Teachers often request a shorter work to pair with Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, and yesterday I found one. On the website, AmericanLiterature.com, I stumbled upon H. H. Munro’s “The Open Window,” and my first thought was that this would pair nicely with The Crucible. A young girl, alone with a guest, realizes that he…
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Independent Reading: Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Care Givers, Independent Reading, Teacher Resources, What I'm ReadingLeave a Reply
Another great middle-grade novel to add to your classroom library or independent reading list is Skyler Schrempp’s Three Strike Summer. Set in Oklahoma and California during the Dust Bowl, this novel would also complement an American history class. Gloria, the protagonist, must leave her farm in Oklahoma and move to California where there is work…
A Classic to Consider: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Classic to Consider, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
This time of year, reading teachers cannot help but think of the classic story, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. The ideal short story, it contains identifiable literary techniques that students can discuss. The story is, however, somewhat dated. Not many of us can relate to cutting our hair and selling it to…
A Gem of a Poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Inspiration, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
There are few poems or stories that I can remember reading for the first time, and Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is one of them. I remember finding a picture book in the library of the poem. Each page had just a line or two with dark but vivid pictures illustrating the…
Art in the Classroom: Norman Rockwell’s The Jolly Postman
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Tuesday, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
‘Tis the season for motivating students with lessons that embrace the festivities of December because, let’s face it, we’re tired and they’re tired, and we are all in need of something fun to do in class. One option is to bring seasonal works of art to your lessons, and who better than Norman Rockwell to…
A Gem of a Poem: “Student of Clouds” by Billy Collins
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Teachers who are looking for poems that straddle two subjects can rely on “Student of Clouds” by Billy Collins. The poem is printed in Collins’ collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room, New and Selected Poems, and is just one of several from the collection that students will find accessible. “Student of Clouds” begins with “The…
Teacher Inspo: The Ron Clark Story starring Matthew Perry
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
A role seldom mentioned that Matthew Perry championed is his portrayal of Teacher of the Year, Ron Clark, who taught an at-risk class in the Bronx. The Ron Clark Story is an underdog-to-victor story, the hero’s journey in dire circumstances where kids are used to adults in their lives quitting on them. Clark believes in…
Perfect Pairing: Hell of a Book with Ghost Boys
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Perfect Pairings, Teacher Resources, Teacher Tuesday, UncategorizedLeave a Reply
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott needs to be in every high school classroom library and on every reading list. The main character is a Black author who is traveling on his book tour to promote Hell of a Book. He is visited by the Kid, who is the ghost of a Black boy…
A Classic to Consider: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Classic to Consider, For Kids, Independent ReadingLeave a Reply
Teachers and students who are looking for a creepy children’s mystery novel this time of year will find exactly that in Virginia Hamilton’s The House of Dies Drear, and its sequel The Mystery of Drear House. As the new resident of a mansion that was once part of the Underground Railroad, young Thomas learns of…
Perfect Pairing: “The Split Cherry Tree” by Jesse Stuart and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Teachers who are looking for a short story to pair with To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, may find that Jesse Stuart’s short story, “The Split Cherry Tree” works well. In the short story, the protagonist must stay late at school as punishment, which causes his hard-working father to make a visit to the…
