Teachers, looking for something different for the end of the school year? Immerse your classes in the incredible true account of the Thai boys’ soccer team that was trapped in a flooded cave six years ago with Christina Soontornvat’s All Thirteen. Their dramatic and risky (understatement) rescue is truly a miracle of people working together…
All posts tagged #teachingEnglish
Teacher Resource: Board Games to cure boredom
Teachers, looking for a “year in review” type of activity that will keep your classes engaged? Ask students to pick one reading from the school year – short story, novel, play – and turn it into a board game. Students can create a “Candy Land” type of path with symbols, colors, playing pieces, etc. This…
Teacher Tuesday: “The Fly” by Katherine Mansfield
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Classic to Consider, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Teachers, looking for a short story to teach symbolism? “The Fly” by Katherine Mansfield (author of “A Dill Pickle”) may work nicely in your lessons. The story is also historical fiction – set after World War 1 in England – and would complement an historical unit on war. Mansfield’s word choices, details, and narrow point…
What I’m Reading: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
I’ve just finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, who is the author of one of my all-time favorite novels, All the Light We Cannot See. Cloud Cuckoo Land is a different kind of novel, a different kind of story. It is about an ancient myth where a man turns into a donkey; it…
A Gem of a Poem: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Robert Frost poetry is accessible to students, provides writing inspiration, and demonstrates a variety of poetic techniques. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a true gem for many reasons. Yes, it is quoted in S.E. Hinton’s YA novel, The Outsiders, but when fans of the book take pause and examine why Hinton chose this poem to…
Art in the Classroom: Starry Night by Van Gogh
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Tuesday, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
When I taught middle school, Fridays were days when I wanted to do something different. After sticking with the curriculum for the other four days of the week, I looked to Fridays for creativity, inspiration, a relaxed atmosphere. Often, we would arrange our desks in a circle rather than rows, and I would call our…
Art in the Classroom: Henri Matisse’s The Snail
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Today I suggest using the colorful art of Henri Matisse in your English or language arts classroom. The piece that I have chosen, The Snail, is fun, bold, and daring. Much of Matisse’s work is less abstract, but I chose this one for its abstractness. Students could try to create a similar piece and let…
Perfect Pairings: “The Open Door” by H.H. Munro and The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Perfect Pairings, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
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…
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…
