FCF Recommendations: War Books for Teens
When it comes to First Chapter Friday, it’s hard to go wrong with war books for teens, especially those related…
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Using Images as Narrative Writing Prompts Leads to Inventive Stories
Confession time. We have very mixed feelings about teaching narrative writing, and when cuts needed to be made because we…
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Science Fiction Novels for Teens to Ignite Their Imaginations
Some of our STEM-focused students aren’t drawn toward recreational reading, especially of fiction. Many prefer nonfiction or technical books. (Steph…
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How to Write a Reading Quiz That Actually Works: Lessons from Years of Mistakes
“Uggghhh . . . rivets.” Steph still remembers hearing about the notorious AP Lit reading quiz for Heart of Darkness—two…
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Why Build a Cultural Toolkit with Your Students?
We came to believe we had an obligation to provide our students with what we call a “cultural toolkit.” What authors (for better or worse) once presumed to be a common body of knowledge is increasingly less common: Greek and Roman mythology, the works of Shakespeare, the Bible, and even fairy tales written by the brothers Grimm, not Disney.
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What Does “Literary Merit” Even Mean?
Educational jargon can feel like its own language: engagement, differentiation, text-dependent questions, academic conversation, high-stakes assessment. And don’t forget the…
