I met with a group of teachers on Thursday (shout out to Carterville!) to talk about A.I. text generators and…
high school English

Let me plan your lessons this week
An exhausted teacher messaged me on IG yesterday, asking for help with lesson planning. My response? You go take a…

Cell Phone Characterization Refresh
This week’s focus was on moving my “Whose phone is this?” worksheet into 2023. Thousands of teachers have used this…

A Must-Read: “Sticks” by George Saunders
Looking for a one-page short story from a modern writer that’ll hook your students? Sticks, a flash fiction short story…

Oops! I did it again… (free choice board download)
Last week, a TikToker asked if I had a non-fiction version of my literature activity choice board freebie. I don’t…

Would Emily Dickinson want to be TikTok Famous?
Definitely not. But her famous poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are You?,” is a useful tool to help students consider their…

Literary Analysis Essay Writing
Literary analysis is the hardest writing mode to teach. Narrative, research, and argument? Got those covered. But literary analysis? Oof.…

Free! Story Path, Step-by-Step Storytelling Guide
As English teachers know, a lot of stories are the same story. Breaking down that successful narrative pattern with students…

My 6th pd. freshmen are rude and disrespectful
Today’s post is a question I received via email this week. This teacher gave me permission to share our exchange…

Free Teacher Planner Template
Go ahead and call me a minimalist because when it comes to lesson planning, I’m a fan of “less is…