Tag: language arts

suspenseful story writing

Suspenseful Story Writing in Language Arts: Model Texts

Students love to write suspenseful stories, especially around Halloween. They can be a fun diversion in a secondary Language Arts classroom which can sometimes be dominated by essays. But if done properly, they can also teach students a great deal about how stories are constructed using suspense and imagery to

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What Makes a Book Great?

If you’re a high school English teacher – especially of the AP variety – it’s easy to get smug about books. We believe that some books are better than others and that every student should believe that Hemingway is a better author than Sparks or Rowling. We may not believe

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Why Read Books?

This summer I had two wonderful experiences reading books. The first was reading War and Peace, which took me the better part of the summer, but was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I have ever had. The second was The Importance of Being Earnest, which I read in an afternoon, laughing

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Romeo and Juliet – Fun with the Balcony Scene

Is there anything more fun than teaching the balcony scene? We get to expose students to some of the best writing that’s ever been produced in the English language as well as an easily accessible scene with understandable conflict and a little romance. In fact, I find the balcony scene

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Clip Art – Muslim student reading

I have never seen a girl wearing a hijab in any educational clip art. The results of a search for “Muslim children clip art” and “Muslim children reading” were entirely religious in nature. Since I have so many Muslim students, I felt like they needed to be represented doing regular

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