Film Studies
Opus & The Middle Perspective
Unpacking Ariel's role as the audience surrogate in A24's Opus.
Film Studies
Opus Movie Review – A24’s Wellness Horror & the Ethics of Influence
Quick thoughts on A24's Opus - is the movie pointless or purposeful? Is it possible to be ethical in late stage capitalism and the influencer economy?
Poetry
Defining the Indefinable: A Poetry Kickoff Lesson Using Quotes from Poets
Poetry intimidates some students—and honestly, some teachers too. It's abstract, personal, packed with hidden meanings, and often taught with more reverence than real curiosity. That’s why I like to start my poetry unit by admitting something radical: there is no one definition of poetry. Instead of
Coraline
Reading Questions for Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Chapter by chapter reading questions to support Novel Studies of Coraline by Neil Gaiman (the book).
The Babadook
The Babadook SxS Film Sequence Analysis Practice Activity
COMING SOON: Opening Sequence Film Analysis Activity for Jennifer Kent's The Babadook.
Film Studies
Viewing Questions for The Farewell
Over 25 short-answer questions broken into two main viewing segments that guide students to understand and apply film vocab, make inferences about theme and symbolism, and explore cultural values and emotional subtext.
Sci-fi
Arrival Opening Film Sequence Analysis Practice
COMING SOON: Shot by Shot breakdown and film sequence analysis activity for the opening sequence of Arrival.
The House on Mango Street
What If She’s Not “Unmotivated”?
Why I Created a House on Mango Street Novel Study for Homeschool Families If you’re a homeschooling parent trying to get your daughter to care about literature or write with confidence, you might be feeling stuck. Especially if she’s quiet. Resistant. Disengaged. Maybe you’ve heard things like:
ELA
Why the Analytical Paragraph Still Matters in a World of Scrolls and Soundbites
When I first started teaching high school English in a wealthy, high-achieving public school district, I was surprised by how often students would argue over a single point on an assignment. At first, I chalked it up to academic perfectionism or entitlement. But one day, a colleague explained that students
Into the Spider-Verse
Parallel Film Frame Analysis Practice for Into the Spider-Verse
A high-impact visual literacy + writing activity for high school ELA or Film & Media Studies classrooms in school or homeschool.
Into the Spider-Verse
Into the Spider-verse Shot by Shot Film Sequence Analysis Practice Act 1
COMING SOON: Shot by Shot film sequence analysis practice with Miles and his father in Act 1 of Into the Spiderverse.
Analytical Writing
How to Use ChatGPT to Turn a Film Analysis Model into Scaffolded Writing Instruction (with Into the Spider-Verse)
Help students analyze theme and character growth in Into the Spider-Verse with this scaffolded film analysis activity. Includes thesis + outline worksheets.