Out of Her Mind -- Musings on Education and Life

Igniting Learning with Creative Color-by-Number Adventures As educators, we occasionally overlook a simple truth: even our high school students are, at heart, children. And what child doesn't relish the joys of coloring, especially after a day or week filled with hard work and learning? It's a timeless source of delight, and when combined with educational value, it transforms into a potent tool for sparking excitement and promoting deeper understanding. For several years, I've been employing the magic of color-by-number and mystery picture review sheets in my high school English and reading classes, spanning a diverse range of levels—ranging from special education Occupational Course of Study English classes to honors English classes, Advanced Placement Language and Composition courses, and inclusion English classes. The astonishing part? These activities captivate even my most reluctant learners. As students dive into these coloring adventures, they embark on an engaging j...

Chapter 8 of Perfetti's (1985) Reading Ability: "The Development of Reading Ability." Read and respond.  What do you learn about reading from this article?  How can you apply this knowledge to the literacy instruction (and instruction in general) in your classroom?

Catch-22 Mini Essay Topic #1: Characterization DIRECT and INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION Direct Characterization Two techniques that writers use to create character are "direct" and "indirect" characterization. Direct characterization TELLS the reader about the character. For example, an  omniscient  narrator may tell the reader that Jacob was a patient and kind man. Indirect Characterization In contrast to "direct" characterization, "indirect" characterization SHOWS the reader who a character is through speech, thoughts, and actions, either the speech, thoughts, and actions of the characters themselves or of other characters in reaction to/about that other person.  An example of indirect characterization may read:  Jacob did not yell at Sally for taking two more hours to get ready when she had promised "Five more minutes!" over two and a half hours earlier.  Instead, he patiently waited, taking the time to finish up r...

A Response to Spafford and Grosser’s “Controversial Theories” , A Chapter in  Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties : Research and Resource Guide for Working with all Struggling Readers (2005) What IS dyslexia?   Dyslexia--the Controversial Search for a "Cure"     Dyslexia reminds me of psoriasis, a genetic skin condition I suffer from, in that "often parents, teachers, and other concerned persons will search for miracle cures to relieve the reading disability of a dyslexic child” (Spafford & Grosser, 2005).     I am frequently approached by people with a magic cure for psoriasis although there is NO cure.  There are, however, medicines that treat my symptoms, that make my skin and my condition better as long as I stick with them.  Everyone has their pet whack cure--Vaseline, dead sea salts, etc. for this auto-immune system deficiency; much the same as dyslexia.   Because people with dyslexia, and their parents, are so in...

Using JSTOR's Teaching Resources In Your (English) Classroom It Started with an Email... I recently received an email from JSTOR announcing their new  Teaching Resources , an email I am so happy to have received!  I developed the curriculum for my AP Literature and Composition course, a senior English class, last spring, and in several units, I linked to JSTOR as a resource.  The only caveat:  in order for students (or you) or me to access the articles, you have to register for free AND you can only have three articles on your book shelf at a time AND of course there is a limit to how often you can switch these articles out.  Although students found it tricky at times to get registered and to add items to their bookshelves, these articles are an amazing resource in a course asking students to learn to do some heavy thinking, thinking about and with literature in ways they never knew possible, especially given that I created my own online "textbook" using H...

This unit, "Seeing/Ways to "See" Literature" has been preparing you for reading a work of fiction and applying a critical lens of your choice as you read and as you analyze the selection in writing AFTER you have read.  Your Task: (CHOOSE ONE) A. Read and annotate (in your learning log) one longer article or two short articles on "The Yellow Wallpaper" from JSTOR, available  here .  Use your reading to inform your essay Now that you have had a brief review of literary analysis and now that you have had an introduction to different approaches to critical analyses, it is time to show off your writing skills.  Pick EITHER one (1) of the essay topics below   and write one (1) five (5) paragraph essay, complete with an introduction and conclusion OR pick five (5) prompts to respond to, writing one (1) paragraph for each one.  These paragraphs should each have an introduction sentence and a concluding sentence.  These essays will pre...