September 11, 2023

AP Lit, Characterization Lessons, Close Reading, Common Core, Lists, Literature Articles, Poetry

Heroes and the Hero’s Journey: Lessons and Activities for Your Next Heroism Unit

September 11, 2023

AP Lit, Characterization Lessons, Close Reading, Common Core, Lists, Literature Articles, Poetry

Heroes and the Hero’s Journey: Lessons and Activities for Your Next Heroism Unit

What is the definition of a hero?

This is the quintessential question that arises when teaching any unit that involves heroism— whether it’s a unit on epic heroes or a unit on everyday heroes.

Meredith Dobbs

April 13, 2023

Bundles & Units, Creative Writing, Fun Stuff!, Literature Articles, Poetry

Teaching Poetic Devices with Pop Songs

Meredith Dobbs

April 13, 2023

Bundles & Units, Creative Writing, Fun Stuff!, Literature Articles, Poetry

Teaching poetic devices with pop songs can be a fun and engaging way to help students learn about poetry. It can also help them to appreciate the beauty and complexity of language.

Meredith Dobbs

April 19, 2018

Common Core, Creative Writing, Poetry, Writer's Notebook, Writing Workshop

Tone Tunes: Using Music to Teach Tone in Poetry

Meredith Dobbs

April 19, 2018

Common Core, Creative Writing, Poetry, Writer's Notebook, Writing Workshop

Tone Tunes: Using Music to Teach Tone in Poetry

Being able to decipher the tone of a piece of writing is crucial to being able to decipher the thematic message of a text. This is absolutely true for analyzing poetry.

Meredith Dobbs

April 4, 2018

Creative Writing, Freebies, Lists, Poetry, Projects, Writer's Notebook, Writing Workshop

National Poetry Month: A WHOLE MONTH of Poetry Activities for Secondary ELA

Meredith Dobbs

April 4, 2018

Creative Writing, Freebies, Lists, Poetry, Projects, Writer's Notebook, Writing Workshop

National Poetry Month: A WHOLE MONTH of Poetry Activities for Secondary ELA

Love it or hate it, poetry is unavoidable in the secondary ELA classroom. I, for one, am a HUGE lover of poetry but fully acknowledge that it can be annoyingly cryptic at times. Reading poetry reminds us that not all texts are meant to be beat "with a hose to find out what [they] really mean" like in the Billy Collins poem "Introduction to Poetry."

Meredith Dobbs

April 10, 2017

Best Practices, Common Core, Essay Writing, Lesson Planning, Lists, Literature Articles, Poetry

Poetry for Writing Workshop in Grades 6-12: 10+ Devices & Poems to Model Them ALL!

Meredith Dobbs

April 10, 2017

Best Practices, Common Core, Essay Writing, Lesson Planning, Lists, Literature Articles, Poetry

Poetry for Writing Workshop in Grades 6-12: 10+ Devices & Poems to Model Them ALL!

You may find yourself in agreement with Frost's famous quote when it comes to teaching poetry in the secondary classroom. However, love it or hate it, poetry can play a helpful role in teaching students how to write! Famous poems can serve as mentor texts for students and showcase key literary and rhetorical devices in action.

Meredith Dobbs

January 29, 2017

Best Practices, Poetry, Reflections on Pedagogy, Teacher Tips

The Case for Poetry in Secondary ELA: How Poetry can Target Reading and Writing Skills in a Shorter Context

Meredith Dobbs

January 29, 2017

Best Practices, Poetry, Reflections on Pedagogy, Teacher Tips

The Case for Poetry in Secondary ELA: How Poetry can Target Reading and Writing Skills in a Shorter Context

Poetry tends to be polarizing among educators, parents, and students. The word either makes a person smile or cringe. But why is poetry so polarizing?

Meredith Dobbs

January 22, 2017

Bundles & Units, Close Reading, Lesson Planning, Literature Articles, Poetry, Writer's Notebook

The Romantics vs. the Imagists: A Comparison of Two Different Styles

Meredith Dobbs

January 22, 2017

Bundles & Units, Close Reading, Lesson Planning, Literature Articles, Poetry, Writer's Notebook

The Romantics vs. the Imagists: A Comparison of Two Different Styles

Contrasting literary movements as a pedagogical approach to teaching literature is a debatable method, but I have found that juxtaposing literary movements...

Meredith Dobbs

December 19, 2016

Lesson Planning, Writer's Notebook, Holidays, Close Reading, Poetry, Bundles & Units, Best Practices

The Complex Themes of Winter Poetry: Creating a Winter Poetry Unit for Secondary ELA

Meredith Dobbs

December 19, 2016

Lesson Planning, Writer's Notebook, Holidays, Close Reading, Poetry, Bundles & Units, Best Practices

The Complex Themes of Winter Poetry: Creating a Winter Poetry Unit for Secondary ELA

This winter season, I found myself missing the snow for the first time in my life because we made a big move from a cold climate where we have lived for the past six years to a warm climate where there is no snow. I never fully realized...