to practice collaboration and critical thinking. Since I’ve been creating escape rooms for five years now, I wanted to make a “home base” where you could find out about them. This post is a round-up of the work I’ve done. Burnbridge and Terminus If you’ve been following me for a while, you’re probably familiar with my two original escape room series, Burnbridge Breakouts and Terminus. Burnbridge came first. My time spent teaching in

Danielle Hall January 11, 2022

4 books standing on their ends, fanned out against a sea-foam green background. There is a white border at the top with pink text that reads "2021 Book Recommendations"

Best Books of 2021 – YA & MG

No matter what you read, there’s something you’ll love on my list of the best books of 2021! YA, middle-grade, and more! If we’re being honest, I really struggled with the motivation for reading during 2020 and into 2021. But these titles – my personal “best books of 2021” – really helped break me out of my reading slump. (Btw, if you’re struggling to find the time or focus to read, that’s okay! Give yourself some grace. I know as teachers we often put pressure on ourselves to feel a certain way about reading, but I release you that! We can still help our students love books and learning, even if we’re taking a break from books <3) So without further delay, I present my nominations for Best Books of 2021! Amari and the Night

Danielle Hall December 7, 2021

A background of teal theater curtains with a pink box and white text that reads "Teaching Drama in Secondary ELA"

Drama in the Classroom: Tips & Activities

Using theatre in Secondary ELA is a great way to build classroom community, increase public speaking skills, and get students to understand complex texts. Here are some ideas for how to introduce drama in the classroom, from quick, 5-minute games to a class play. Improv Games build public speaking skills In every English class I’ve ever taught, I’ve used improv games to help students build public speaking skills. When I taught ESL in Germany, my students LOVED telling wacky stories in games like “Story, Story, Die!” Here are two sets of improv ideas you can use in any class! Improv games are a great way to spend an extra five minutes or what’s left after a fire drill, so you should definitely have a few in your pocket. Halloween Themed Drama Games Drama in the

Danielle Hall November 30, 2021

An open book on a wooden table. There's a pink box in the center of the image with the white text reading "Short Stories for Secondary ELA" for a post that will contain short story ideas for english class

Comprehensive Short Story Ideas for English Class

All my favorite short story ideas for English class – teaching tips, story recommendations, timesaving resources, and much more! I’ve thought a lot about teaching short stories over the years. I’ve designed and redesigned my short story unit, I’m always on the hunt for the latest and greatest short story anthology, and I’m constantly striving to make sure that I’m including not just one perspective, but a chorus of voices. I think that by having a wide range of contemporary short stories, embracing alternative media (like songs and film), and giving students the tools to embrace their own creativity, you can make short stories relevant, engaging, and memorable for your students. I tried to make sure that this post has short story ideas for English class that every ELA teacher can use, but if you

Danielle Hall November 9, 2021

A photo of a dark, foggy forest with a white banner at the top of the image and black and pink text reading "Horror & Suspense - Inclusive Short Stories & Texts"

Inclusive Short Horror Stories for Teens

Here are five short horror stories to share with your students! If you’re looking for some seriously psychological stuff, this is it. These short horror stories for teenagers are fantastic stories in general, and also great model texts for writing horror fiction. Inclusive Short Horror Stories “The Flowers” by Alice Walker (MS/HS) This is a coming-of-age story about a young Black girl named Myop. While picking flowers and blissfully exploring the woods around her home, she uncovers chilling evidence of a lynching. Since this story broaches a heavy topic, I wouldn’t use this short story without being prepared to engage in a larger discussion of racially motivated violence and the history of lynching in America. Summer as a symbol for youthful innocence is a well trod literary path, but this is an especially effective example.

Danielle Hall October 12, 2021

A photo of two teen girls talking. Above the photo is a white border with pink text reading "Drama Games for Secondary ELA"

Halloween Themed Drama Games for the ELA Classroom

These Halloween themed drama games will help students flex their creative muscles & boost their public speaking skills, all while having fun. I’ve blogged about Halloween themed ELA activites before, but this year I wanted to focus games. Drama games and improv are a great way to boost student confidence and increase collaboration in your classroom. These Halloween themed drama games will give you those same benefits, while adding some seasonal flair! Drama is a great way to build public speaking skills, memory, and community in the classroom. I have used drama with grades K-12 in France, Germany, the US, and Puerto Rico, and students beg for more. Literally. After finals one year, I was planning to show a movie, and students asked to reprise some improv games instead. How cool is that? So, where

Danielle Hall October 5, 2021

Our BLOG ARCHIVE