The Langston Hughes’ poem “Dreams” provides students with a great opportunity to contemplate a person’s ability to pursue their own happiness. Without dreams, the poet states, our existence is merely “a broken-winged bird” or “a barren field.” If one just …
I like to have my students read an informative text about the 2010 happiness research from Princeton University, first shared by National Public Radio, which states that money can buy happiness, but only up to a certain income level– about …
One of my favorite texts to teach the theme of forgiveness is The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. In this story, the main character provides a great example of the importance of forgiveness and how holding onto anger and …
“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 …
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 …
“Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes often leaves students perplexed because the main character instantly forgives a young boy who tries to rob her. Before reading the story, I would introduce the theme of forgiveness with the conversation about Mahatma …
In social studies, I’m preparing a unit on The Industrial Revolution–the period of history in which massive changes to the manufacturing process altered the course of human history. The Abraham Lincoln conversation about self-determination would be a great way to …
Pieter Brueghel’s painting “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and William Carlos Williams’ ekphrastic poem of the same name ask students to consider the theme of man’s indifference to suffering. Both works suggest that life goes on amid casualties and …
“The Danger of a Single Story” is an essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered at a TED Talk. The speech works well on its own, or as an introduction to a unit dealing with themes of tolerance, understanding, and humility. …
Before reading The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, I could use the conversation on sacrifice by Mahatma Gandhi, which explores the idea that serving others is the best way to discover our true purpose. I could then focus on the …
Forgiveness is an important life skill for students. On the other end of that spectrum lies the potential damage of holding grudges. To help my students understand the poisonous nature of sustained anger, I read the poem “A Poisonous Tree” …
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