Teaching Literacy Skills through Assignment Creation

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

Top 10 Key Literary Devices

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

Spotlight On: Udon Entertainment Comics

UDON Entertainment publishes graphic novels based on well-known properties such as Street Fighter, Okami, Mega Man, Dark Souls, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Robotech.1 Their new line, Manga Classics, has positioned UDON as leading publishers for educational and classroom use.  Their Cheif, and founder, Erik Ko stated that his mother asked why UDON didn't make graphic novels that students could relate to, while also … Continue reading Spotlight On: Udon Entertainment Comics

Why Students Are More Willing to Read Graphic Novels

There are a number of reasons why students that scoff at black and white text while fully engaging with comics, even if the actual word counts are comparable.   This is part of and ongoing series on Comics in the Classroom.  When teachers looks to introduce Key Literacy Skills to their students, they often overlook the most … Continue reading Why Students Are More Willing to Read Graphic Novels

Video Tutorial Series: ThingLink, the Digital Annotation Tool

ThingLink is a free online tool to digitally annotate images. There area wide variety of reasons for using ThingLink in your classroom, ranging from visualizing complex ideas, to streamlining presentations. Here you will find a number of tutorials that walk you, step-by-step, through the tool. You will move from complete beginner to expert in less … Continue reading Video Tutorial Series: ThingLink, the Digital Annotation Tool

Pixabay: Royalty Free Stock Photos for Teachers and Professionals

One thing that few people realize is that not every picture on the internet is fair game for teacher use.  At the end of the day, will you face legal reprimands for using a picture you downloaded from someone's website?  Probably not.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to stick to using legal images.  … Continue reading Pixabay: Royalty Free Stock Photos for Teachers and Professionals