Creative English Teacher

Five Reasons to Teach "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Other Short Stories by Washington Irving

November 11, 2020 • American Literature • Five Reasons To Teach Series • Short Stories

When the leaves start to change and the weather gets a bit cooler, that means it’s almost time for my go-to Halloween story: Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” In the lineup of American authors, I feel like Irving gets short shrift. Sure, his stories aren’t super deep, but they’re fun, which should count for something! They are also some of the first works that can be considered distinctly American. Before I get too far ahead of myself, here are five reasons to teach the short stories of Washington Irving. Washington Irving was America’s first celebrity writer. In the...

Five Ways to Spice Up American Literature

September 23, 2020 • American Literature • Teaching Ideas

I get it. Sometimes literature surveys can be boring, but they don’t have to be!

How To Write a Book for Kids

August 03, 2020 • Mythology • The Hero's Journey • World Literature • Writing

Do you have a book for kids you've always wanted to write? Perhaps these 10 tips will help you achieve your dream!

Why Young People Need Hero Stories Now More Than Ever

April 13, 2020 • Encouragement • Five Reasons To Teach Series • Mythology • Teaching Ideas • The Hero's Journey

Navigating the journey of life is tough, and students need to be prepared. As schools build up their support systems, there is an additional (and perhaps unexpected) way to fortify young people against the challenges of life: teach them hero stories.

How To Add Our Materials to Google Classroom

March 30, 2020 • Digital Classrooms

As more and more educators transition to digital classroom platforms such as Google classroom, several teachers have asked me the best way to use the digital resources available on this site on web-based platforms. So here is a step-by-step guide for using PDFs in Google Classroom.