The first thing students need to know, as you teach them essay writing skills, is what mistakes they're most likely to make. Only after being explicitly taught common essay writing problems will they be able to identify and avoid them. This three-part lesson plan will guide you through the process of getting students writing, teaching … Continue reading Identifying and Avoiding Common Essay Problems
Having looked at a number of ways for students to take their work outside of the classroom, it's important to give them something that they will want to strive towards. A project based task that encourages them to discover and work to solve an issue in their own community is a great way to engage … Continue reading Creation and Publication Project
The best way to demonstrate that you understand something is to explain it to someone else. Allow students the opportunity to demonstrate that they understand a concept by flipping expectations and allow them to create assignments rather than complete them. Introduction This lesson focuses on having students READ A SHORT STORY and then break into small groups (I … Continue reading Teaching Literacy Skills through Assignment Creation
Literary / Poetic devices are used throughout both fiction and non-fiction to add depth, understanding, and beauty to otherwise dreary prose. Students need to have an understanding of the devices, as well as how they're used, before they develop the ability to appreciate the author's careful crafting. The Top Ten Devices MetaphorSimileAlliterationHyperboleImagery OnomatopoeiaSymbolRepetitionAllusionPersonification Teaching the … Continue reading Top 10 Key Literary Devices
Students need to be empowered to become agents of change in the world. Digital communication and social media are powerful tools that our students are already familiar with; showing them how to utilize these tools to enact real change allows them to reshape the media landscape that surrounds them. Having already looked at targetted writing … Continue reading Gender Lesson: Reshaping Gender Normative Roles
Advertisers constantly push messages at our students. Our students need to learn how to push back at the advertisers. Having already presented on the importance of creating better advertisements, this lesson will encourage them to take on a Role, select an Audience, choose a Format, and finally select a Topic as they write a piece … Continue reading Gender Lesson: The Gender R.A.F.T. Assignment
It's important that students know how to identify and name problematic messaging in the media they consume. From Facebook to Twitter to Television and Websites, our students view hundreds of advertisements a day. Having already seen how problematic messaging exists in the media we consume, in our past lesson, this lesson will arm our students … Continue reading Gender Lesson: Using the Media Triangle to Annotate Advertisements
Advertisements often have problematic gender messaging; however, advertisements can also be used to combat negative messaging, drawing attention to problematic norms. Building on the negative messaging from The Past is Present - Part 1 students should have a strong notion of the problematic messages that are inherenant in media pieces, and gendered advertisements. This lesson will … Continue reading Gender Lesson: The Past is Present – Part 2
Ads from past generations had problematic messaging. This has not changed. The negative gender normative messages will be addressed in this lesson. Having already familiarized students with the concepts raised from The Gender Box, and enhanced through the study of the short story X: A Fabulous Child's Story it's time to take those concepts and use them … Continue reading Gender Lesson: The Past is Present – Part 1
Whether you've arrived here as part of the larger Gender Representation Unit, or while searching for a strong short story to use with your students, X: A Fabulous Child's Story by Lois Gould is perfect for your classroom. A copy of the story can be purchased online or downloaded from The Gender Centre (currently the fourth link from the top at the time … Continue reading X: A Fabulous Child’s Story – Literacy Skills Review
What Binder Education 