Scaffolded High School English Resources
Blog posts pertaining to literature in the high school English classroom.
Are you trying to put together a World Literature curriculum? Maybe a graphic novel literature circle? Looking for a low-level but rigorous text, perhaps? There are endless reasons why you should teach Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; here are just six of them.
Read MoreHorror novels that are classroom appropriate can be tricky to find. Finding recommendations for horror-loving students that wouldn’t get me fired used to be difficult. After lots of reading, I have found seven spooky YA novels your high school students will love.
Read MoreOne of my greatest accomplishments in the classroom was my independent reading program. For thirty minutes every week, you could hear a pin drop in my room as students read. Sure, not every kid turned into a voracious reader, but they all at least pretended to look like they were reading. In this post, I will walk you through the steps of creating your own independent reading program.
Read MoreWhen you think of rigorous teaching, you might not think of graphic novels right away. They seem too easy and too simplistic for any meaningful novel study, right? Well, actually, graphic novels have a lot to offer young students. In this post, I hope to share a few quick tips for teaching with graphic novels.
Read MoreI love designing units around essential questions, so when I began planning my The Hate U Give unit plan, that’s where I started. I’ve talked before about why I love teaching The Hate U Give, but in this post, I want to share exactly how I use essential questions to connect the novel with real life.
Read MoreThinking about teaching a social justice unit in your class? Whether you’re reading a social justice novel or just examining a societal injustice, these three activities will engage your students with the material.
Read MoreYou’ve established independent reading in your classroom. Congratulations! But now what? How do you make independent reading meaningful for students? Once students are actually reading, there are many independent reading activities you can do to...
Read MoreLet’s talk about the “F-word.” Feminism, that is! Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu is a fantastic YA novel about girl power and women’s rights. In this post, I hope to help you determine if Moxie deserves...
Read MoreI could not put We Are Not From Here down while reading it. This story about immigration, family, sacrifice, and the American Dream is full of adventure, hope, and heartbreak. If you’re looking for a young adult novel to add to your English class curriculum or classroom library, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Read MoreLately, everywhere I turn teachers are talking about literature circles--and for good reason! If you’re looking for a way to create rigor in your classroom and to cultivate authentic, real-life skills in your students, then literature circles may just be the activity your curriculum needs!
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