Book Units. Why Literary Fiction Isn’t Boring. Have you ever wanted to savor a meal because you’ve never tasted anything so good? Well, if you’re new to literary fiction, or can never seem to “get into it,” this is how you should try approaching it. Think of the book as a meal with intricate scents, flavors and textures that you can’t quite recognize unless you spend a little more time with it, and give it some undivided attention. Because, trust me, sitting down a little longer than usual, to enjoy your meal, can be liberating, especially if accompanied by a great glass of red. (Getting specific: Agents explain what they want to get RIGHT NOW.) If guest columnist Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she’d give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics.
And not because she currently lives in Greece, either. Sensory information is, more often than not, a huge focus in literary works. I’m convinced that some people think literary fiction is boring because they have the wrong expectations. Read it again. 50 Things New Teachers Need To Know « Gently Hew Stone. [Update: Please be sure to also check out 50 MORE Things New Teachers Need To Know.] Now that August is here, I’m thinking about the imminent start of the new school year. For years I’ve watched new teachers start their first year with no clue about how to manage all that gets thrown at them, and I’ve wanted to have something to give them, samizdat style, that lets them in on what really matters, what really works, and what they should studiously ignore. This list represents a first draft effort at some of those ideas.
Minor disclaimer: I’m a high school English teacher in Las Vegas. Therefore, my advice is specifically shaped by that background. Sit your desk in the front of the room, not the back: the thinking that students will act more maturely if they don’t know if you’re looking at them is wrong–they couldn’t care less. Like this: Like Loading... 50 More Things New Teachers Need To Know « Gently Hew Stone.
“Don’t hit the kids and don’t hit on the kids.” If I had to summarize my best advice about teaching in just one saying, that would be it. However, last summer’s post, 50 Things New Teachers Need To Know, went into a bit more detail and has now garnered thousands of hits, making it this blog’s most popular post. During the school year between then and now, I’ve made some more notes and now have this new collection ready. As I say at the end, take it all with a grain of salt, but I have no doubt that this list is more useful than a bachelor’s degree in education.
Furthermore, I like this list even more than last year’s. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. Like this: Like Loading...
Use Your Writing VOICES! Before I get on with the real topic of this post, let me thank all of you who were able to commiserate with me on the substitute situation. It seems like many of you have been there too! I think I finally have my friends back on track. It's amazing how long it takes to recover from one wacky day! Now, on to writing. . . At the start of the school year, I was looking for a new way to focus my friends on the six traits of writing and the reading strategies we use. I came across the idea of using "VOICES" to emphasize writing traits while searching the web.
It seemed a perfect fit for what I was hoping to do in writing. You can see that the six traits are listed at the top, forming "VOICES. " As we do a mini-lesson on a certain trait, I write a card that summarized the idea. Ideally, it would be better if a different student wrote the actual card each day. Here's why this bulletin board works so well. This works the brain of my friend in a couple of ways. Riot Recommendation: Contemporary Literature for High School Students.