Language Arts

All About Character Archetypes

Another example of "structure that increases creativity" is character archetypes. An archetype, according to Wikipedia, is "an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated." Let's use an inductive lesson to teach our students about these literary tools.

Picture Books and Stories for Introducing Depth and Complexity

Three picture books that I've used (or would use) to introduce Depth and Complexity to students of any age.

I Compared Characters, Yet Stayed At “Remember”

I set up an Analyze question, but never actually asked it! All of these questions are at the "remember" level.

How To Run A Novel Study

When you read a book with students, avoid getting bogged down with the nitty-gritty. Just pick one big idea and have fun reading! No quizzes, no memorizing, no essays. Just develop your students' love of reading.

What Makes An Antagonist Effective?

It's really fun to take an already good sequence, tweak it, and get something even better!

Creating Better Research Questions

Once students have a topic they'd like to research, how do we help them form more interesting questions?

Exploring Palindromes in ELA and Math

Palindromes are one of those fun ideas that some gifted kids just latch onto. We'll check out palindromic words, phrases, and even numbers in this article.

What Influences A Character’s Traits?

To add depth to character analysis, let's look beyond a character's traits and dig into what influenced them to have those traits.

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