The Teaching ELA Podcast

(Originally Published November 21, 2021) I just taught this last week and I forgot just how good it was. I’m talking about Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nat Hawthorne.

Takeaways

1. DHE isn’t exactly what it appears to be. The participants believe it’s a scientific experiment, but it’s actually an experiment on human behavior.
2. There’s a ton of symbolism in here that adds depth to the story.
3. Use the cringy movie to enhance instruction.

Links

• Short Stories for Teaching Science Fiction
• "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" on ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
• Literary/Video Comparison Handout

Shakespeare makes it clear that Caesar was a very popular ruler of Rome. It’s also clear that Mark Antony uses this to incite the people to rebellion. But does the literature represent reality?

Act III is one of the greatest acts in the history of drama, full of famous lines, such as “ET tu Brute?” but one must look to Marc Antony for the greatest lines in the plan and the greatest speech in all of literature. For those of you who haven’t ever seen a young Marlon Brando as Marc Antony, you really haven’t experienced the full Shakespeare experience.

Life Lesson

The assassination fallout would have gone much better for the assassins had Brutus gotten off his high horse just a little. It’s like, Brutus, you just stabbed your freaking best friend. You’re not all that honorable, dude!

Although I’ve never stabbed anyone, I sometimes get on my high horse in the classroom and act like I’ve never made a mistake. This could get you in trouble, alienate colleagues, and make you look like a total cornhole.

I’d also like to add a bonus life lesson. Caesar thought these people over whom he ruled were his friends. He was mistaken and paid for this mistake with his life. Too often, I’ve seen colleagues think his or her students were friends and the repercussions of such thoughts have brought trouble and disgrace upon many a teacher. Your students are not your friends. They are your students. I’ve always urged young teachers to maintain strict boundaries between themselves and their students. This includes social media.

Takeaways

1. Smart people do stupid things.
2. Watch Marlon Brando’s Julius Caesar speech. I’m sure it’s on YouTube.
3. Your students aren’t your friends.

Resources

• Julius Caesar Blog Post at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
• Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm

Today’s quote of the day is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, which naturally makes it one of the most famous quotes in Literature.

Quote: Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once. / Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, / It seems to me most strange that men should fear, / Seeing that death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come. (II, ii, 32-37).

Analysis: Caesar shows bravery in these lines. His actions, however, demonstrate recklessness. Little does Caesar know, his death will come in the next act. This is irony, which we’ll talk more about in a few minutes.

That’s because Caesar is not showing bravery. He’s showing pride and arrogance and stupidity. It’s ironic that this quote is oft quoted for those trying to rally others to bravery. That’s one of the many delicious things about Shakespeare is that some of his best lines are said by his most tragic and foolish characters (I’m looking at you Polonius).

Takeaways

1. Although Caesar is wise in his assessment of cowards dying many times before their death, it’s safe to say he didn’t realize his one death was coming so soon.
2. Sometimes backing down is the more courageous act. It takes humility.
3. Let’s not take unnecessary risks by not having good lesson plans.

Resources

• Julius Caesar Blog Post at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
• Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
• Complete Lesson Plans Collections: https://trent-media.myshopify.com/
• Julius Caesar Lesson Plans https://trent-media.myshopify.com/products/julius-caesar-lesson-plans-unit-plan-and-teaching-guide?_pos=1&_sid=47f2fed56&_ss=r

Caesar has good reason to worry about Cassius and if Cassius was his only threat, he would have survived the assassination plot. It’s the threats he couldn’t see that lead to his death. Those threats include his best friend Brutus and other noble Romans.

So what are we overlooking as we prepare for the upcoming school year? We can prepare for known threats, but how are we preparing for the unknown? What habits are we establishing in the classroom that will help us recognize and extinguish classroom problems?

I did a podcast episode long ago on the one habit that changed my career.

I’ve got a warning for you: If you don’t have good lesson plans, your class might be a disaster. That’s why I have 2 resources for you in the show notes: 

(1) If you’re looking to make your summer a little more productive or perhaps you want to free up some time and not take the metaphorical knife to the back in the fall, I’ve got great news. I’ve created a course specifically designed for ELA Teachers on how to create a semester’s worth of lesson plans in just a few days. So imagine having all your lesson plans done for the entire first semester or even the entire year on the first day of school. 

(2) I’ve put together a collection of Julius Caesar lesson plans over at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com. Of course, you can find more than just Julius Caesar lesson plans.

Takeaways

1. Cassius and Julius Caesar are both astute politicians who sometimes ignore sound advice and accept bad advice.
2. We all know Caesar dies, so why do we enjoy the play so much? It’s because of Shakespeare’s ability to use the English language with purpose.
3. What habits are you cultivating to make you ready for the unseen dangers that lurk in the classroom?

Resources

• Julius Caesar Blog Post at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
• Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
• Complete Lesson Plans Collections: https://trent-media.myshopify.com/
• Julius Caesar Lesson Plans https://trent-media.myshopify.com/products/julius-caesar-lesson-plans-unit-plan-and-teaching-guide?_pos=1&_sid=47f2fed56&_ss=r

(Original published onThursday, August 26, 2021 and republished in honor of all my colleagues starting school today) Let's face it, the start of the school year can be challenging. You might even say it sucks. Today's podcast addresses the true reason the start of the year is so bad and it probably isn't the reason you think it is.

This is definitely the podcast episode you'll want to share with all your colleagues.

Skip to about 9:40 if you can't wait to discover the real reason the start of the school year is the way it is and what you can do to change it.

In today’s episode of the Teaching ELA Podcast, I discuss the one habit that changed my life. I know that sounds like a bit of hyperbole--because it is--but if you do this one thing before you leave school today (and every other day), you’ll sleep better at night, feel a lot less stress, and be present when you’re with the people you care about most.

Takeaways

1. There’s no sense in leaving on time if you’re stressed out all the time.
2. Once you get your end of the day routine dialed in, this will become automatic and staying after your contract time will be rare.
3. It’s good to have a selection of quick lesson plans (like the ones in the notes section of this episode) for those days when you’re just not on top of things.

Links/Resources

1. Some quick and ready to use lesson plan handouts to help you start the one teacher habit that will change your life.
2. ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com

The first time I read Catcher in the Rye, I liked and felt bad for Holden Caufield. The second time I read it, I couldn’t stand Holden Caufield and was happy about his demise. These contradictory feelings toward one of American Literature’s most famous protagonists is in line with Caufield’s contradictory feelings toward just about everything.

Links

• Free Video Course Sign Up : https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/1733538234.htm
• Catcher in the Rye Blog Post
• Complete Lesson Plans Collections: https://trent-media.myshopify.com/

(Originally Published on AUGUST 02, 2021) In today’s episode of the Teaching ELA Podcast, I discuss several short stories with a focus on characterization: “The Catbird Seat,” “Leinengen vs The Ants,” “A White Heron,” “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” and “The Story of an Hour.” I’ve got an emergency lesson plan you can get on the board right now involving characterization and something from one story in particular that you may not be familiar with.

Takeaways

1. Characterization is easy to teach with a simple 2-column chart that requires students to cite textual evidence and requires students to use this evidence to support analysis.
2. The analysis chart allows differentiation for all levels. You change the necessary levels of complexity while getting all students to master the same skill.
3. Teaching the skill of citing textual evidence to support analysis makes teaching all other standards either no longer necessary or easier to teach.

Links and Resources

1. Characterization Lesson Plans Collection
2. “The Cat Bird Seat” at elacommoncorelessonplans.com
3. “A White Heron” at elacommoncorelessonplans.com
4. “Leiningen vs. the Ants” at elacommoncorelessonplans.com
5. “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” at elacommoncorelessonplans.com
6. “The Story of an Hour” at elacommoncorelessonplans.com

Originally Published on FEBRUARY 28, 2022

(Originally published on JANUARY 17, 2022) The battle for your students’ soul rages. Today we’ll discuss several high interest short stories for middle school and high school

Let’s not mess around. Here’s the one thing you can teach to keep students engaged while engaging them with great short stories.

Links

1. 9 High Interest Short Stories at ELAcommoncorelessonplans.com
2. Lit/Movie Comparison Handout
3. Science Fiction Lesson Plans Collection