Indigenous American
Wandering Stars — Prologue Mini Lesson Pack
Reading questions, answer key, and secondary source comparison chart as well as curated sources to research historical context.
Indigenous American
Wandering Stars — Prologue Reading Questions & Historical Context Activity
Reading questions and activity for learning more about the Sand Creek Massacre.
Edgar Allan Poe
How to Make Edgar Allan Poe Relevant: Scaffolded Creative Writing for Secondary ELA
I love Gothic literature. Something about it. The monsters as metaphor. The rich, dense language that forces me to slow down. The layers of figurative language that overlap imagery, weaving it into extended metaphor, accentuating with sound devices, and all of it coming together to suggest theme. What ELA teacher
Edgar Allan Poe
Poe Gothic Story Writing Workbook
Complete workbook that pairs figurative language and craft [of writing] analysis with parallel creative writing practices to guide students through creating their own gothic short stories. Rigorous and relatable.
Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie & Frankenstein: Characterization Comparisons
Comparative Analysis of Victor, his father, and his mentor/teachers in Frankenweenie and Frankenstein. Scaffolded and ready to differentiate.
Coraline
Coraline, Eccentric Adults, and the Line Between Weird and Unsafe
Coraline shows kids learning bravery amid odd adults. Use these passages and guiding questions to explore safety, risk, and coming of age.
Coraline
Poe, Coraline, and Autumn Atmosphere
Close reading for figurative language, symbolism, foreshadowing, mood, and tone in chapter 1 of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Free resource for Halloween high school ELA teaching.
Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie — Subtext Activities (Lightning & Town Hall Scenes)
Unpack the hidden meanings in Frankenweenie with subtext activities for the Lightning and Town Hall scenes.
Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie — Science, Symbolism & Fear Activities
Explore the role of science in Frankenweenie through three lessons: “What is Science?,” a Scientist Character Sort, and the Fear of Science town hall.
9th Grade ELA
The Rematch — Close Reading & Characterization Lesson (BJ Novak)
Makes satire and characterization come alive with this 1–2 day lesson that includes guided reading questions and differentiated prompts that help middle and high school students analyze diction, irony, and theme while practicing evidence-based discussion.
9th Grade ELA
How to Engage Students When Teaching Analytical Writing
My students used to breeze through short stories just so they could move on. Then I introduced BJ Novak’s bizarre, hilarious short stories—and suddenly, they were asking to read more. That’s when I realized the most accessible texts can also spark the deepest thinking. Why Start With
Coraline
Reading Questions for Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Chapter by chapter reading questions to support Novel Studies of Coraline by Neil Gaiman (the book).