Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, convicted yesterday of four fraud counts in federal court, is a modern Jay Gatsby.
Stay with me here.
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Literary analysis is tough.
• “Explain how the author uses setting to establish the mood of this short story.”
• “Determine the narrator’s tone and present two pieces of textual evidence to defend your choice.”
• “Examine the writer’s use of the colors green and yellow as symbols that support the novel’s theme.”
I’m a literature nerd, so digging into these prompts would keep me happily engaged for days. Most teens, though, don’t share my enthusiasm, often because they don’t yet have the tools, experience, or confidence to articulate what they see in the works of literature we study.
The solution? Modeling and practice. Once teens start to see how the game is played, they quickly become more comfortable – and vocal! – in sharing interesting things they notice.
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Need to keep early finishers busy while the rest of the class catches up? Model a healthy stress reduction technique as students head into final exams? Help your own over-taxed teacher brain unplug for a few precious minutes?
I built these not-too-cheesy coloring pages for you!
It’s fair to say July brought a lot of surprises to Team Randazzo – some bad, but mostly good:
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I know, I know, it’s only the beginning of August, but it really is time to start thinking about the fall. As you get your planning underway, please know I have so. many. things. to ease your prep load. Today, I’m featuring five essential items – my all-time favorites! – that might be helpful: Full […]
You want to add more current event materials to your classes, but you definitely don’t have the time to dig through the daily paper or online media to find school-appropriate stories that’ll actually get kids talking. That’s where the education staff at The New York Times has your back. I’ve enjoyed their Learning Network materials for years, but just this weekend I learned about a mother lode of goodies they’ve compiled for us.
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Learn what my messed up teeth (and a great podcast episode) taught me about why I judge other people and how we can bring that lesson to our students:
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I know it’s vacation for a lot of my teacher-friends, so I’ll just set this here for you to explore when you’re ready. One of my go-to tools to take a class through a short story or dialogue-heavy chapter of a novel? Readers’ Theater! Here are the details about how to run the show: Click […]
The research citation experts over at the M.L.A. just released their 2021 edition of the handbook. Do you know the differences between the 8th and 9th editions? If not, join me for this quick overview of the rule changes that’ll impact students this fall:
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Laura Randazzo – Solutions for the Secondary Classroom 