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drvan

Rated 4.8 out of 5, based on 573 reviews

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.

How to Get Students to Ask for Meaningful Feedback on Their Writing

The Veldt: Looking at Setting, Mood, Foreshadowing, Title, & Illustrations

Easy Introduction to Improv, Drama, & Drama Games - Substitute Friendly

The Highwayman (Alfred Noyes) (poetry) (poems)

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BC Curriculum / Core Competencies

Grammar Skills

In the Heat of the Night (Novel)

Mindfulness

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The Princess Bride: Film Study Using Short Story Terminology (Great End of Year)

Created by

drvan

GREAT END-OF-YEAR REVIEW ACTIVITY. This movie reviews short story terminology with sound educational value and provides a fun way to re-engage learners at the end of the school year, the start of the new year, or directly before or after holidays. (And let's face it: The Princess Bride, is one of the best and most beloved films of all time.) GREAT STARTER TO A SHORT STORY UNIT (terms review) This seven-page pdf document contains three different activities for a film study of The Princess Br

7th - 12th

English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories

Jabberwocky: A Lesson in Sound Poetry

Created by

drvan

A fun way to explore diction and sound in poetry. Students first create their own version of the "Jabberwocky" poem using a Mad-Libs format, before having read the original. In the process, they also review grammar basics (parts of speech: noun, plural, adjective, verb) and poetic sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia). The students' poems, when compared and contrasted to Lewis Carroll's original poem, leads into a class discussion of how and why a poet selects the words s/he does and the

7th - 12th

English Language Arts, Grammar, Poetry

Sentence Fragments, Run-On Sentences, & Comma Splice (PowerPoint & Worksheets)

Created by

drvan

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

How to Write an Email: Two Lessons in Audience, Tone, and Format

Created by

drvan

So often I find that students do not know how to write appropriate emails to either their teachers or future employers. I developed these two lessons to focus and correct that in my students. This is a two-lesson product, twenty-seven pages in all. Part One is a two-page handout (PDF) and Part Two is an editable twenty-six-slide PowerPoint presentation. Both parts are described more fully below. (As it is a PDF and PowerPoint product, I have zipped the file.) PART ONE: This two-page handout

8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

English Language Arts, Other (ELA), Writing

How to Integrate Quotations in Your Writing (Handouts & Worksheet)

Created by

drvan

Integration of Quotations: Students often just drop full sentence quotations into their writing. Many have difficulty using fully integrated quotations in their writing because they have not been taught in a formal way with models. This handout goes to change that. I have included various guidelines and examples and have laid them out in a two page handout for students as a quick-reference for how to use integrated quotations effectively. (NOTE: This handout, while formatted by me, contains

9th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

Writing-Essays

"Gentlemen, Your Verdict" Pre- & Post-Reading Activities & Writing Prompts

Created by

drvan

This product contains activities for Michael Bruce's short story, "Gentleman, Your Verdict." Specifically: Three anticipatory set activities for setting students thinking about the themes in the story. (1) Engaging class discussion where most everyone will have and opinion they will want to share; (2) Group activity; (3) Four journaling or class debate topics. I have also included a famous morality thought-experiment, used in many psychology classes. This provides teacher background to mora

8th - 12th, Adult Education

English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories

Five Paragraph Essay Planner (Graphic Organizer) Using the P.E.E.L. method

Created by

drvan

This resource comes in two versions: a three-page or five-page GRAPHIC ORGANIZER for the standard Five-Paragraph Essay. (Both the three and the five-page versions are included here, of course.) Also included is a helpful one-page handout for students to get started on HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION (which includes two examples of essay introductions on two different topics). I have found that after teaching the P.E.E. or P.E.E.L. method of literary analysis essay writing, student-writ

9th - 12th

English Language Arts, Writing, Writing-Essays

Real-Word Editing Grammar Diagnostic/Worksheet/Quiz - Using Cinderella Fairytale

Created by

drvan

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

Practice Writing Extended Metaphors (Similes & Metaphors) (Creative Writing)

Created by

drvan

This is a six-page product that gives students various ways to access (and then create) Extended Metaphors (and Similes). It starts with a quick and easy, one-page worksheet to kickstart students in their creative writing. There are seventeen metaphor stems which students have to fill out (e.g., Freedom is _____________.) After completing the worksheet, students share with a partner, but also choose their favourite three as the basis for writing extended metaphors (e.g., Freedom is a summer'

7th - 12th

Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Poetry

Poetic Devices Quiz (3-Pack with Answer Keys) (Literary Terms)

Created by

drvan

This is a 6-page pdf download. There are three different, twenty-question quizzes on poetic devices: alliteration, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, and simile. Answer keys are included. The format of all three quizzes/tests are as shown in the thumbnail images: students are given a short sentence and must identify which of the nine poetic devices (listed above) is exemplified, each of the three quizzes has twenty unique questions, yielding a ba

9th - 12th

English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry

Irony Package: Presentation, Worksheets, Quizzes w/ Answer Key

Created by

drvan

This is a complete Irony Package ( Verbal Irony [including Sarcasm], Situational Irony, and Dramatic Irony) for you and your students. Included is a Google Slides 39-slide presentation, which includes three TedEd videos embedded into the presentation, as well definitions, examples, and multiple visual examples of Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic Irony mixed in with a few examples which are "not ironic." I use these to introduce the concepts to the class in a humous way. Also included i

7th - 12th, Adult Education

English Language Arts, Literature, Vocabulary

Serial Podcast - Season 1: The Bundle (3 in 1)

Created by

drvan

There are three resources that will help you enhance your Serial (Season One) unit. From an engaging introductory memory activity that will test your students' memories (so they can better perspective take, and put themselves into what it would be like to be at the centre of the investigation), to a vocabulary activity-presentation. And finally an ongoing writing first-person perspective assignment that will build understanding and empathy in your students as they need to examine the inves

10th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

English Language Arts, Social Studies

Reluctant Flyers: A Grammar Editing Proofreading Activity (2 levelled versions)

Created by

drvan

This "real world text" Editing Activity has students proofread an expository paragraph and locate (and correct) grammatical/English usage errors. To facilitate differentiated learning for your students, there are two versions of these passage, requiring two levels of skill. This resource is a Google Doc and Fully Editable, if needed. Great for individual, paired, small group, or entire class learning.In the first version, the passage is broken up into ten sections and students are tasked w

8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

Close Reading, Grammar, Writing

Generic Movie Analysis Using Short Story Terms & More — Great for Substitutes!

Created by

drvan

It is important, I believe, to keep students accountable when purposefully watching a film in class. These worksheets are meant to do just that. These worksheets are generic enough to be used for any film, but also has students apply what they know from short story terminology onto a movie's storytelling structure. They promote active viewing, as students need to think about how the elements of fiction. While each page is unique, they can be used all together for a film-response booklet, or i

8th - 12th

Drama, English Language Arts, Short Stories

Serial: Season One - Anticipatory Set: Memory and Observation Activities

Created by

drvan

This is a fun an engaging way to kick off your Serial: Season One podcast unit. Included herein is a 36-slide PowerPoint and a one-page accompanying worksheet (Word Document format .docx). In order to empathize with what it may have been like for Adnan to recall and reconstruct a day that happened a few weeks ago, student will engage in MEMORY RECAL ACTIVITY that can be shared with the class, that will make real for them how difficult detailed memory recall can be. This will build empathy for A

10th - 12th, Adult Education

Criminal Justice - Law, English Language Arts, Other (ELA)

Also included in: Serial Podcast - Season 1: The Bundle (3 in 1)

Grammar Proofreading Editing Activity (2 Versions) — "Mars Colony"

Created by

drvan

This "real world text" 2-in-1 Grammar Activity has students proofread an fictionalized expository paragraph and locate (and correct) grammatical/English usage errors. To facilitate differentiated learning for your students, there are two versions of these passage, requiring two levels of skill. Every thing is in Google Doc format and Fully Editable, if needed. In the first version, the passage is broken up into ten sections and students are tasked with locating a grammatical error in one of t

10th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

Close Reading, Grammar, Writing

"The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson (poetry analysis worksheet)

Created by

drvan

This attractively, uncluttered seven-page document is a quick and easy way to get your students looking for SOUND DEVICES, IMAGERY and more in a short, seemingly simple, but jam-packed poem. Students are presented with Tennyson's "The Eagle" (a six-line poem), and asked to locate the sound devices and other literary devices. Each line has at least two devices so there are lots for them to explore and discuss. Further, students will learn (or review) what PERSONIFICATION is, and there are four

7th - 12th

Close Reading, English Language Arts, Poetry

Loneliness in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (Graphic Organizer w/ full Answer Key)

Created by

drvan

Loneliness is a fundamental motif in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. This activity allows students to take a better look at how all the characters (with perhaps the exception of George and Lennie) all suffer from extreme loneliness, each for different reasons, and expresses this loneliness in their own way. This documents is five pages: one-page graphic organizer; four-page comprehensive Answer Key. Students are given a graphic organizer with the characters of Candy, Curley, Curley's wife, Croo

8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education

Close Reading, English Language Arts, Literature

Introduction to Poetry - Placemat Activity

Created by

drvan

This activity has students access their background knowledge of poetry and it values their experiences and opinions about the subject. The accompanying full-editable Google Slides presentation (12 slides) provides students (and teacher) step by step instructions on how to create their Poetry Placemats. This activity has students thinking, writing, evaluating, and commenting, discussing and then presenting their findings. The end product is a useful poster placemat which students can place in the

7th - 10th

English Language Arts, Poetry

Grammar Diagnostic Quiz / Test / Activity

Created by

drvan

Presented here, and easily found online in more or less the same format, are 17 sentences / questions (for 38 marks) where students must circle the correct word usage. Common word confusion such as: its / its there / their / they're accept / except principle / principal to / too / two buy / by / bye and others. Kindly take a moment to rate this product if you like it. :-) If you enjoy this product, you may also enjoy the following Grammar Activities: Watery Oasis Grammar ActivityHair Horror St

7th - 10th

English Language Arts, Grammar, Writing

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About the store

Experience

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.