Creative writing can be one of the most fun and fulfilling activities for ELA students, but sometimes the hardest part is just being inspired! Here is a list of 25 items to use when your students need to find that magical writing spark.  1. Artwork Paintings & Drawings: Use famous pieces to inspire the premise […]

As a big fan of reality competition shows, I’ve had a lot of these ideas rattling around in my brain for a while now, but the mass amounts of television viewing I’ve been doing in quarantine has definitely helped the process. Here are five ways to think outside of the box to use reality competiion […]

Memes may not be the first thing you think of when you think about the study of vocabulary and literature, but they actually require clever analysis and a keen wit that can engage students in their English work like no other medium. Here are thirteen ways to use memes in English class that will up […]

As an English teacher, I’m always trying to figure out ways to tie the curriculum to pop culture examples that students connect with. Using song lyrics can provide an accessible jumping off point to practice literacy skills and analyze literary elements before applying these skills to larger pieces of literature. Here are 10 engaging ways […]

I have taught most of my career at an urban Indigenous high school for students who come from reserves all over Northern Ontario. Although we have more “city kids” now, a large portion of our student population consists of students from remote northern communities who attend our school because there are no high schools on […]