“Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a dystopian story that I like to use to address questioning authority. In the short story, the title character Harrison Bergeron defies the “Handicapper General” and pays the price with his life. Though it …
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. is a powerful text that many credit as the direct inspiration for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the letter, King outlines the careful decision-making that went into timing his …
When I teach “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, one theme that we focus on is fate vs. free will, which we explore by looking at the ways in which Macbeth’s downfall is driven by outside forces. Students hunt for evidence to …
When teaching about the American Revolution, I like reading Brianna Hall’s informational text “Great Women of the American Revolution“ which profiles many different women who made an impact during this time. One part that always stands out to students is …
Using the classic American novel The Great Gatsby to explore the themes of disillusionment and the American Dream, I want students to really dig into the characters and their motivations to gain an understanding of the tragedy that is unfolding …
In teaching essay writing it is a good idea to look at great modern essays; one being Rebecca Solnit’s “Woolf’s Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable,” which first appeared in the New Yorker on April 24, 2014. It provides a great opportunity …
In the midst of the modern civil rights movement, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is more relevant now than ever before. Diving into the injustices embedded in today’s institutions, Stevenson intertwines stories of unjust treatment and punishment of those who …
I am teaching analysis of U.S documents with historical significance, and I want to focus on the theme of dreams by looking at the primary document, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream…” speech. The unit could be framed …
Julius Caesar is the perfect Shakespeare play to use when focusing on the theme of leadership. A huge aspect of the play is that it is a visceral exploration of essential questions relating to leadership: How hard is it to …
I am teaching analysis of the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte and I will focus on the theme of character, as the book’s protagonist puts a lot of effort into preserving and sustaining her own character, despite the many …
I am teaching journalistic writing and a theme I want to focus on is that of sacrifice. Using the present real world context as a research subject, students can write a journalism article which reports the sacrifices citizens have made …
I am teaching poetry and the poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by John Donne is the perfect poem to use when looking at the theme of interdependence. The Erik Erikson conversation could be interspersed around the work with the …
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