Socratic Circle Reflections on “Night”
Every year, at the end of studying “Night” by Elie Wiesel, instead of giving my students an essay or a test, I have them participate in a Socratic Circle. The […]
The Devil’s Advocate
It’s finally that time of year! March research brings April debates to my Sophomore English classes. Sure, maybe not the most creative of units, and maybe not really the best […]
Handwritten Pages
I still find evidence of my past when cleaning out a desk drawer, when flipping through a book from a previous class, when rediscovering a journal. I relish opening the […]
An Essay in Pictures
I worry sometimes that we are losing a little more of our creativity each time we work through the writing process. Typically in AP Literature and Composition, we write and […]
Finding little sparks of magic…
When was the last time you thought of learning as magical? From the day to day demands laid on so many educators, myself included, I can see how this might […]
Changing things up a bit…
After three years of Huck Finn as the Summer Reading Text for College Prep English to Sophomores, I decided I needed something that felt a little more relevant, something that […]
Getting COMFORTABLE with the UNCOMFORTABLE
PAGES has done it again: pushed the envelope, challenged our minds, opened our hearts and widened our scope! As is to be expected, the unexpected loomed but quickly disappeared […]
How to Teach ELA in a Career Technical High School
Guess what? This book doesn’t exist. FIRST: I skimmed through my inbox, clicking “delete, delete, delete” in response to the various emails flooding my mailbox. Adobe Creative Cloud…Quizlet…Newsela Daily. I […]
Challenge the Challenges
A couple of weeks ago, after students finished reading parts ofТ Beowulf,Т Т I thought it would be fun for them to create storyboards and a movie trailer, capturing the most suspenseful moments, […]
It’s Planting Time Once Again at PAGES.
There are an infinite amount of great reasons to be involved with the PAGES program. But one of the best reasons to be involved and stay involved is that the […]
Breaking Out of Routine
Want to solve a murder mystery?Т Nab an art museum bandit?Т Escape zombies and prevent global destruction?Т Now you can! Escape rooms are the newest trend in entertainment.Т Couples, families […]
Tension and Revision: Experimenting with Sound
Several days after Michael Torres visited Big Walnut, students approached me to ask if it was true: Did a man play his saxophone, making it sound like a blender? Yes, […]
Capturing Literature and Seizing Sound
Last summer, I took my children on a family vacation to Utah.Т At the zoo we fed rhinos and watched elephants paint masterpieces, and we drove to the top of […]
Shawnee, Ohio: From The Airport To Behind The Music Stand
On Monday morning, I boarded a plane headed to Minnesota for a gig. Seems normal enough for my life lately. Usually, though, I’m the one organizing the gigs and dealing […]
The Pages Program (Wexner Center for the Arts) 