Teaching Ideas to Engage & Inspire - Nouvelle ELA Teaching Resources

Creative Poetry Month Lessons for National Poetry Month atop a photo of several young students in a classroom. the student closest in view is raising their hand while a blurry teacher in the background smiles at the student.

13 Creative Poetry Month Lessons to Engage Middle Graders

Carina Assayed March 22, 2023

Bring poetry month lessons to the classroom this April (aka National Poetry Month)! We specifically chose these 13 meaningful poems to appeal to middle-grade students. April is the month we celebrate poetry and verse. What better way to introduce middle graders to the joys of lyrical expression than with 13 purposefully selected poems? From repetition to thematic analysis, these lesson ideas will help students discover the wonders of poetry. Note: I used the WONDERFUL resource, CommonLit, to find these inclusive middle-grade poems. My district pays for the full CommonLit version, but the free version is incredibly beneficial as well. Poetry Month Lesson on SYMBOLISM “Peaches” by Adrienne Su A speaker describes life as a child of immigrant parents. Students analyze the speaker’s use of peaches to symbolize her conflicted feelings about her identity as a

"5 short texts to introduce any dystopian unit" reads atop a white background. below the title is a completely gray and desolate city. one remaining building has a heavy fog and fume cloud arising from it.

Introduce any dystopian unit using these 5 important short texts

Carina Assayed March 14, 2023

I have to admit…I am biased toward teaching any dystopian unit. I find any opportunity I can to have students evaluate how a society becomes a dystopia and whether they can break free from one. This analysis builds a bridge of understanding to real-world dystopian examples–past and present. As a result, I typically have students engage in a summative mock trial where they convince a jury of their peers whether America is a modern-day dystopia. Although America gives its citizens plenty of dystopian evidence to dissect, this essential question can guide students to be critical of any place. No matter how you decide to end your unit, I have five compelling dystopian literature examples students can analyze for any dystopian unit! Resources to introduce your dystopian unit TERMINUS – a digital adventure series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZKEOzvE5IWhat is

Activities for Women's History Month titles above an image of 3 young teenage women--one wearing a green top, another a white blouse, and the last a blue

Class Celebrations: 6 Activities for Women’s History Month with Our Discount Resource Bundle

Carina Assayed February 28, 2023

How do you celebrate women’s history month in the classroom? Make space in your curriculum to celebrate women who forged paths of possibility. If you need no-prep activities for Women’s History Month, look no further. This comprehensive bundle has a variety of activities and resources that will leave your kids engaged and informed. Even better? It’s discounted 20% when you use the code EMPOWHER at checkout! This discount is available until the end of March and can apply to any activities for Women’s History Month available on the blog. What to do for Women’s History Month in school? Before you start with any activities for Women’s History Month, give students the opportunity to learn about it. See some ideas and resources below for how to do so! Media Literacy Analysis Have students practice their media

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13 Creative Poetry Month Lessons to Engage Middle Graders

Introduce any dystopian unit using these 5 important short texts

Class Celebrations: 6 Activities for Women’s History Month with Our Discount Resource Bundle

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