368: The Glue: One Thing You Need in Every ELA Unit

You've probably heard me talk about my first poetry slam. The project that became my go-to vehicle for teaching poetry every year that followed. The book I was handed - 6 American Poets - was chock full of great poetry. Dickinson, Whitman, Hughes… but I knew that I, like every paper worth reading, would need a solid hook.  That's how I ended up staying up til one in the morning the night before my poetry unit was set to kick off searching for poetry slam clips without swearwords.  Eventually I found some incredible clips and the philosophy that would guide much of my time in the classroom. I thought of the philosophy then as "using showcase projects."  Now I think of it as finding the glue that would keep students engaged with my material. So how can you find your own glue? Let's talk. Go Further:  Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Grab the free Better Discussions toolkit Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram.  Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the 'gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!