One of the major themes in House on Mango Street is growing up. As Esperanza grows up, she starts to realize things about herself and the adult world–hence why this is called a ‘coming of age’ novel! This is essential for students to understand, so I created a notes sheet to help students begin to think about this theme in selected vignettes. Continue reading
As my eighth graders discussed the theme of growing up in the novel House on Mango Street, I had them connect the idea to their own lives—How had they grown up? Especially in the transition from sixth to eighth grade? Continue reading
Friday was my last day at Mason City High School, bittersweet to say the least. Saying goodbye to my Honors 10 group was tough. I had become particularly fond of them. Continue reading
As my first placement comes to a close, there’s one thing I wanted to make sure to do before leaving: create a student note sheet for my cooperating teacher so that she knows a little about each student going back into full-time teaching. Continue reading
Wow, where to start with this group? These students were mine from day one. They were my most challenging, but my most rewarding group. And they taught me a lot about being a tenth grader. Continue reading
Saying goodbye to my American Seminar students came first–this was the first class I gave back to my cooperating teacher, and while they were moving beyond The Scarlet Letter, I slaved over their grades in the back of the room. 😛
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I was extremely nervous about teaching tenth grade Honors English at first, but once I started planning out what I was going to do, I felt a lot better. Continue reading
My kids finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie! Yay! To complete the unit, I wanted the students to watch the movie and to compare the book and the movie–understanding literature through multiple lenses. Continue reading
As a closing and wrap-up activity for Tuesdays with Morrie, I asked my students to take out their drawings from the beginning of the semester, there initial pictures of who Morrie was. Continue reading
