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By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 07, 2024 During the 20 years I spent in the ELA classroom, the middle school novel study was something that was always central to my teaching ….
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024 The novel study can be the backbone of the middle school ELA curriculum. Exposure to well chosen and engaging texts is crucial to student reading…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is a sweet story about friendship and freedom. The engaging story pulls on the heartstrings, and students…
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024 Halloween is my favorite time of year to work on descriptive writing. Haunted houses, pumpkin patches, and spooky cemeteries make great settings for descriptive stories….
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024 Creative ways to teach literary Elements Before starting any novel study or short story unit, I find it crucial to review the elements of literature….
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Sept 30, 2023 Welcome to the second part in my series on Halloween Short Stories. There were just too many great titles to share in one post! Halloween…