In my most recent role, I taught English I, Advanced Symposium, Reading and Writing Workshop I, and developed and facilitated an original English elective titled Real Talk.
I also had the opportunity to teach English IV in a leave replacement role, where I valued being actively involved in supporting students through the college application and college essay writing process.
Each lesson I design and teach aligns with a New Jersey Student Learning Standard(s), has clear and measurable learning objectives, is culturally responsive, and meets the academic, social, and emotional needs of my students.
This is The Last Lecture packet that students worked through while reading. It is filled with a variety of different skills, questions, and modes of learning to ensure that the needs of all of my students are effectively being met.
Graphic Organizer: Students were given this as a way to organize their thoughts and ideas before writing a 5 paragraph essay.
Sample Lesson Plan: Students worked in groups on a symbolism activity and then created their own Glass Castles.
I choose to teach The Last Lecture because of the relatable content to seniors. The memoir allowed me to tackle a variety of literary elements and themes while maintaining student interest. Through my teaching of this memoir, I guided my students as they explored different themes, symbolism, tone, and more. Students were also given ample opportunities to look at different perspectives and connect the memoir to their own lives.
While teaching this memoir, my students were required to focus on topics like literary elements such as imagery, conflict, and foreshadowing. They also spent a lot of time analyzing the different themes and symbols and their significance to the memoir.
Symbolism Group Activity
Dream Wall Project
In The Last Lecture, Chapter 5 is entitled “The Elevator in the Ranch House.” In this vignette, Pausch details his childhood bedroom and the pictures, quotations, and other things he painted on his walls. This project allowed students to get creative and think about things that they would paint on their bedroom walls.