An Introductory Lesson to Annotation The first time I heard the word “annotate,” I think I was in college. Back in high school, my teachers just told us to “mark up the text.” It’s funny, because I remember all of …
Category: teaching literature
Recognizing Frederick Douglass
I was eager to see the books that won this year’s Pulitzer prizes and am thrilled with the results. (I mean, a book with trees as characters won the prize for fiction!) But I’m most pleased to see that David …
8 Latin American Authors and Poets You Need to Read
As a student and young reader, I am often inundated with syllabi and must-read lists that beat me over the head with the “essentials.” One can only be told to read Twain, Austen, Faulkner, Dickens, and Hemingway so many times …
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6 Southern Gothic Literature Recommendations for Your Classroom
Some of the most important issues to be addressed in today’s classrooms include racism and gender equity—but they’re also some of the most intimidating topics for teachers to tackle. Luckily, Southern gothic literature deals with these ideas head on. This …
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How to Understand Shakespeare’s Language
Admit it: reading Shakespeare is not your cup of tea. At first, trying to read Shakespeare’s works may seem like learning a foreign language. Performed for audiences over four centuries ago, Shakespeare’s plays were written in Early Modern English, so …
3 Tips for Teaching Reading
For many students, reading comes naturally. It’s possible your students probably don’t think about how they read—they just do it. So for those who speak and read English proficiently, taking extra time to teach them reading skills may seem redundant. …
5 Creative Ways to Teach Story Elements to Middle Schoolers
Every time I tell my middle schoolers that we are going to analyze the elements of a story, I get a big groan from about half the room. Somehow, it’s gotten into their heads that writing stories is fun, while …
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5 Reasons to Reread Moby-Dick
Herman Melville’s classic novel about the grand whaling voyage of the Pequod first landed on bookstore shelves exactly 167 years ago. Moby-Dick was widely panned in both England and the United States—Melville’s experimental style flew over the heads of most …