-
Continue reading →: Decolonizing and Indigenizing your ELA Curriculum and ClassroomPREFACE This blog post is written from the perspective of a White secondary ELA teacher who has worked with Indigenous students exclusively at a First Nations private high school for the last fifteen years. My experiences are primarily from working with Ojibwe, Cree, and Ojicree students from Treaty 5 and…
-
Continue reading →: Found Poetry Methods To Engage Reluctant and Struggling WritersThroughout my teaching career, I’ve found poetry to be one of those topics that many students fear. Perhaps they worry about exposing their inner thoughts and feelings, or perhaps it’s just the fear of learning a new genre, but I assure them that poetry can be a fun and fulfilling…
-
Continue reading →: Writing Activities to Cultivate Kindness and Empathy in Your ELA ClassroomAs teachers, we teach the curriculum of our subjects each day, but there is also a hidden curriculum that we try to instill in our students – all of the life and social skills to be a successful, happy, contributing citizen. Now more than ever, an important piece of learning…
-
Continue reading →: 5 Activities to Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Your ELA ClassroomValentine’s Day is fast approaching and although it may seem difficult to incorporate holiday celebrations into your secondary ELA class with all of the curriculum expectations to meet, here are five ways to include some Valentine’s themed activities into your lessons without missing a beat in your usual routine. 1.…
-
Continue reading →: Don’t Have a Meltdown, Beat the Winter Blahs With Literary SnowmenWhether you’re heading back into the classroom, or prepping to go back online (thanks, Omicron), we can all use some fun and fresh air to beat the winter blahs. If you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to have snow on the ground, Literary Snowman Building is a cool idea to try…
-
Continue reading →: Ideas For ELA Podcasting ProjectsLet’s talk podcasting! If you’re looking for a way to incorporate reading, writing, research, media, and oral communication in the same project, podcast creation is where it’s at. There are many ways for your students to record a podcast and much of it depends on the classroom tech you have…
-
Continue reading →: See You In The Funny Pages! Engaging Ways To Use Comic Strips In Your ELA ClassroomWith the decline of print media, the classic comic strips we grew up with are not as much a part of our students’ lives, with Internet graphics and memes taking up that space, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for comic strips as educational tools in our classrooms.…
-
Continue reading →: Scary Movie Activities for Secondary ELA That Will Leave Your Students Shook This HalloweenSpooky Season is upon us, and I can’t wait for all the chills and thrills! Growing up, Halloween was always such an exciting time in my neighbourhood. My mom would blast Thriller and the Ghostbusters theme song from a bedroom window while trick-or-treaters came to the cob-webbed door, ready to…
-
Continue reading →: 5 Video Storytelling Options When Teaching the Plot DiagramI find that starting the school year with a short story unit that focuses on the elements of fiction is the best starting point to give my students the building blocks they need to be successful in my English classes. In the first lesson, I explain types of plot and…
-
Continue reading →: 10 Novel Study Activities Using Tik Tok or ReelsSome of the most memorable projects and activities that I remember from my own high school experience involved filming what can only be described as cinematic masterpieces, if only in our own minds. I remember two standout performances in particular – a group project film about a viral pandemic outbreak,…
Hello,
I’m Katie
I’ve taught high school English at an Indigenous private school for nearly two decades. I’ve become an expert at interpreting the curriculum to make it meaningful and memorable for students by taking a holistic approach to teaching and believing that every student can achieve success (with the right motivation!) If you’re looking to reach every kid in your classroom and get them excited about English, then you’ve come to the right place!
Let’s connect
Let’s keep in touch!
Join my Mocha Mail newsletter.
