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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Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, & Comma Splice (PowerPoint & Worksheets)
This package includes all that you will need to teach your students to understand, recognize, and eliminate Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, and Comma Spices from their writing. It includes both PowerPoint presentation notes (with examples), as well as worksheet to handout to students, and a summative assessment quiz. Included in this Grammar Skills document are 46 editable PowerPoint slides, with step-by-step notes and examples of Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, and Comma Splices, s
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Grammar, Writing
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
Colloquialisms, Slang, and Jargon: Knowing the Difference - PowerPoint
Oftentimes students (and let's face it, even many adults) do not know the difference between colloquialism, slang, and jargon. What words would be correctly called slang? Why does my teacher write "colloquial" in the margins of my essays? I have created this PowerPoint presentation to guide students through the distinctions by using cartoons, definitions, examples, and little "tricks" to demystify and illustrate the difference. This PowerPoint is made up of seventeen slides, but it would be
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Grammar, Writing
Real-Word Editing Grammar Diagnostic/Worksheet/Quiz - Using Cinderella Fairytale
I've often asked myself, "How effective are grammar worksheet that focus in on one error?" I don't think they are very useful because they don't use any meaningful or real-world writing. When we ask our students to proofread their work, it isn't a worksheet, but a piece of writing in which many errors can be present. This five-page document uses the well-known Cinderella story to present a real-world text to students. Students read and must locate the twenty-five grammatical errors in the sho
7th - 12th
English Language Arts, Grammar, Reading
Short Story / Novel Pre- & Post-Reading Activities for "The Jade Peony"
This thirty-seven-page PowerPoint presentation along with a three-page PDF includes eight different Pre-Reading and Post-Reading Activities (Journaling, Discussing, and Formal Writing) for Wayson Choy's short story "The Jade Peony." For those teachers teaching the novel, The Jade Peony, this activity also work very well, indeed. Actually, it was originally designed when I taught the novel to my English 10/11 class. The major activity centres around issues of cultural hybridity, as brought out
8th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
Exquisite Corpse Creative Writing Poetry Engaging Activity: GREAT 4 SUBSTITUTES!
OVER EIGHTY POWERPOINT SLIDES - A brief history of the writing activity - Detailed instructions with three complete examples - Prompts for your very own round of Exquisite Corpse, including extra suggested prompts. Contains FOUR SUPPLEMENTAL PDF WORKSHEETS - THREE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS are offered as well, so you can keep it fresh… never the same activity twice! Upon repeat, the results only ever get better. - USE WITH A CLASS OF ANY SIZE From three students to as many as you can fit into a clas
5th - 12th, Adult Education
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Poetry
CCSS
W.9-10.5
, L.9-10.5
, L.9-10.5a
Welcome to Grade 8 - How to Prepare & What to Expect from High School
This is a 26-slide Google Slides Presentation and one-page Accompanying Handout on "How to Be Successful in High School." The presentation template is fully editable, allowing you to tailor it to your school and include photos and information as desired. The presentation provides a useful format to guide the structure of your presentation, whether you go into Grade 7 elementary classrooms at the end of the year (as I do), or when you welcome in the new batch of Grade 8s in September. In my
7th - 8th
School Counseling
The Chrysalids: The Significance of the Title, 'Change' and Setting in the Novel
This is an attractively put together 17-slide PowerPoint presentation suitable for any unit on John Wyndham's novel, The Chrysalids. This presentation is divided into three parts: (1) The first examines the title of the novel: What is the title alluding to? What does it mean? What directions does it set the reader to thinking? (2) The second part of the PowerPoint presentation prompts a discussion concerning the concept of 'change' in the novel as well as within our society. What are peop
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Literature
Also included in: The Ultimate Chrysalids Bundle (Ten Resources In One)
Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination (Oral Presentation Poster Project)
This is a comprehensive lesson for any unit that deals with social injustice based upon stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination (or racism, specifically). It was originally designed to work for my novel units of In the Heat of the Night (by John Ball), To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee), The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) and The Chrysalids (by John Wyndham). That said, any English novel, short story, or socials unit that deals with social justice or current events would be well-suited fo
7th - 11th
English Language Arts, Other (ELA), Social Studies
Engaging–How to Write Expository Paragraphs using TED-Ed's "Should We Eat Bugs?"
Entomophagy: Why Not Eat Bugs? This is a fun and engaging lesson that I have used numerous times for both regular junior English classes as well as ELL / ESL / EFL classes. The subject – eating bugs – is enough of a hook that students are simultaneously repelled and drawn in. This lesson is designed to be delivered over THREE DAYS (though often it extends beyond to four or five). Students practice various skills. First, they make PREDICTIONS and DISCUSS their thoughts accessing their PRIOR K
7th - 10th
Social Studies, Writing
"Eleanor Rigby" song/poem analysis: Wonderful accompaniment to OF MICE AND MEN
Students love to listen to music and analyze songs as poetry. While Paul McCartney wrote " Eleanor Rigby " back in the 1960s, most students are familiar with it, familiar with the Beatles — or *should becomes so! ;-) This is a fantastic song, and most students, once you go through it with them, end up loving it. I like it because I find it is versatile. I use this product in one of three ways: (1) When teaching Steinbeck's novella, _Of Mice and Men_, you can use this poem to more deeply expl
8th - 12th, Adult Education
Close Reading, Literature, Poetry
Ongoing Activity: Advice for a human – Matt Haig's novel, "The Humans"
This accompanying Google Slides presentation is 80+ slides long. I have created slides that contain classroom-suitable pieces of advice as offered in the near-final chapter of Matt Haig's fantastic novel, The Humans. In my classroom, I have used them in the following and varied ways: To put up on my school monitors, so students can think about the advice as they walk the halls.To put up in my classroom as either posters or on the overhead.To use as discussion-starters in my class, usually duri
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Writing
Spice Up Your Writing! Narrative Tips and Tricks for Students
Give students easy tools, tips, and tricks to turn their creative writing into engaging and memorable pieces.
Many students have difficulty writing narrative essays or other creative writing assignments. Often, their ideas are fantastic, but their execution falls flat due to dull expression. In this product, I have included various handouts, exercises, and worksheets I give to my students over the course of several classes (in the form of mini-lessons) to help them better succeed in their cre
6th - 12th, Adult Education
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
Engaging Scary Flash Fiction Close Reading Inferential Reading Group Activity
This is an engaging class (and small group) activity with an individual writing extension activity included. This activity is always a bit hit in my classes. While it is perfect for Hallowe'en, I have used it with much success at any time of year as a fun way to practice close reading and inferential reading skills. Students clamour to listen to each others' presentations, in order to read more and varied Flash Fiction. For the most engaged classes, go for broke and have them write their own
8th - 12th, Adult Education
Close Reading, English Language Arts
Greek Mythology Group Poster Project and Oral Presentation
There are so many Greek gods, goddessess, heros, and monsters. Rather than memorize them all — and then promptly forget them — I would rather students become experts in one, and share their knowledge with their peers. This assignment has students delve deeply into one of forty-five ancient Greek mythological figures and then present their findings to the class by way of a poster and oral presentation. Students, working in groups, will be assigned by Zeus himself, from up on high on Mount Olym
7th - 9th
Ancient History, Other (Social Studies), Social Studies
Engaging Creative Writing Activity: Button Button (Developing Character)
This is fun, engaging Creative Writing activity where your students will unwittingly construct a character, in an intriguing step-by-step process. Classmates then collaborate to create a unique story. Over three days, students (i) Develop characters; (ii) Write a rough draft story; (iii) Edit their work for a good copy.
This is an self-contained, ready-to-go Creative Writing Mini-Unit that can easily be extended to suit your needs.
INCLUDES:
Fully editable Creative Writing Rubric (Word docum
7th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
The Veldt: Looking at Setting, Mood, Foreshadowing, Title, & Illustrations
This is a fully-equipped look at Ray Bradbury's short story, "The Veldt." Easy to follow PowerPoint presentation with 10 pages in accompanying PDF worksheets and handouts. In this week-long collection of lesson activities, students practice the skills that Good Readers Do, such as Making Predictions, Visualizing, and Making Connections. Using the PowerPoint as a backdrop, students will first examine the TITLE of the story, them the ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION. An examination of MOOD and FORESHADOW
8th - 11th
Close Reading, English Language Arts, Short Stories
Sonnet Quiz - One-Page Quiz with One-Page Answer Key (Editable)
Here is a quick quiz I give my students after I teach them about sonnets. It is editable to meet your needs (to add or delete questions as the case may be). More often, I use it as a worksheet and have the student work in pairs to figure out the answers, using their cellphone or computers to research the answers. This quiz is made up of 11 questions: 2 questions specifically about Italian sonnets;6 questions specifically about Shakespearean/Elizabethan sonnets; and3 questions about sonnets more
8th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry
Poetic Terms Notes and Accompanying Quiz with Answer Key
In order to have students able to discuss poetry with meaning and intent, I have designed these poetry notes and accompanying quiz. As a class, we go over these notes, usually over four days (a page per day). Then students are told to study those notes to prepare for a quiz. What they do not know is the quiz will be these notes, almost exactly. All they will have to do is fill in the blanks. I have put this up as a Word document to allow for easy editing. For example, I often delete more
8th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry
Poetry Terms Quiz / Test / Worksheet
This is a one-page, twelve question (15 mark) Poetry Terms Quiz that I use for my Grade 9 English students as a general poetry terms knowledge assessment. I often have students work in pairs and use this as a worksheet or pre-quiz to get them ready for a more comprehensive quiz. It is Word document and, therefore, fully editable to suit your needs. The Answer Key is included. Two multiple-choice, four matching, four fill-in-the-blank, and two short-answer questions. Terms Tested: alliteration
8th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Poetry, Vocabulary
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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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