An informative essay is a staple in middle school ELA and high school English classrooms. An informative essay is a type of writing meant to inform the reader about a specific topic. Informative essays are based on facts and evidence and are not meant to persuade or argue a particular point of view. When I teach informative essay writing to my students, I specify that essays should all be in one tense and written entirely in the third person. To help my students keep their writing in the third person, I like to use this Writing Spotlight: Writing in the Third Person mini-unit alongside my Informational Essay Writing Unit .  I've got you covered if you are looking for informational, informative, or explanatory writing prompts to use in your classroom! Here are 25 informative essay writing prompts to get you started. Write an informational essay about the history and significance of a major world event (e.g. the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first moon landing) Write an informational...

Classic literature is classic for a reason. There are themes that resonate across generations and timeless characters. The trouble is, students hear those classic titles and freeze up at the prospect of reading something “so old”. Instead of fighting them on it, I have paired modern novels to some of those classic works to help bridge that gap. Read on to see my suggestions for modern pairings to Lord of the Flies by William Golding.  Classic Focus Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of young boys who become deserted on an island. Although they begin with creating rules and organization with no adult help, they eventually collapse into brutality.  When my students begin their study of this novel, I tend to focus on a few major themes that I can mirror in my modern selections. Civilization vs. lawlessness is one of the biggest themes of the novel. It drives most of the instincts of the boys on the island. Loss of innocence is another biggie, as well as the dangers of mob menta...

Introducing students to graphic novels can be a great way for them to dive into literature and art. One of the great pulls of a graphic novel is that they help pull in readers because of their rich design and graphics. Graphic novels are a unique blend of words and illustrations that can tell powerful and engaging stories. Here are ten young adult graphic novels that are perfect for high school students. 1. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi This autobiographical graphic novel tells the story of a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. 2. Maus by Art Spiegelman This Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel tells the story of a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his relationship with his son. 3. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel This coming-of-age graphic novel explores the author's relationship with her father and her own journey of self-discovery. *Suggested only for mature high school students. Please follow state and district guidelines for book suggestions.  4. Amer...

With finals season approaching, students and teachers alike are feeling the frenzy of panic looming over the classroom. Studying (a term sometimes believed to have its origins in the compound word "student-dying") is probably not high on your students' list of things to look forward to. However, while tests can be brutal, studying doesn't have to be! So long as you remind your students to be diligent and forgo any cramming, studying can be painless and gratifying. One thing that I also like to do is incorporate good study skills into my classroom. I encourage my students to take notes as they read, and before a test or quiz, I'll have my students review their notes. Teachers can easily model proper studying to students by reading texts critically, taking notes, and outlining sections in a book. Whether you are assigning a traditional multiple-choice exam or a Socratic Seminar ,  here is a list of study tips to share with your students to help them prepare for fin...

Even though most secondary ELA students have a plethora of English classes to choose from, at some point or another they probably are reading “classic” literature. And while I love that students can choose to take courses such as Contemporary English or Creative Writing, I still want them to see the power and timelessness of those classic works. Check out some of these tips for teaching these classics to modern readers. 1. Make it fast and friendly We live in a high-speed world. Sometimes I am more concerned with students getting the “gist” of a work rather than reading the entirety of a novel. No matter what I do, some students are just not going to find Victorian-era literature tantalizing. Instead, we might read passages and discuss connotations, or try to mimic writing style, or I’ll have them search for examples that make the novel fit into its genre. Think about what you want students to get out of the experience of reading the novel, play, or collection, and decide if it would b...