7 Memorable Secondary ELA Winter Activities & Resources to Make Your Class Merry & Bright

Looking for ELA winter activities and resources that are guaranteed to have you surviving and thriving before-the-break? Look no further, teacher friends! As winter break approaches, it’s the perfect time to bring some festive flair and excitement into your classroom. We’ve rounded up seven memorable ELA winter activities and resources that are tailor-made for the season, designed to keep your students engaged and learning right up until the holidays. From digital escape rooms that challenge their problem-solving skills to free student gifts that add a touch of joy, these ELA winter activities are sure to make the last days before the break lively and productive. We also include innovative teaching tips for managing the pre-break excitement and a fun holiday comparative song analysis that will get everyone into the festive spirit. Dive into these ELA

Carina Assayed December 3, 2024

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You’ll Never Find a Better ELA Nonfiction Resource Round-Up in 2024

If you’re looking for THE ELA nonfiction resource to engage your students, we’ve got 5 that are bound to grip your students unlike any other! Are you looking for a way to captivate your students with nonfiction that steps outside the usual boundaries? Look no further! This post features five dynamic ELA nonfiction resources that dive into fascinating and engaging topics like video games, mysteries at sea, espionage, and more. Each ELA nonfiction resource has been selected not only for its compelling content but also for its potential to spark in-depth discussions and critical thinking among your students. These are not your standard textbook examples; they’re designed to pique curiosity and engage young minds at a deeper level. Get ready to explore these innovative ELA nonfiction resources that will bring your classroom discussions to life

Carina Assayed November 12, 2024

3 Spooky Songs to Analyze for a Halloween Inspired Activity in Secondary ELA

As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to add a little eerie excitement to your classroom with some spooky songs to analyze! For secondary ELA educators looking to spice up their lesson plans this October, we’ve curated a thrilling collection of three spooky songs that are ripe for literary analysis. Each song is a gateway to exploring rich literary elements like imagery, tone, and irony, all while engaging students with the fun, festive spirit of the season. This blog post will guide you through using these spooky songs to analyze and dissect with your students, ensuring a lively, interactive, and educational experience. Get ready to turn up the volume, dive into the lyrics, and unravel the mysteries of these haunting tunes just in time for Halloween! 3 Spooky Songs to Analyze this Halloween Listen…I am

Carina Assayed October 1, 2024

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6 Convenient Year Long Back to School Secondary ELA Resources to Refresh Routines

Refresh your routines with these year long back to school secondary ELA resources without the hours of prep! Welcome back to a new school year, educators! As you step into your classrooms, ready to inspire and engage, having the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference. That’s why we’ve put together a set of six comprehensive units specifically designed as back to school secondary ELA resources. These units are crafted to help you establish solid routines that promote a structured and stimulating learning environment from day one. Each unit integrates essential ELA skills with creative approaches to learning, ensuring that your students are not only excited to learn but also well-equipped for the year ahead. Whether you’re looking to foster critical thinking, enhance writing skills, or encourage collaborative learning, these back-to-school secondary

Carina Assayed August 6, 2024

3 Awesome Songs to Teach for Analyzing Allusion in Secondary ELA

Discover 3 engaging songs to teach for analyzing allusion in secondary ELA classrooms! Hey there, fellow ELA enthusiasts! 📚✨ Are you looking to spice up your lesson plans with some music that packs a punch of literary magic? Well, you’re in for a treat! Today, we’re diving into the world of allusions in music—a fantastic way to engage your students and explore the depths of literary references within the melodies they love. If you’re new here, we are kinda popular for recommending these 15 songs to use in ELA. We also have 15 MORE songs to use and songs to use for analyzing irony if you’re interested! I’ve handpicked three songs brimming with allusions, perfect for analysis in your secondary ELA classrooms. These tracks not only resonate with our students’ musical tastes but also unveil

Carina Assayed May 21, 2024

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Comprehensive Bundle: Steinbeck’s The Pearl Activities

Looking for The Pearl activities that excite your students’ creativity and critical thinking skills? The Pearl Unit Bundle will keep your students hooked from start to finish. The Pearl Lesson Plans included in the Bundle Pre-Reading: The Pearl Activities & Unit Calendar Before you begin, The Pearl Activities bundle includes an editable unit calendar. You can expect… ⭐️ Suggested lesson plans designed for 40-50 min. classes ⭐️ A total unit length of 4 ½ weeks (adaptable to be shorter or longer) ⭐️ Minimal homework throughout (homework-free option if unit length is extended) ⭐️ Students will engage in an anticipatory activity that provides resources (2 videos and 2 articles) to conduct research on John Steinbeck and Cortez Pearl. There are SO many benefits to using these activities as your anticipatory set! During: The Pearl Reading Guide

Carina Assayed January 17, 2023

A cup of coffee next to a laptop with the text "Romeo & Juliet. Engaging ideas for in-person, hybrid, or digital."

Teaching Romeo & Juliet

How do I teach Romeo & Juliet? Let me count the ways! To me, it’s a timeless classic, but I know that many students struggle to connect with with story. Some students tell me it’s “corny” and “unrealistic.” Sometimes they’re thrown off by Shakespeare’s language. (More on teaching Shakespeare’s language here!) But that doesn’t mean we should just give up on the bard! In this post I’ll give tips for teaching Romeo & Juliet that make it more inclusive, engaging, and relatable to your students. And as a bonus, all of these ideas will work for virtual, hybrid, or in-person learning. (And these are just a few of my Romeo & Juliet ideas, you can find the rest in my full Rethinking the Classics: Romeo & Juliet resource.) Teaching Romeo & Juliet: Play

Danielle Hall April 27, 2021

Contemporary Short Stories for High School

Struggling to engage your reluctant readers? Check out these contemporary short stories for high school ELA. Are you excited to teach short stories, or does the thought of revisiting “The Lottery” and “The Lady of the Tiger” fill you with intense boredom? Well, if you are tired of using the same old dead White guys, I promise your students are tired of reading them. But don’t despair! There are tons of interesting contemporary YA short stories for high schoolers that you can use instead of (or alongside) the classics. Today I’m going to share a few of my favorites. Contemporary Short Stories for High School: Puro Amor by Sandra Cisneros Students may already be familiar with Cisneros’ work from her 1984 novel, The House On Mango Street. And you can expect more lush prose from

Danielle Hall February 2, 2021

Teaching To Kill A Mockingbird

Are you teaching To Kill a Mockingbird this year? Whether you view it as a treasured classic, or an outdated relic, I have some tips. Today’s blog post will be a little different. I would typically start by sharing ideas for teaching the novel in question. However, I think To Kill a Mockingbird is ready for a curriculum overhaul. It’s a fictional story sharing the trauma of systemic racism through the eyes of a young White girl. Her father, an immortalized literary hero, didn’t even win the case. Why are we still teaching To Kill a Mockingbird? Why are we holding on to this novel? I recommend NOT teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. Not convinced? Let’s talk about it. While I never connected with TKAM, I know many teachers have fond memories of

Danielle Hall January 26, 2021

Digital Escape Rooms for ELA

Have you tried any digital escape rooms for ELA? Whether you’re doing virtual, in-person, or hybrid learning, I have a game for you. Digital Escape Rooms for ELA: Do you LOVE Escape Rooms, but feel like they’re out of reach now? Whether we’re in distance learning, a hybrid classroom, or trying to maintain social distancing in a physical classroom, we can still bring the critical thinking and excitement of an escape room to our lessons. The answer? Digital Escape Rooms for ELA. Since March, I’ve been working on creating digital versions of my most popular games. Each digital escape room has the same tasks and content as the original paper games, and now has much more flexibility for you, the teacher. Game List: Introduction to Shakespeare Digital Breakout Introduction to The Odyssey

Danielle Hall January 5, 2021

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