I was feeling pretty good about myself after having taught some great short stories with examples of foreshadowing. So good, in fact, that I took down all the pictures of the teachers of the year since 1993 that were hanging … [Read more...]
Short Story Lesson Plans: 5 More Short Stories for Teaching Irony
January 18, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Regular readers of this blog are aware of my fascination with Ender Wiggin, Lennie Smalls, and sports teams from the state of Ohio. What they may not be aware of is my fascination with irony. In fact, I once stayed up late … [Read more...]
An Update on the Monkey’s Paw Re-emergence
December 14, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis (all four of you (it used to be five, but my dad died)) know two things: (1) Don't mess with Ender Wiggin! (2) Don't mess with the monkey's … [Read more...]
Halloween Short Stories not by Edgar Allan Poe
October 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I got this letter from a former student not long ago. Dear Former TeacherYou may not remember me, but I was in your class many years ago. It was Halloween. I hated Halloween. But then you came up with awesome lesson … [Read more...]
Characterization Lesson Plan and Creative Writing Assignment: Add a Character
October 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment
It's one thing to teach characterization in short stories and other literary pieces. In fact, I have a nice characterization chart (at the top of the aforelinked page), which will help you teach direct and indirect … [Read more...]
The Monkey’s Paw Strikes Again
October 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment
A lost portion of "The Monkey's Paw" manuscript has been recovered from a basement in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It helps explain some of the oddities which have recently taken place in the state.Here is the portion that … [Read more...]
