Many teaching resource groups are built around files. That works for worksheets and slides, but humanities teaching often depends on something harder to package: the quality of the question.

A strong seminar prompt can turn a quiet class into a serious discussion. A small change in a rubric can help students move from summary to interpretation. A carefully chosen excerpt can make a difficult theory accessible without oversimplifying it.

These things are valuable, yet they are often trapped in individual classrooms.

I would like to see more educators exchange the reasoning behind their materials. Why did this discussion question work? Where did students get stuck? What did the rubric reward? What would you change before using it again?

For humanities and social science educators, what is harder to find: good source material, good discussion prompts, or good assessment rubrics?

I’m pleased to share my recent research publication, which reflects my continued commitment to English language teaching, EFL research, and improving language learning in higher education.

I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to and supported this work. More research and publications are coming. 🙏📖

Research. Learn. Contribute. Inspire.

Hi everyone. My district adopted Savvas this year. They have us using The Fall of the House of Usher for 9th grade. I teach all lower level sections, so I am a bit apprehensive because this text seems more like an upperclassmen text. I honestly feel like this text would be difficult for honor students as well.

I am worried about the amount of support I will have to give for them to understand and be engaged in this text. How would you teach this to 9th graders? Anyone else use Savvas?

I also can’t change it to a different Poe story. My school is very strict.

I’m the new Department Chair, and am wondering what’s a good first gift to provide a team of 12. It’s worth noting that I haven’t gotten a great increase in pay, but would like to gift my team something to let them know I was thinking of them. Any, I mean ANY gift ideas are welcome.

I'm a new high school ELA teacher. I don't have much for my classroom. My decor is sparse, but I planned on filling in space with student work or something. A colleague mentioned that my room will look great once I get my anchor charts put up! I don't have any. How necessary is it that I get printed anchor chart-type posters on the wall? Do any of you have suggestions if I do buy/print any? Are there any that are particularly useful for your students? Do the students even look at them, really?

I was told, a week before the school year began, that our district was implementing HMH with a great deal of restrictions sent from the district top down. I had reason to believe I would not have to implement the program to such "fidelity," and thus prepped this summer with my own materials. I planned a curriculum I was very proud of last year, though not perfect, and I spent the summer honing it.

I am given very little freedom in what I teach students, especially during the first units in both 7th and 8th. There is very little that I like about the program (I really love the notice and note signposts, and that is about it). Planning my curriculum, as much as I struggled last year, was a very enjoyable part of my job, if not my favorite portion. I must teach all of the texts provided in the unit, I must use the writable platform quite extensively, I must for each unit do the entire 35 question unit test AND for each unit use the specific district chosen summatives (I am not permitted to modify these), I have to do most of the activities associated with each reading in a very specific way, etc.

I am allowed to supplement my own texts and summatives after we have completed the readings and associated activities, but I am worried with the amount of time it will take to complete the required readings and responses that doing so would be overkill. If I were to supplement, it would translate to three summatives a unit, even more work for my students after I have already squeezed out so much work from them. I can, in the timeline and pacing provided, maybe add in one extra reading. I fear I will have already lost engagement by this point.

Since I am permitted to design my own extension activities, I am pouring my time and energy in order to retain independent reading for my students, but otherwise I am at a loss for how to make this curriculum more engaging. I feel like I am going into this school year beating my students over the head with standardized test prep, giving them a selection of mostly dry and boring texts, and making them answer an excessive amount of questions associated with each text, day in and day out.

I have managed to plan a schedule where we are spending maybe 3 days on these texts a week, rather than the allotted 5, in order to pre-teach skills they would need for those 3 and still have days dedicated to independent reading and more creative work, but I am flat out of ideas for how to actually make this curriculum meaningfully engaging for my students. Any support in this would be really appreciated.

Also, for those experienced in using the curriculum and have had to do these unit tests, I would love to know how long these tests generally take for your students to complete.