An archived stack of papers: 'handouts'

Next Steps

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Feb
  • 03
  • 2011

So I told my students today all those things I’m feeling that I wrote about yesterday: that feeling of “ugh” and how I don’t like the way things are progressing. I read a passage from Fahrenheit 451 to my English 2 today wherein Montag gives an impassioned plea to his wife that she needs to feel... read more

The Feeling Of “Ugh”

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Feb
  • 02
  • 2011

The feeling of “Ugh.” You know the feeling. The feeling that you get when plans do not pan out. The feeling of “it’s too late to change now!” The feeling that things were not supposed to go this way. The feeling that reality does not match the vision. The feeling of not being entirely sure why. Are those the feelings of an average day for you, too?

In both of my... read more

Not Just For Presentations

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jan
  • 31
  • 2011

Wait, wait, wait… Why didn’t anyone tell me that I can use PowerPoint simply to present a writing prompt? Daily agendas in PowerPoint? Sure, why not? I feel like such a huge idiot since it’s nearly a decade and a half into my career and I only now started to think of PowerPoint for this. Here’s the run down:

What I Used To Do

Type the question into Word. Now make... read more

Introduction Inspection

In a stack of papers called Writing.

  • Oct
  • 27
  • 2010

Last year, my good friend and I put together a presentation and we alliterated the titles of all of our handouts (Strong Sentences, Excerpt Exercise, etc.). I’ve added a new one to that group of handouts and am excited about the possibilities is represents. Introduction Inspection presents students with three introductions that they basically need to grade and then say why. The differences between... read more

TTTC: Day One

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Mar
  • 19
  • 2009

The Things They Carried, this is the first time I’m teaching it. It’s a great book, one I had a fantastic time reading a few summers back, but I’m not really sure what to do with it in the classroom. Here’s what I did today:

Times And Handout

Reading the first ten pages takes about twenty minutes. You read the first paragraph, other students read in... read more

OFOCN: Socratic

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Feb
  • 27
  • 2009

The plan is to have a Socratic seminar next week as a new way of discussing the novel and to help students get closer to their idea of theme. With the final fifty pages of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest yet to come, students will surely adjust their thinking after the big events described there. But to understand the novel as completely as they can right now, I’m hoping that some... read more

Writing: Freedom Vs. Definition

In a stack of papers called Writing.

  • Feb
  • 24
  • 2009

We’ve steadily worked our way through the majority of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. We have about one-hundred pages left. One practice, group paragraph and one big-point, solo paragraph later, we’re about ready to dive into the conclusion. I’ll hit them with a writing assignment Thursday and move on to a ... read more

Support: Tomorrow’s Notes

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Feb
  • 23
  • 2009

Tuesdays and Thursdays are now days when I present a little something that students need to take notes on. I make a quiz about once every two weeks based on our growing stash of notes. Tomorrow will see us tackle the topic of how to be assertive. I’m curious how long it will take my students to realize that this video is not at all serious in its depiction, though it may be in terms of its... read more

OFOCN: Days One And Two

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jan
  • 23
  • 2009

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is a great novel. It’s fun to teach because it’s so far removed from what students are used to reading in class and the content typically gets them intrigued enough to give the thing a fair shake. It’s a bit of a challenge, though, for those very same reasons.

Times And Handouts

We spent about forty minutes reading today... read more

January Finals Of 08-09

In a stack of papers called Instruction.

  • Jan
  • 21
  • 2009

Just in case anyone’s interested, here are my first semester finals. I’ll debrief how they went later. Since I change things almost about every year, I don’t have a problem posting these here for all to see. If you’re of the same mind, let’s see what you’ve got. If you want to use these, feel free. I’d like to hear your thoughts and/or see what your finals... read more