Scaffolded High School English Resources
Blog posts pertaining to literature in the high school English classroom.
Do you (or your students) enjoy action? Mystery? Diverse literature? Sassy female characters? ZOMBIES?! Yeah, I thought so. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland offers all of this with a side of phenomenal writing; your high school classroom library is incomplete without it!
Read MoreWe all know there are better forms of assessment. There are better ways of engaging readers. (There is, perhaps, no better way of disengaging readers!). So, is it time to ditch the reading worksheets?
Read MoreNeed an exciting, but challenging, modern dystopian novel for your students? Then add Scythe to your high school classroom library immediately!
Read MoreInternment by Samira Ahmed is a daring novel for your classroom--one that addresses hate, Nationalism, and blind loyalty. Your students will immediately make real-world connections. The dystopian element makes those connections easier to discuss in a classroom setting.
Read MoreI started my journey to add young adult literature to my classroom when I finally ran out of patience for our outdated African American unit. The updates went so well, I’ve begun branching out into my other classes and units. I have found that young adult literature is especially great for engaging my at-risk students. Better yet though, it’s engaging for me. When I’m teaching more contemporary novels, I’m more thoughtful and engaged in my teaching.
Read MoreI don’t care who you are, we all love a little bit of romance. But I cannot hand a book about a relationship to a student without making sure there’s a twist. See, while I have a healthy respect for love, I hate to see it idealized. Enter Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.
Read MoreI think a lot of high school teachers figure that independent reading isn’t necessary for older students, is too “baby-ish”, or is a waste of time among a jam-packed curriculum. This blog post isn’t to explain my rationale for independent reading with high school students. Rather, I want to share what it looks like in my classroom.
Read MoreI originally read Broken Things while on vacation and, guys, I devoured it! I mean, I almost stayed in my hotel instead of exploring the Vegas strip because I just didn’t want to put it down!
Read MoreLately, I’ve been receiving e-mails and TPT questions like this: I really want to teach The Hate U Give. I know my students would love it. I know they NEED it! But I’m getting pushback from my principal/school/district. What do I do if my school won’t let me teach The Hate U Give?
Read MoreBlack and White by Paul Volponi is the cornerstone of my classroom library! It is the first book that I book talk, the book that goes missing without fail every quarter, and the novel that...
Read More
