Bringing Poetry to Your Classroom with T.S. Eliot

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Do you like Cats? Not the cute little fuzzballs that curl in your lap and purr as you read your favorite book, but the 1981, Andrew Lloyd Webber, fourth-longest-running-musical-masterpiece-performed-entirely-in-song Cats. If your answer is no, bear with me and don’t go anywhere. But if your answer is yes, then I’m sure you know that Cats … read more »


Back to School Community Building Activities for Secondary Classrooms

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou Ahh…it is the joyous, wonderful time of the year where teachers are running wild, preparing their classroom for the next group of minds waiting to discover their full … read more »


Creating Responsible Digital Citizens Through Digital Source Evaluation

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Digital citizenship has come into greater focus for educators over the years as misinformation has begun to dominate social media news feeds. According to a 2024 fact sheet from Pew Research Center, more than 54% of American adults receive their news from social media outlets, and we know this number is much higher for younger … read more »


Science of Reading for Secondary: Boosting Vocabulary Instruction

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The Science of Reading (SOR) is not a fad or a new initiative—it’s the result of decades of empirical study and research that have proven how the brain learns to read and the tried-and-true practices that support this process. To integrate insights from this body of research into our instruction, there are some habits we’ll … read more »


The Hounds of Misinformation: What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About Media Literacy

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A letter from Sherlock to Watson My dear Watson,  In a world overflowing with information, the ability to distinguish truth from deception is a skill as critical as any detective’s keen eye. This is why I find the study of ‘media literacy’ so intriguing—it is, in many ways, the modern art of deduction. I was … read more »


Making Shakespeare Accessible: Practical Reading Strategies for Educators

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Sonnet for Student ReadingIn hallowed halls of learning’s sacred shrine,Where dusty texts and scrolls do hold their sway,The scholars gather, with minds so fine,To read and study, night and endless day.Their eyes, aflame with zeal for knowledge true,Do scan the pages, line by line, with care,But oft, in haste, they skip the clue,And miss the … read more »


Everyone Is a Poet (Even If They Don’t Know It)

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On March 26, 1874, one of America’s most beloved poets was born. Robert Frost, known for his New England settings and his colloquial poetic verses, created some of the world’s most well-known lines of poetry that continue to speak to readers today. Frost can tap into the emotions of the average person and leverage that … read more »


Empowering Classrooms with Thoughtful Text Selection: Honoring John Steinbeck’s Legacy

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John Steinbeck is one of America’s greatest authors. His books expertly depict his time’s social and economic hardships and injustices, using compassionate writing to help readers develop empathy. Steinbeck is known for highlighting the fringes of society and forcing his readers to confront realities they would rather hide from. This is one reason he won … read more »


Why All Secondary Teachers Need to Add Science of Reading to Their Lessons

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The first month of the new year recently closed and many of us have refocused on our resolutions, here is a gentle push to keep that literacy goal going strong (or to create one, as the case may be). You might be thinking, “But I teach [fill in a non-literary-focused course here]—why do I need … read more »