Think of all the things swirling around in your head! I've got a Taylor Swift song or ten, a to-do list, twelve or so project ideas, lunch plans, a half-planned trip to Switzerland, and a whole lot more...⁣ .⁣ Our students know this feeling, though theirs may be swirling with slightly different ideas and challenges...⁣ .⁣ A fun way to get them thinking about characterization and the ways that authors reveal character's traits, dreams, changes, and growth is to have them try an "Open Mind."⁣ .⁣ 👈 To see how this fun and visually striking project works, then create your own version or comment "characterization" with some emojis to show me what's on YOUR mind if you'd like to see my version over on TPT.⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #onepager #iteachela #englishteacher #secondaryenglish #middleschoolenglish #2ndaryela

😍The Eras Tour film is out this weekend, and students will be going in droves! (Yeah, me too). ⁣ .⁣ How about a fun lesson to capitalize on the T. Swift love? 💎⁣ .⁣ This week's podcast has SEVEN amazing guests bringing you so many creative ideas for how to bring Taylor's music straight into your ELA lessons to help engage students.⁣ .⁣ Swipe 👈 to ride the tour bus through them all, then comment "228" if you'd like the link to all the free resources that will help you put them into action!⁣ .⁣ What do you think, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩? 🪩 ​ 🎶​ ​⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #iteachela #englishteacher #2ndaryela #iteachmiddleschoolela #ela

Choosing a favorite Jason Reynolds book is like trying to choose a favorite Taylor Swift song.⁣ .⁣ It depends on your mood! The people in the room! The time of day! Whether you had an apple cider donut or oatmeal for breakfast!⁣ .⁣ But here's the thing. His books are just the tip of the iceberg. Jason Reynolds has put himself out there for young readers and writers in so many ways.⁣ .⁣ There's the amazing short documentary "Dear, Dreamer," about him that lets kids get a peak at his (stuffed even more fully than your tabs browser) desktop.⁣ .⁣ There's his writing series "Write Right Rite" with short video prompts for middle schoolers.⁣ .⁣ There are his artistic collaborations - his poetry video "For Everyone," the graphic novel version of "Long Way Down," and "Ain't Burned all the Bright."⁣ .⁣ There are his interviews, especially his incredible defense of helping kids learn to love reading through graphic novels. (Save that one for your next department meeting!)⁣ .⁣ 👈 Swipe left for a visual tour of so many wonderful resources you can use to teach Jason Reynolds.⁣ .⁣ If you'd like, I've got six fun and free sketchnotes templates you can use the next time you share a Reynolds book on First Chapter Friday! Just comment "Templates please" and I'll DM you the 🔗 to grab them. ⁣ .⁣ #independentreading #iteachela #middleschoolela #2ndaryela #choicereading #jasonreynolds #yalit #graphicnovel #weneediversebooks

What clues will your students hide in my free digital escape room template?⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ Swipe 👈 to see how to use the templates for a student-designed escape room project next month!⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ You can use them to cover almost any type of content, and give your students a chance to experiment in a creative and popular medium.⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ Who doesn't want to play an escape room these days? Digital templates take the angst out of the creation process, especially when you're just getting started.⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ Just comment "Escape 135" below and I'll send along my podcast walking you through the process as well as the link to grab the free curriculum set to go with it.⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣ #escaperooms #breakout #iteachela #englishteacher

Is the five paragraph essay dead? . Someone asked me in The Lighthouse last week and it really got me thinking about my experience as someone who basically writes all day long. . I write podcasts, blog posts, Instagram carousels, social media captions, interview outlines, and emails from morning til night. And I am very often trying to argue something. I argue that slam poetry will help you engage students with poetry. Or that it’s important to build art and design into ELA classes because communication is increasingly through multimedia. Or that student podcasting is not as hard as it seems. . But do I use the 5 paragraph essay structure that I learned back in high school? Do I use formal language and avoid contractions and keep slang out of it and always always always use 3rd person? . Interesting question. . I often do use elements of the 5 paragraph essay, like hooks, supporting ideas with evidence, and wrapping things with a concluding bow. But I almost never go with formal language or 3rd person, and the extensive online writing class I took long ago basically told me I had better use contractions or suffer the consequences of sounding stilted and distant. Slang, pop culture references, and a good GIF help me make my point. . There are so many types of writing in the world now, and kids will have to adapt to new rules and structures as they go. . These days I think of the 5 paragraph essay as a super-scaffolded practice round for the writing waiting for kids beyond the classroom. . Is it dead? Nope. . Is it the end-all-be-all of argument? Definitely not. . Can we frame it that way for our kids, kind of like batting practice for a professional athlete? . Yep. And I want to highly recommend that we do. . Let me know below... How do you treat the five paragraph essay? Are you using it? How do you frame it for kids? . . . #ela #iteachwriting #english #essaywriting

What might 2024 look like for you with The Lighthouse bookmarked on your computer?! . Swipe 👈 to see what's waiting with today's special $1 for 1 week Black Friday trial. 🖤 . Picture... . ❤️ Creative curriculum always at your fingertips when planning time gets shortened by... everything else . 🧡 Singing along to T Swift on the way to work with a smile because you can't wait to roll out your next unit . 💛 Leaving your work bag at school more often, so you can sub in a gym bag, grocery bag, or bookstore bag! . 💚 Feeling excited about an observation, or a chance to present to your team about all the creative ideas you've been trying . 🩵 Knowing you've got backup in the sub plans library when... Stuff happens . The $1 Lighthouse trial is available today for Black Friday! 🖤 . Hop in and see it all. Cancel anytime if you don't love it. Otherwise enjoy your membership after that first week for the usual $25/month rate. . Just comment "The Lighthouse" if you'd like to see all the details of what's inside! 🚨 . . . #ela #iteachela #englishteacher

"I'm not really that into art," said a boy in my first class, as I rolled out a project I had spent maaaaany hours designing. 🙄⁣ .⁣ Swipe 👈 to see what I WISH I had said. (And the visual aids I wish I had had, lol).⁣ .⁣ Students may not feel the lure of a felt-tipped pen or a digital color palette. That's fine!⁣ .⁣ But to ignore the power of communicating through a combination of words and images is a mistake, in my opinion. It's a huge part of the world today, and ELA students need to get their feet wet in how multimedia conveys messages.⁣ .⁣ One-Pagers are one easy gateway to helping students try sharing ideas through both visuals and language. Templates and clear instructions provide a scaffold for this gentle first step. ⁣ .⁣ Today as part of Black Friday Week at Spark Creativity, I'm sharing my mega-pack of one-pagers for just $5 - that's 10 template sets for only $5. Just comment "Black Friday One-Pagers" if you'd like to check it out, and I'll send the link to the catalogue right over to your inbox.⁣ .⁣ But remember - today's deal is for today only!⁣ .⁣ Tomorrow's deal will open in the morning. 🌅⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #onepagers #onepager #sketchnotes #iteachela

Did someone say "fun to grade?" Yeah, that's what I heard. . One-pagers are a quick, creative assessment that helps kids develop the 21st century communication skill of sending a message through both words and imagery. . And they work for EVERYTHING! Nonfiction, novels, poetry, film, podcasts, even getting to know students. . Today's special Black Friday deal is my one-pagers mega pack with ten different template sets. It's a one-pager palooza. 🥳 . Just comment "Black Friday One-Pagers" and I'll send over the link to see today's deal and what's coming Thursday and Friday! . (🚨 Lighthouse members, you've already got access to all ten! You never need to buy anything from me during special sales). . . . #onepager #onepagers #sketchnotes #ela

Don't stay up until 2 in the morning searching for clips like I did the first time I rolled out performance poetry. 😂⁣ .⁣ There are so many ways you can use performance clips to amp your engagement with any poetry unit, even if your main poetry texts are definitely not available on Youtube.⁣ .⁣ Swipe 👈 to see some great video options. You can have kids judge these clips on a 1-10 scale and defend their choices, create a poetry bracket for your own poetry tournament, or use them as a foundation to help kids begin writing and performing work of their own!⁣ .⁣ Today only you can snag 50% off a brand new bundle of all of my favorite poetry resources, including my performance kit, for Black Friday Week at Spark Creativity!⁣ .⁣ Just comment "Black Friday Poetry" if you'd like me to send over the link to the catalogue featuring today's deal and all the rest coming later in the week.⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #iteachpoetry #iteachela #ela #elateacher

Snag my favorite 6 word memoir templates, plus a whole lot of new ways to use them! . Students can try character memoirs, research memoirs, personal memoirs, and even a community memoir wall! . I'll walk you through it and share these colorful templates when you comment "6 word memoir" below! . . . #6wordstory #6wordmemoir #ela #iteachwriting

Love gathering creative lesson options, hate organizing them all? That's where the Ed Deck comes in. . With 40 colorful strategy cards plus a blank set waiting for you to add your own favorite new ideas that you find here, there, and everywhere, the Ed Deck keeps your creative ideas right at your fingertips. . It's 50% off today only! Just comment "Black Friday" and I'll send over the catalogue of all this week's fun deals for Creative teachers. (Lighthouse members, you know it's in your Anytime Tools section! ❤️). . . . #ela #lessonplanning #englishteacher

If you've got a few hundred screenshots, saved posts, Pinterest boards, paper scraps and sticky notes full of ideas for class, you're not alone! . But it's a bit tricky to organize them. . Swipe 👈 to see my favorite solution! . With 40 colorful & creative cards, the Ed Deck keeps your creative lessons at your fingertips when you need them. . Did I mention there are blank cards for you to add your own fav strategies? 😀 . Black Friday Week kicks off tomorrow here at Spark Creativity, and the Ed Deck is the first daily deal at 50% off. Just comment "Black Friday" if you'd like me to send you the link to the whole catalogue! 🖤🖤🖤 . . . #lessonplanning #ela #eddeck