Many of us became English teachers because we love reading, and we wanted to share that love of reading (and our favorite books) with our students. But as we get into the heart of the school year, it can be hard to find the energy to read.
Do you feel like you’re trying strategy after strategy to improve your students’ writing . . . and none of…
Teaching AP English, whether it’s Language or Literature, is an intimidating experience. The texts are more challenging, there is a…
Irony can be a lot of fun to teach, but it can also be really challenging for students to wrap their minds around. It’s important for all students to understand, though, because it forms the basis for large swaths of our popular culture, and unlike other literary devices, when we misunderstand (or miss altogether) an author’s use of irony, we run the risk of taking away the opposite meaning than the one the author intended.
We’re not going to find a foolproof way to keep our students from using ChatGPT or detect it when they do: ChatGPT is a better writer than many students who have come through our doors. What we can do, however, is require students to include enough specific elements in their writing assignments that ChatGPT will be unlikely to provide a perfect response.
Symbolism can be a real can of worms for any English teacher. On the one hand, symbols are often challenging for students to find, wrap their minds around, and explain meaningfully. On the other hand, budding literary scholars love to go “symbol hunting,” identifying anything and everything as a symbol, sometimes with wild results.