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

Figurative language short story unit-square

Start Your 2024 School Year with Our New, Fun Figurative Language Short Story Unit

Our figurative language short story unit will help you build a foundation and collect relevant data on your students at the start of the year! We’re thrilled to introduce our latest resource: a figurative language short story unit, perfectly tailored for the start of the school year. This innovative unit includes eight diverse short stories, each highlighting a different element of figurative language. It’s designed not only to engage students with compelling narratives but also to deepen their understanding of essential literary elements. As you explore these short stories together, you’ll be able to assess your students’ current skills and gather valuable data on their learning levels. This figurative language short story unit is an excellent tool for establishing a solid foundation in literary analysis and setting the tone for a year of dynamic learning.

Carina Assayed September 3, 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

3 songs to analyze irony in secondary ELA with purple music notes

From Lyrics to Literary Devices: 3 Excellent Songs to Analyze Irony

Looking for impactful songs to analyze irony in your secondary ELA class? This post has got you covered! Are you looking for an innovative and engaging way to teach literary devices to your secondary ELA students? Look no further! We delve into the world of music to explore 3 how popular songs can effectively communicate literary techniques, specifically irony. With lyrics serving as powerful examples, we analyze three well-known songs from different genres and artists, dissecting their lyrics to uncover the various forms of irony present. Through this analysis, we not only introduce students to the concept of irony but also provide them with relatable and enjoyable examples to deepen their understanding. Drawing on diverse styles, our chosen songs span a range of eras and themes, ensuring that your students will connect with at least

Carina Assayed March 5, 2024

7 Diverse & Powerful Poems to Teach Tone

Looking for FRESH and diverse poems to teach tone? Teacher friends, I’ve rounded up a good one today! Below, I have 7 poems to teach tone that are not typically taught in the mainstream ELA curricula (but should be!). They are all written from diverse authors and publishing dates range from 1995 to 2022. Want to know the best part? These poems are totally teacher-approved through CommonLit, and you can access them for free. You don’t need a district-paid account to access the poems, guiding questions, and other basic features. 7 Poems to Teach Tone Before you dive in, using daily poetry bell ringers and/or an introductory video like this one might strengthen your student’s understanding of tone analysis in poetry. You can also use the engaging activities in this stellar poetry bundle to introduce,

Carina Assayed October 3, 2023

5 songs with literary devices by AAPI artists to analyze in secondary ELA is written with a blue overlay of a DJ turntable

Diversifying education with music: 5 popular songs with literary devices by AAPI artists

Looking for a fresh way to introduce students to AAPI creative works? Examine these five diverse songs with literary devices by AAPI artists and make learning more engaging in secondary ELA classrooms! We’re all about using songs as a tool to teach valuable literary concepts, especially with figurative language. My kids always have their headphones in their ears anyway, so why not try to make their learning more attuned to their interests? Here are some easy tips to keep in mind when incorporating music into your curriculum:1. Use it as an opportunity to elevate voices of color and their experiences 2. Keep it appropriate (I’m going to age myself by saying…”the music nowadays,” but it’s true) 3. Make it purposeful – don’t incorporate music just to do it. Figure out what skill you want them

Carina Assayed April 26, 2023

This image is a photo of a field of flowers, with a big sunflower in the foreground. At the top there is a white border with pink text that reads "Figurative Language in Short Stories"

Teaching Figurative Language with 3 Intriguing Short Stories

Looking for new, free texts for teaching figurative language? This post has short stories, and other short texts your students will love! Today I have figurative language on my mind: specifically simile, hyperbole, and personification. We don’t have to wait until we’re teaching poetry to share these fabulous poetic devices! Here are some non-poetry texts to use for teaching figurative language. PSST…if you’re looking for short texts to help students strengthen their analysis skills, our 15 Pop Culture Analysis Activities resource has got you covered! You get detailed lesson plans aligned with each of the 15 different short texts (i.e. songs, short films, and more!). Short Stories for Teaching Figurative Language “The Girl with the Blue Lantern” by Tess Sharpe This short story follows a poor girl, responsible for keeping her family fed, as she

Leila Hobbs August 17, 2021

A reel of film, partially unwound in front of a pink and red background. The overlayed text says Short Films for Secondary ELA.

Teaching with Short Films in Middle & High School ELA

Teaching with short films in ELA is a great way to strengthen reading skills and increase students’ literary analysis. Why use short films with students? Much in the same way that short stories can help reach reluctant readers, short films are excellent for demonstrating literary elements in ways that are approachable, memorable, and engaging. They’re also a fantastic choice for ELLs since many of them have little to no dialogue, and therefore rely on more universal means of communicating their message. I’ll share some specific tips for the short films I’m shouting out, but here are some activities you can use with any short film: Practice writing summaries. Since short films are just that (short), they’re easy to summarize in a paragraph. You can make it more fun and challenging by asking students to write

Leila Hobbs May 25, 2021

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