One of the worst things about being an adult is that when you read a really good kids’ book, you’re still focusing on all those “English teacher” things: theme, symbolism, characterization, etc. It is all too easy to forget that when a young person reads a book, they’re not looking at the trees, but rather …read more…
Meet Kaya: An American Girl by Janet Shaw
There are times when the most you can hope for a book is that you can read it, set it aside, and not completely hate it. So I must provide a caveat: I thought this would be one of those books. It was with some dismay that I found myself faced with the prospect of …read more…
Digital Storytelling ad nauseum
Don’t get me wrong: I love digital storytelling and think it’s a powerful tool to empower developing writers (especially those who are struggling with English). My problem is that when someone puts “English” and “technology” in the same sentence, they inevitably come up with “digital storytelling.”
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
This is a problematic book in many ways. It has been (seemingly forever) on lists of banned or challenged books almost as long as it has been on many high school reading lists. It’s almost as if the teachers who long ago laminated their lesson plans and teach this book just because they have always …read more…
