Whenever I start prepping a new novel or play, I begin with a deep read and build a set of study questions to guide students through the work. These questions are designed to get students to stop, notice, and comment on important elements in the story, but they’re also a tool to help me remember what points I want to make about each chapter during class discussions.
I share my question sets on TpT and it’s gratifying to know that my work helps ease other teachers’ prep load. Folks have told me that they like the questions because they move students beyond basic comprehension, but simply having students sit and write answers to study questions chapter after chapter is…well…pretty boring. Continue reading
Eric Thiel, a science teacher at Amador Valley H.S. and all-around good guy, spent 38 years in the classroom and decided to retire this year. On Friday night, he handed diplomas to his last batch of seniors. On Saturday night, he died. His family’s still waiting to hear if it was a heart attack or aneurysm, but the cause is less important to me than the fact that a great man is dead. And he was one of the greats. Continue reading
Are you facing the Dead Zone? You know, that end-of-year slog where you’ve wrapped up your last major unit and reviewed for finals, but still have a week before exams? I’m right there with you, but we have no worries. Here are some tried-and-true resources that’ll keep our kids focused until finals. Continue reading
Last month, I posted a Mother’s Day poetry activity that prompted a few folks to email me, wondering if I’d have a similar activity to use with their classes for Father’s Day. Well, your wish is my command, my friends! Continue reading
I’m taking an improv comedy class this spring (yeah, I’m a nerd – you already knew that, right?) and one of the games we were taught actually provides the perfect strategy to cope with any tedious meeting we’re required to attend. Continue reading
Hard to believe, but today marks the official 50th anniversary of the publication of The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton’s enduring tale of teen angst and social strife. Continue reading
When Norman Ollestad was 11 years old, he was the sole survivor of a Cessna airplane crash in the mountains north of Los Angeles. Last week, one of my freshmen finished Ollestad’s memoir, Crazy for the Storm, and was so enthusiastic during our SSR book talk that I felt compelled to research Ollestad and find […]
