You know the drill. You give your class a chapter for a novel to read for homework, or maybe you…
Author: Laura Randazzo
Brave New World?
As every English teacher knows, dystopian young adult literature is on fire. Hunger Games. The Maze Runner. Divergent. Matched. Uglies.…
Put the “Creative” Back in Students’ Writing
We need our students to write regularly for a variety of purposes on different topics, but don’t want to hear…
Word Play
Way back in elementary school, we all made acrostic poems. These were the go-to move for teachers who needed us…
Add to Your Bag of Tricks
Avoid the mental slog that sometimes arrives in the middle of a novel unit with unexpected and, dare I say,…
Just Say “No!” to Boring Book Reports
Try a fresh spin on the tired book report assignment and use “book talks” instead. A book talk is just…
What do Harry Potter, Frodo, and Katniss Have in Common?
All of their stories (and so many others) fit the classic storytelling pattern of a heroic journey, as established by…
Can Robots Do It Better?
Maybe you’ve seen the new generation of automated essay grading software, as discussed in The New York Times. These computerized…
Ripped From the Headlines
I’m always on the prowl for engaging news stories that will give my high school English students access to high-quality…
Every Second Counts
This seems like such a small thing, but I’ve been surprised at how many of my colleagues don’t know about/don’t…