by Jeni Kisner What do the Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, the Beatles, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley all have in common? They write (and sing) of revolution and change. This year I changed up my lessons on the Declaration of Independence by looking at the rhetoric of revolution and change Read more…
BY JENI KISNER Rhetoric. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning. Fallacies. Concessions. For my sophomores and juniors, these are scary terms to hear in the first weeks of school. Coming from summer break and days of Netflix binging, it can be a challenge to get students engaged in analysis of sophisticated argument. Read more…
I’ve experimented with literature circles off and on over the past 6 years. Some years, I’ve loved it. Sometimes, it drives me bonkers (I sometimes struggle with giving up classroom control). Using Literature circles is a balance between keeping kids accountable during their reading and making sure you don’t commit Read more…
Aunt Becky is in big trouble mister! Unless you’ve been living under an educational rock for the past week, you have certainly heard about the celebrity college cheating scandal that implicates actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and at least fifty other wealthy parents. Accusations include bribing SAT and ACT Read more…
“The Road to Redemption—runs through West Virginia” notes Affrilachian poet Crystal Good in her poem “passing wrong.” During last week’s two-day strike, I read Crystal Good’s book of poetry, Valley Girl. Good is going to be at the WVELA conference at the end of March, and that is the main Read more…