Arts + Letters

Shakespeare’s Spreadsheets: Use Data and Charts to Take Reading to Another Level

Shakespeare’s Spreadsheets: Use Data and Charts to Take Reading to Another Level

We can use numbers to better understand literature. That’s right: there are fruitful ways for readers to deepen their analysis…
Wyclef Jean’s New Album Starts with a Poetic Indictment of Public Education

Wyclef Jean’s New Album Starts with a Poetic Indictment of Public Education

You ever notice how schools and learning are portrayed in music? It’s seldom well. Someone needs to analyze that. I’m…
The Mary Oliver Poem I Read Each Year to My Graduating Seniors

The Mary Oliver Poem I Read Each Year to My Graduating Seniors

News of poet Mary Oliver’s death hit me hard. I’ve read her work for decades after being exposed to her…
How Do We Help Students “Identify with Stories” Like This? Tell Us, Black Thought.

How Do We Help Students “Identify with Stories” Like This? Tell Us, Black Thought.

If you read Gradgrind’s, you know I love Black Thought’s work. He does it again with his insights in this…
Wax Poetic? You KNOW They Read and Wrote in Pompeii!

Wax Poetic? You KNOW They Read and Wrote in Pompeii!

This fresco from the 1st century depicts a holding both wax tablets and a stylus. Maybe it’s just me, but…
Does This SNL Poetry Lesson Go Horribly Wrong or Horribly Right? You Tell Me.

Does This SNL Poetry Lesson Go Horribly Wrong or Horribly Right? You Tell Me.

It goes without saying that teaching is almost always portrayed in television and film thinly. Teaching is a craft, a…
Saba Talking about Kendrick Lamar’s Verses is How I Dream of Students Talking About Literature

Saba Talking about Kendrick Lamar’s Verses is How I Dream of Students Talking About Literature

There’s so much we can learn about teaching literature–and much more–by watching the way artists talk about each other’s work.…
Get Paradise Lost for FREE in Honor of John Milton’s 410th Birthday!

Get Paradise Lost for FREE in Honor of John Milton’s 410th Birthday!

You know I love me some John Milton. After an intriguing seminar in college piqued my interest, I later did…
Gollum Reading Trump Tweets Isn’t Strictly Educational, But It Is Thoroughly Enjoyable

Gollum Reading Trump Tweets Isn’t Strictly Educational, But It Is Thoroughly Enjoyable

I take that back. There IS educational merit here. Every English teacher knows the value of theatrical readings of texts.…
Don’t Judge: I Bought My Son These Pencils and He Loves Writing With Them

Don’t Judge: I Bought My Son These Pencils and He Loves Writing With Them

Do whatever it takes to help your child become a reader and a writer. That’s what I say. So when…
To Be or Not To Be… In LOVE With This Nerdy-Ass T-Shirt?

To Be or Not To Be… In LOVE With This Nerdy-Ass T-Shirt?

File this under “B” for “book chic.” This might be the most fabulous literary shirt design I have ever seen.…
Unsure How To Explicate a Text? Let T.I. Explain It Perfectly

Unsure How To Explicate a Text? Let T.I. Explain It Perfectly

Analyzing texts is a core skill in school and life. But can be really difficult for students and teachers get…
ELA + Technology = You MUST See This

ELA + Technology = You MUST See This

Look no further for guidance on how to integrate technology into English classrooms. A commission of ELA and tech experts…
Listen: The Digital Age Really Isn’t Destroying Reading the Way You Think

Listen: The Digital Age Really Isn’t Destroying Reading the Way You Think

Ever hear that reading is in sharp decline as social media and digital devices sweep away traditional forms of reading?…
Nominations Now Open for the Best Education Writing of 2018

Nominations Now Open for the Best Education Writing of 2018

I walked into a bookstore last week. There were stacks of perennial Best books, but no book called The Best…
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