drvan
218 Followers
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
About the store
I have over 20 years teaching experience in high schools, adult ed, university and private tutoring. I have also taught at learning centres for middle school and high school-aged students.
My background is in English Language Arts and Art History, incorporating cultural studies and literary theory. Like many English teachers, I teach short stories, novels, Shakespeare, poetry, grammar, essay writing, media studies, and career preparation and planning.
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Friday the 13th & Other Superstitions: PowerPoint Presentation & Research Task
Friday the Thirteenth Students love to discuss cultural superstitions, wondering where they came from, what they mean, and debating if there is any validity to them. I originally created this PowerPoint for a fun one-off lesson that I use any time I teach on a Friday the 13th (be it in English or Socials, Psychology, or Art). We go through various superstitions and discover their origins as a class. Students access background knowledge, make predictions, and discuss/debate their ideas. But, o
6th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Psychology, Social Studies
The Kite Runner: A Partnered Research Presentation on Afghanistan
This assignment is used to enhance an understanding of Afghanistan, its culture, its history, and its people. I use it during my The Kite Runner unit, though, it would be appropriate for any novel or unit associated with Afghanistan. What makes this assignment so useful in my classroom is that for most students, even when reading the novel, they lack a robust understanding of Afghanistan and the region, and this assignment fundamentally changes that. At most, they have seen news reports whic
10th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
Asian Studies, English Language Arts, Literature
Note-Taking Template
*If you download this resource, kindly take a moment to offer a quick and brief rating of it. It is much appreciated* I use this note-taking template for research assignments/projects, when watching videos, certain in-class lectures, or when I assign various pages of a (Social Studies) text. Students use the prescribed structure to better learn how to take notes, organize their thoughts and idea, as well as their overall studying skills. While I created it (based off of the RAP method for not
6th - 9th
English Language Arts, Reading Strategies, Social Studies
Into the Wild - Presentation Project (Book or Film Study)
This projects works within a unit for Into the Wild, either the book by Jon Krakauer or the film by Sean Penn.
Good readers/viewers identify with characters.
Good readers/viewers make connections.
In this three-page document, students are tasked with RESEARCHING, CREATING a travel "pilgrimage" route, and PRESENTING their own route to Bus 142 up in Alaska. They must present their route much as a tour-guide would, trying to attract people to follow in their footsteps. In doing so, students wil
9th - 12th, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Reading
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About the store
Experience
I have over 20 years teaching experience in high schools, adult ed, university and private tutoring. I have also taught at learning centres for middle school and high school-aged students.
My background is in English Language Arts and Art History, incorporating cultural studies and literary theory. Like many English teachers, I teach short stories, novels, Shakespeare, poetry, grammar, essay writing, media studies, and career preparation and planning.
Teaching style
My philosophy of education centres on interdisciplinary studies and the development of critical reasoning skills. I believe that as modern life becomes increasingly complex and interconnected the need to teach how all subject areas interact is ever more important. As such, I habitually infuse my lessons with visual and popular culture, demonstrating how the material is relevant to students’ lives and thereby making it more accessible. Similarly, I contextualize the source material to its socio-political milieu to facilitate learning while students uncover how a text’s meaning changes over time.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Outstanding Teaching Practicum Award
My own education history
B.Ed., B.A., and M.Ed in School Counselling.
Additional biographical information
I'm a nineteenth-century boy, stuck in a twenty-first-century body.
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