The Teaching ELA Podcast

“Masque of the Red Death” is one of those stories that became more relevant around March of 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic. Plagues and pandemics have not only been a part of human history, but in many cases they have changed history. We are fortunate today that we have communication and medical capabilities that limit the effect of pandemics and disease. So despite the disruption to our lives and the personal tragedies some of my...

Caesar has ample information to ascertain there is a viable threat against his life, so why does he not heed these warnings?

It’s because of pride. He thinks he’s untouchable. He thinks that his decrees carry the force of god.

How are we like Caesar? Do we listen those who are “beneath” us or do we think we’re too good to listen to the advice of our students, our colleagues, and others? If so, we may be setting ourselves up for a hug...

Why teach foreshadowing in Literature?

Teaching foreshadowing in short stories may cover the following Common ELA Standards. 

1. RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
2. RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped ...

Charles Dickens’ father was a pay clerk in a navy office. Because of financial difficulties, the family moved about until they settled in Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London, England. At the age of twelve Charles worked with working-class men and boys in a factory that handled "blacking," or shoe polish. While his father was in debtor's prison, the rest of the family moved to live near the prison, leaving Char...

Today’s quote comes from David Copperfield, a novel I first read in college when I was going through my read everything by Charles Dickens phase. Young David Copperfield meets Mr. Micawber who has many a problem with money; that is, he has no ability nor desire to manage his money well, always incurring debts and never able to pay them off, landing him eventually in debtors' prison. 

By the way, if you’ve seen the movie that ca...

After teaching high school for 20 years, I was a little nervous about my new middle school teaching assignment. Then I realized it’s kind of the same as teaching high school, except students are smaller and the stories are different.

The skills, however, remain the same–just at a different level.

And of course the learning target stays the same: “I can cite textual evidence to support analysis.”

You mean, middle school students are ca...

I’ll be honest. I usually stop reading Julius Caesar after Act 3 and show the movie for Acts 4 and 5 because everything after act 3 is just falling action. And there’s a lot of falling.

Takeaways

1. I’m not sure the play’s worth teaching/reading after Act III. There are a couple good movies you can show on YouTube to give students the ending they crave.
2. Shakespeare depicts Marc Antony as a cut throat politician.
3. Back-stabbing is a top...

Takeaways

1. Habits create our future. What type of future are your habits creating?
2. Consistent exercise will change your life.
3. Start small, master it, go less small.

Resources

1. Benefits of Exercise Blog Post https://thehighlyeffectiveteacher.com/how-exercise-boosts-teacher-wellbeing/
2. Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
3. Complete Lesson Plans Collections: https://trent-media.myshopify.com/

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 4, 2022

An Analysis of "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Of all Robert Frost poems, none are more famous than "The Road Not Taken." My analysis of it leads to the following observations and queries.

1. The rhyme scheme is a b a a b
2. The poem uses the well known metaphor of a path being compared to life, and a divergent path representing a choice.
3. Both paths are appealing to ...

(Originally Published November 21, 2021) I just taught this last week and I forgot just how good it was. I’m talking about Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nat Hawthorne.

Takeaways

1. DHE isn’t exactly what it appears to be. The participants believe it’s a scientific experiment, but it’s actually an experiment on human behavior.
2. There’s a ton of symbolism in here that adds depth to the story.
3. Use the cringy movie to enhance instruction.
<...

Shakespeare makes it clear that Caesar was a very popular ruler of Rome. It’s also clear that Mark Antony uses this to incite the people to rebellion. But does the literature represent reality?

Act III is one of the greatest acts in the history of drama, full of famous lines, such as “ET tu Brute?” but one must look to Marc Antony for the greatest lines in the plan and the greatest speech in all of literature. For those of...

Today’s quote of the day is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, which naturally makes it one of the most famous quotes in Literature.

Quote: Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once. / Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, / It seems to me most strange that men should fear, / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come. (II, ii, 32-37).

Analysis: Cae...

Caesar has good reason to worry about Cassius and if Cassius was his only threat, he would have survived the assassination plot. It’s the threats he couldn’t see that lead to his death. Those threats include his best friend Brutus and other noble Romans.

So what are we overlooking as we prepare for the upcoming school year? We can prepare for known threats, but how are we preparing for the unknown? What habits are we establishing in...

(Original published onThursday, August 26, 2021 and republished in honor of all my colleagues starting school today) Let's face it, the start of the school year can be challenging. You might even say it sucks. Today's podcast addresses the true reason the start of the year is so bad and it probably isn't the reason you think it is.

This is definitely the podcast episode you'll want to share with all you...

In today’s episode of the Teaching ELA Podcast, I discuss the one habit that changed my life. I know that sounds like a bit of hyperbole--because it is--but if you do this one thing before you leave school today (and every other day), you’ll sleep better at night, feel a lot less stress, and be present when you’re with the people you care about most.

Takeaways

1. There’s no sense in leaving on time if you’re stressed out all the tim...

The first time I read Catcher in the Rye, I liked and felt bad for Holden Caufield. The second time I read it, I couldn’t stand Holden Caufield and was happy about his demise. These contradictory feelings toward one of American Literature’s most famous protagonists is in line with Caufield’s contradictory feelings toward just about everything.

Links

• Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
• Catche...

(Originally Published on AUGUST 02, 2021) In today’s episode of the Teaching ELA Podcast, I discuss several short stories with a focus on characterization: “The Catbird Seat,” “Leinengen vs The Ants,” “A White Heron,” “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” and “The Story of an Hour.” I’ve got an emergency lesson plan you can get on the board right now involving characterization and something from one story in particular that you may ...

(Originally published on JANUARY 17, 2022) The battle for your students’ soul rages. Today we’ll discuss several high interest short stories for middle school and high school

Let’s not mess around. Here’s the one thing you can teach to keep students engaged while engaging them with great short stories.

Links

1. 9 High Interest Short Stories at ELAcommoncorelessonplans.com
2. Lit/Movie Comparison Handout
3. Science Fiction Lesson Plans Collec...