369: Highlight Real-World Connections for Any Book with this Easy Activity
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Release Date: 03/12/2025
395: The American Dream: A Multimedia Introduction Lesson for ELA
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
If you teach American literature, chances are you're touching on the theme of the American Dream somehow, through book clubs, a poetry unit, a look at Gatsby, or an essential question that binds together a variety of genres and perspectives. So when I received this request for our Plan my Lesson series, "How about a fun way to introduce the American Dream unit for juniors, about 36 of them," I was ready. In today's episode, we're going to talk about how you might introduce the concept of The American Dream through a series of multimedia activities, first letting students choose which ones to...
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394: Quick Win: Build your Reading Culture with this Fun Fall ELA Display
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
I worked at the cutest little bookstore coffee shop last week. In that small space, the collection had to be heavily curated, with just one or two books by popular authors and launching points for popular series books for kids. But the shop still held one full bookshelf for staff recommendations, covers out. Each employee had their shelf: "Sarah recommends....," "Tia recommends...., "William recommends...," etc. And while I had plenty of my own ideas about what authors I might like to read, I found myself spending a good chunk of my browsing time finding out what Sarah, Tia, William, and the...
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393: Research-Based Practices to Ignite Creativity, with Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
We know employers want creative thinkers. We know creative thinking is necessary to solve the problems we see everywhere in our world. We know we want our students to learn to be more creative. But what does that mean exactly? Where does the science of creativity meet the cultural definition we all build for ourselves just by swimming in the 21st century stream? My guest today is Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle. Let me share with you: "With more than 25 years as a scientist studying creativity, Zorana brings insights into the nature of the creative process, from the first decision...
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392: A Mentor-Based Grammar Lesson Blueprint
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
When it comes to teaching grammar, the research is clear. Drill and kill is not what we're looking for. You don't want to march through a series of grammar lessons unrelated to your students' writing and reading. Here's what NCTE's "" has to say about it: "This resolution was prompted by the continuing use of repetitive grammar drills and exercises in the teaching of English in many schools. Proposers pointed out that ample evidence from 50 years of research has shown that the teaching of grammar in isolation does not lead to improvement in students’ speaking and writing, and that, in...
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391: A Done-For-You Literary Food Truck Lesson 🎁
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Think of your favorite book. Now think of your favorite food. Now match those two together - your favorite book and your favorite food - into some kind of experience. Maybe you've slipped into the world of the book and you're eating your favorite food with your favorite characters. Are you smiling yet? Today's "Plan my Lesson" episode is all about launching your first literary food truck festival. I recently got a note from a teacher who had listened to our episode during the pandemic about hosting an online literary food truck festival, but she really wanted to hear about...
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390: A Lesson for Book Clubs with a Genius Hour Twist
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Have you been hooked by the idea of book clubs lately? Wondering how you can integrate book clubs with essential questions, supplementary short stories and podcasts, and everything else you're up to? Then today's episode is for you. Today's "Plan my Lesson" request comes from a creative teacher trying to blend a lot of wonderful things into her new plan for the year. Here's what she writes: "Hi, Betsy! I am a huge fan and avid listener! As a teacher who is nearing retirement, I found myself in a slump. You’ve been an inspiration! I have completely changed my curriculum for next year (we...
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389: A First Week Project Lesson: Building Research Skills + Community
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Today's request for "Plan My Lesson" is from a teacher searching for a first week project that helps students get to know each other AND introduces a few key skills along the way. Perhaps you can relate? Here's what she writes: "It’s time to switch up the first project I do in English 10… For the last few years I’ve had the kiddos research their first name, practicing basic research skills, as well as us getting to know them and them doing some self exploration. I want a similar caliber project, but on a different topic." So our goal for the lesson is to introduce key elements for a...
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388: A Low-Stress (Dare I say Fun?) Lesson Plan for Day One
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
If there's one thing I want for your first day of school, it's for the pressure to be off you. You've got enough to worry about without needing to pull off a 45 minute lecture that magically holds students' attention before they even know you five times in a row. That's why for this lesson, requested for our summer "Plan my Lesson" series, our goal will be to hit all the day-one must-dos while also building community and keeping things engaging and low-stress. This is your chance to start connecting with your students and helping them feel comfortable in your classroom, while at the same...
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387: A Summer Reading Lesson with Clear Creative Purpose
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
A summer reading lesson is a nice chance to start off the year with a creative tone, while creating some of the norms you want to establish. For today's "Plan my Lesson" series episode, I'm answering requests from two different teachers in search of a back-to-school lesson on summer reading. One teacher's class will have read Scythe, another's The Hunger Games. Both are interested in reviewing the basics of literature as a springboard into the year. So how can we capture students' interest, review some key basics, like symbol, theme, and the hero's journey, give students a chance to show...
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386: An Essay-less Argument Lesson Tapping Humor & Visuals
The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Students need to be able to make a great argument to find success at school, and in many professions. They need to come up with an idea, find evidence, analyze their evidence, and tie it all together with a well-written bow. Thus, for many decades, students have written essays. We've taught them to write thesis statements, organizing sentences, transitions, topic sentences, and conclusions. We've taught them how to punctuate their quotations and how to analyze them. We've typed up , guided , created and so much more to help them write better essays. Then they go home. And so often they...
info_outlineIt all started with 1984, as so many things do. I wanted students to see how the ideas in the book were splashed across the world around them - yes, in their magazines and ads, but also in the current events they saw on the news and the news sites covering them.
So I asked them to create collages, connecting 1984 to their lives.
As we put the collages up across one wall on the classroom, the startling connections between what they were reading and what they were seeing in the world around them sprang out in bright colors. Sitting beside us as we discussed and wrote about the novel, they provided a constant reminder that Orwell’s writing was as relevant as it gets, many decades later.
So am I suggesting you do a context collage next time YOU teach Orwell? Nope, today I want to suggest that a context collage as a stellar go-to anytime you’re trying to help students see the connections between a text and their lives.
Let me walk you through it.
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