The Joys of Teaching Literature

#172: Catch-up Days

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Catch-up days allow your students to conference with you about their writing, make sense of their notes, or make up missing work.

#171: 10 Creative Writing Projects

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A list of ten creative writing projects for the end of a unit.

#170: Setting Goals with a Writing Portfolio

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Put students in charge of their own learning by asking them to set goals when they receive feedback on an essay.

#169: How to Design a Unit Using Essential Questions

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy to change a text-based question into an essential question and it will make learning about the topic much more meaningful and interestin...

#168: How to Assign One-Pagers and Sketchnotes

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how to assign a visual one-pager and celebrate the creativity of your students.

#167: 5 Categories of Literary Techniques

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how to categorize literary techniques to make them easier to learn.

#166: How to Use Music in an ELA Classroom

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how to ask students to discuss music like you would a poem or story. Create a fun project or assignment related to music.

#165: The Creative Nonfiction Essay

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Students appreciate it when there's less academic rules and expectations for writing. Here's how to assign a creative nonfiction essay on a topic of c...

#164: How Teachers Can Avoid Taking Work Home

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy to get distracted at work so here are some tips to stay focused and not bring work home.

#163: How to Create a Positive Classroom Culture and Environment

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

These five simple methods will help you create a positive and welcoming classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas.

#162: Teaching Stories About Modern Media

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Instead of getting upset about kids and their phones, let's teach stories about how and why people consume media.

#161: How to Use Freud and Psychoanalysis to Teach Literature

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about the moving parts of the psyche and how students can use Freud to make a better interpretation of a character's behavior.

#160: A Spatial Approach to Literary Analysis

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Give your students six options to create graphic organizers and track the patterns, topics, and motifs of a poem, short story, novel, or play. Posters...

#159: How to Teach Shakespeare

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Learn five techniques that will help you teach The Bard.

#158: Reading Blocks in Secondary ELA

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reading blocks held during class time may help students read challenging novels.

#157: Kids, Phones, and Class Participation

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's think about how to get kids off their phone and tuned into the conversation.

#156: The Best Contemporary Novels to Teach in High School

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here is my list of 9 contemporary novels to teach in high school.

#155: 3 Types of Interviews and Conversations in ELA

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Students can present their thoughts in front of the entire class or they can record an interview by using their phone or computer. Here are three type...

#154: Meaning-Making in ELA: 3 Ways to Get Students Invested

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If we want students to read and do the work, they need to constantly be in the process of meaning-making. Here are three ways I try to make things mea...

#153: Teaching the Podcast Serial, Season 1, Episode 1

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Your students will love studying Serial, Season 1 with Sarah Koenig because it's real and relevant.

#152: How to Teach or Assign a Podcast

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Give your students options when assigning a podcast. I'll review some techniques that will make creating a podcast easy.

#151: Close Reading Passages in Novels

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of things to consider when asking students to close read a passage in a novel. Learn some fun activities I do to make it manageable.

#150: 6 Engaging Activities to Analyze a Novel in ELA

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here are six activities to keep on your desk to mix things up when interpreting a novel with your students.

#149: Preventing the Use of AI in ELA

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are all kinds of things English teachers can do to prevent the use of AI, but the most important is to provide verbal feedback while they write....

#148: Media and Genre-Based Units

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Instead of unit and thematic-based units with essential questions, you could try media and genre-based units where students study and then create podc...

#147: Creating Relevance in a Modern Classroom

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I used two modern short stories to open up conversations about violence, technology, gossip, and surveillance. Students posted links to make connectio...

#146: 5 Fun Ways Students Find Quotes

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Preparing to write an essay means finding as many quotes as possible to help answer a question, but it can be a fun activity with these five activitie...

#145: Meaningful Project-Based Learning for High School English

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bring a new energy to your class with a year-long project that will inspire all of your students and get every hand up in the air. Students deserve a ...

#144: 5 Ways to Handle the ELA Workload

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ELA teachers have a ton of work including grading essays, class notes, reading notes, and quizzes, not to mention lesson planning, emails, and meeting...

#143: Character Study: A Whole Novel Activity

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Students love to talk about how a character grows and changes because they also experience a lot of change in high school.

#142: 10 Whole Class Discussion Strategies

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like it's getting harder and harder to get students to speak in front of the entire class. Learn some strategies to make it easier for ki...

#141: The Purpose of Literary Techniques and Devices

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Instead of listing literary techniques, students should focus on determining their purpose and function. I reduce it to three main purposes to make it...

#140: Storytelling, the Personal Narrative, and the College Essay

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Start the year with a personal narrative and your students will understand what makes a great story. Or maybe it will help them get into college.

#139: More Fun, Less Stress

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Start this school year by having more fun and experiencing less stress. I have three main techniques to get you on your way.

#138: Modern Learning with Free Literacy Blocks

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All of your students may not be as obsessed with novels as you are. Free Literacy Blocks will rope in the kids who want to talk about modern topics.

#137: Literary Podcast Unit and Podcast Project

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

End the year with a creative podcast project instead of a traditional essay.

#136: The Personal, Philosophical, and Political Response to Literature

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Students want to find meaning in literature, and they can do it with the three P's of relevance: the personal, the political, and the philosophica...

#135: The Basics of Film Interpretation

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Learn how to close read film like you close read a poem. Your students will love it and it's an important life skill.

#134: Mini Writing Conferences: 4 Stages of Feedback

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mini conferences gives your students time to research and write and get verbal feedback as they plan their next steps. Hear about my latest writing as...

#133: What is a Teachable Moment?

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Teachable moments should be part of our daily approach to teaching fiction, but what are they and how can we talk about them?

#132: 5 Ways to Introduce a Novel

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Novels don't have the same visual pizzaz as social media, so we have to find ways to convince students why they should read.  I'll go over five w...

#131: Short Story Adaptations

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Film adaptations are a great way to get students to imagine how a story could unfold in today's world.  I'll describe an assignment I give with D...

#130: The Best Engagement Strategy: Scaffolding and Guided Notes

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy to keep students focused if they have guide that will lead them to a complete comprehension of the topic.  In this episode, I'll descri...

#129: Teaching Media Literacy with Short Stories

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Students wake up when they read a story about technology and the media.  They have plenty to say about how the media presents reality and in this...

#128: Man Vs. Machine: ELA Vs. AI

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The epic battle of man vs. machine goes on and this time, it's the ELA teacher against AI.  Listen to my thoughts on what we can do about the rob...

#127: How to Make Learning Personal

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While it might be difficult to inspire students to love great novels, it's easier to ask them to think and write about things that are personally mean...

#126: Learning and Exercise: A Conversation with Dr. Reed of ActivEd

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Reed started Walkabouts, an educational technology that teaches students while they exercise.  This is an interview that should raise the eye...

#125: How to Avoid Teacher Burnout

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many reasons to get stressed out at work, so here are a few ways to avoid burnout.  

#124: Extracurricular Activities and the Work-Life Balance

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Working outside school with students in sports and activities can be very rewarding but also demanding.  

#123: Creative Writing: The Be-All and End-All

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Creative writing allows students to be free of all the rules and rubrics and now with modern technology, there are many ways students can express thei...

#122: How to Close Read Poetry and Prose: 5 Steps

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Help your students master the complex skill of close reading with these five easy steps.  

#121: Academic Success Explained: 7 Steps

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Teachers provide many opportunities for students to prepare for an essay or exam.  We must map out the process so it's not a mystery.  

#120: How to Teach Literary Techniques

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching literary techniques can be difficult, and intimidating to students, but there's a way to make it fun and easy.

#119: Video Poems to Watch in Class: Performance and Poetry Film

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are many websites that feature poetry film and poets reading their poems in front of a live audience.  Students are more likely to get inte...

#118: How to Inspire Students to Love Reading

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest challenge ELA teachers face year to year is how to get to students to not only read the novels we assign, but to love reading them.  ...

#117: 5 Poems to Start the Year

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Starting the year strong is easy with a few straightforward, yet challenging poems.  

#116: Great Books to Teach in High School

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a great novel?  What makes it great to teach?  What boxes should it check to make it into the curriculum? 

#115: How to Avoid Plagiarism and Cheating: 7 Tricks

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's easy to get upset about plagiarism and cheating, and hard to find a way to reduce the desire to gain an unfair advantage.  I'll go over seve...

#114: Classroom Routines: 5 Simple Hacks

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Little distractions can add up to a lot of wasted classroom time.  Here are five little routines that will help you maximize learning time and el...

#113: Free Literacy Blocks

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Free literacy blocks allow students to explore a topic or question of choice on a weekly basis for a set amount of time.  It's all about freedom,...

#112: The Creative Classroom

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Students love the creative process behind everything, not just literature.  Bringing the worlds of sports, science, visual art, and technology to...

#111: The Hope Project: Final Reflection

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does it feel to graduate?  What have you learned?  What is hope?  I complete the final assignment I give my seniors at the end of t...

#110: History and Literature

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fiction exists outside the world of history and at the same time, often gives a more accurate account of reality than textbooks.  When we discuss...

#109: 5 Musings for Next Year

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's nice to start fresh in the fall.  Here are five small things you can do that will help you truly love teaching.  

#108: How to Pair Film and Literature

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Interpreting the meaning of a frame or shot in a movie is just like interpreting a metaphor or symbol.  This week, I'll talk about how I pair fil...

#107: Autonomous, Relevant Learning, Good Conversation

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It can be really fun to let students go online and choose their own adventure.  An open-ended conversation about anything and everything will ins...

#106: The Research Paper Made Easy: 8 Steps of the Writing Process

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writing a research paper doesn't need to be a stressful experience.  I'll go over the eight things I do in class to guide my students through the...

#105: The Hope Project

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This year, I'll do something I call "The Hope Project".  It gives my students the opportunity to make sense of the year and look forward.  

#104: Happy Teacher, Happy Students

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If we walk into our class excited and ready to go, our students will too.  I'll go over some things I've learned about how to be positive.  ...

#103: Whole-Novel Activities

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching topic by topic instead of chapter by chapter makes life easier on you and your students.  Whole-novel activities allow students to track...

#102: 4 Easy Ways to Talk About Race in School

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When students learn about race and culture, they learn about everything.  I'll talk about teaching an elective called Racial Literacy and go over...

#101: Filmmaking Made Easy: 10 Tips

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My students worked in groups to create a short film in just one week.  I'll take you through ten tips to help your students avoid common mistakes...

#100: New Year, New Habits: Reflecting on Reflecting

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We should reflect on what works best in our classrooms more than once a year.  This week, I'll talk about how both students and teachers should r...

#99: Teaching Narrative Mode with Short Stories

02 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Short stories are a great way to introduce the various narrators students might encounter in novels.  I'll talk about free indirect discourse, fi...

#98: How to Make Fiction Relevant

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's fiction, it's not real, but it is relevant.  I'll describe a writing assignment that forces students to think about how fiction connects to ...

#97: The Best Secondary English Language Arts (ELA) Blogs, Podcasts and Websites for High School Teachers

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many great teachers that share their creative ideas online, and this is one of the best ways teachers can improve and find new ways to in...

#96: How to Write a Meaningful Conclusion

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion can be a game changer for our students who need a good reason to write.  The conclusion is what an education is all about, so let'...

#95: Hourglass Unit Planning: Large to Small to Large

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My units on novels move from the large, external world of the character to the small, internal one (and then back again).  

#94: What If We Treat Students Like Athletes?

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Wouldn't it be nice if students could get just as excited to come to our classroom as they did for the big game?  Or if we had the same attitude ...

#93: Simplifying Rubrics, Checklists, and Feedback

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first time I saw a rubric, I thought, yikes!  That doesn't look like a whole lot of fun.  So let's think about how we can simplify rubri...

#92: How Students Learn: 7 Engagement Techniques

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We learned to juggle education websites last year, so now it's time to get back to pencil and paper and think about how students stay engaged in real ...

#91: 5 Easy Ways to Motivate Students

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lately, I've been trying to make things more exciting than usual to get my students excited about literature.  I'll go over five easy ways to ins...

#90: Poems About Poetry: 6 Poems that Introduce Poetry

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Interpreting poems about poetry can get students excited about a challenging literary form.  These six poems should help them use their imaginati...

#89: Stressed or Unstressed? No Stress

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does that syllable get a stress?!  Prosody doesn't have to be hard, and it actually helps students appreciate the playfulness of poetry. This wee...

#88: Rethinking the Thesis Statement

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Be scared, be very scared.  I'm talking about the thesis statement, the be all end all of the essay.  Or is it?

#87: Voice to Text: The Keys to Great Storytelling

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's fun to assign a personal narrative to start the year.  I'll talk about the ways that I try to inspire my students to write in their everyday...

#86: The 6 Functions of Language

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Start the school year with a revolution!  I'll talk about the first conversation I have with my students about the functions of language and all ...

#85: 5 Ways to Establish Great Relationships in Your Classroom

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are a few simple, easy things we can do to establish great relationships in our classrooms, which is the key to keep students engaged and excite...

#84: Teaching Shakespeare Using Film: Romeo and Juliet from PBS Great Performances

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's way easier to teach Shakespeare by showing a film clip after your students read the text and do a close reading of a passage.  I'll talk abo...

#83: 5 Ways to Have a Drama-Filled Classroom

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No, not that kind of drama.  Performance.  This week, I'll talk about how you can get all your students into performing, not just the theate...

#82: The Ghosts of History in Toni Morrison's Beloved

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A few people suggested that I teach Beloved by Toni Morrison, so I gave it a shot last year.  I'll talk about the book and some of the questions ...

#81: Bringing Literature to Life: Interview with Elizabeth and B.H. James

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Students love to read fiction so they can understand another world in another time, but they also read to understand the world they live in right now....

#80: What is Racial Literacy?

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's important and also easy to talk about race and culture in school.  In this episode, I'll talk about racial literacy.  

#79: Displaying Student Work

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Displaying student work not only adds to the literary culture of our classrooms and schools, but it builds confidence so students feel confident to sh...

#78: The Keys to Organizing Your ELA Classroom

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An organized classroom makes life easier for everyone.  I'll talk about how to plan organized units, set only a few due dates, and keep track of ...

#77: The Path to Easy, Exciting, Excellent Teaching

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, we adjusted and still managed to offer a quality education to our students.  But now, let's look at the ways we can make teaching easy...

#76: Graduation 2021: The Love and Stories Project

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, I complete my final assignment, a video essay where students reflect on graduating, what they've learned, and the future.  This year,...

#75: New Year, New Ideas

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to imagine that anything positive will come out of this year, but I’ve been thinking about what, if any, lessons I’ve learned from tea...

#74: A Fun Way to End This Year

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Give your students an assignment to end the year that will be fun and meaningful.  In this episode, I'll describe how I end the year in my class....

#73: Where to Find Real Stories on the Web

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's a big difference between writing a story and telling a story out loud.  This episode is all about real life stories and their literary va...