About the store
Hello TPT! If you teach Upperclassman English, this is your spot!
I’m an English teacher at a High School in Maple Valley, Washington, where I get to teach upperclassmen English and a bunch of fun electives. I’m a firm believer that English isn’t just for the word nerds—it's totally attainable and even enjoyable when teachers set high expectations and keep things consistent. Once students know what to expect, they can take on the trickiest concepts and skills without breaking a sweat. So, who says English can’t be both a challenge and a blast?
Career Stuff:
I graduated from the University of Washington with a Biology degree before continuing my education at Pacific Lutheran University, where I earned a K-12 English/Literacy degree with a focus on classroom management. My teaching career began with 10 years of middle school Honors science and English, during which I developed a passion for guiding students through their educational journeys. Afterward, I transitioned into a Literacy Coach TOSA role, where I spent four years supporting educators and fostering student literacy growth. Recently, I returned to the classroom, driven by my love for working with students. Now, I teach English 11, along with several upperclassman electives including SAT Prep, Advanced Composition English 405, Creative Writing, and Film as Literature in my new district, where I am excited to continue making an impact.
Read moreAll resources
Filters
Format
Resource type
Standard
Audience
Supports
SAT Prep: Greek & Latin Root 3-Day Wkshp I Collaboration/Discourse Work
In this engaging SAT prep challenge, students will unlock the power of Greek and Latin roots to boost their vocabulary and decode even the trickiest SAT words with confidence. Through interactive word dissections, etymology investigations, and competitive word challenges, students will develop a deep understanding of word origins and structures, making unfamiliar words easier to analyze and remember. What Students Will Do: Identify & analyze common Greek and Latin roots and affixes to uncove
9th - 12th, Higher Education
ELA Test Prep
CCSS
CCRA.L.1
, CCRA.L.3
, CCRA.L.4
+2
Create a Storyboard Project
In this project, students will apply key cinematic terms learned in Film as Literature to create an 8-10 panel storyboard illustrating a selected sequence from a film. Using terms such as shot composition, lighting, color, camera angles, and movement, students will visually break down the scene, capturing its tone and narrative impact. Each panel should include a brief description explaining the chosen shots and their effect on storytelling. This project encourages students to think like film
11th - 12th
English Language Arts
CCSS
CCRA.W.6
, CCRA.W.7
, CCRA.W.9
+2
Build Your Own Newspaper Project Bundle: Write for an Audience
This Build Your Own Newspaper includes a full slide deck to take students through each step of the newspaper writing and building process through the lens of writing for a specific audience. Included in this Bundle: Step by Step Project Slide Deck w/HOW to write like a journalist! AP Style Writing “How To’s” & Rhetorical Slanters Work 1 Full Planning Worksheet for Students Digital/Downloadable3 Additional digital/Downloadable Worksheets for more chunked writing3 Rubrics for each article includ
9th - 12th, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Vocabulary, Writing
CCSS
CCRA.R.1
, CCRA.R.5
, CCRA.R.7
+6
The Reader's Gambit: Indirect Character Analysis Activity
Lesson Outcomes: ♟ Analyze how dialogue, action, and description work together to reveal character motivations and personality. ♟ Strategize their writing choices, using style and effect deliberately to shape characterization. ♟ Develop a well-rounded character by crafting interactions that reveal depth without excessive exposition. ♟ Create a visual representation (poster) that maps out how a character’s "moves" (dialogue, actions, and descriptions) influence the story. ♟ Reflect on how ef
10th - 12th, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Reading Strategies
CCSS
RL.11-12.3
, RL.11-12.5
, CCRA.R.1
+1
Showing 1-4 of 4 results
About the store
Experience
Hello TPT! If you teach Upperclassman English, this is your spot!
I’m an English teacher at a High School in Maple Valley, Washington, where I get to teach upperclassmen English and a bunch of fun electives. I’m a firm believer that English isn’t just for the word nerds—it's totally attainable and even enjoyable when teachers set high expectations and keep things consistent. Once students know what to expect, they can take on the trickiest concepts and skills without breaking a sweat. So, who says English can’t be both a challenge and a blast?
Career Stuff:
I graduated from the University of Washington with a Biology degree before continuing my education at Pacific Lutheran University, where I earned a K-12 English/Literacy degree with a focus on classroom management. My teaching career began with 10 years of middle school Honors science and English, during which I developed a passion for guiding students through their educational journeys. Afterward, I transitioned into a Literacy Coach TOSA role, where I spent four years supporting educators and fostering student literacy growth. Recently, I returned to the classroom, driven by my love for working with students. Now, I teach English 11, along with several upperclassman electives including SAT Prep, Advanced Composition English 405, Creative Writing, and Film as Literature in my new district, where I am excited to continue making an impact.
Teaching style
I’m a firm believer in high expectations in the classroom—like that sweet spot between a gentle nudge and a full-on push that doesn’t send students into existential crisis mode. It’s all about finding that balance: pushing students to a place of cognitive struggle, but not to the point where they’re Googling “How to become a professional napper” halfway through class.
As a writing-focused teacher, I embrace transference—guiding students to critically engage with rubrics, assess work with a sharp eye, and ultimately push the quality of their own work to impressive new heights. It’s pretty satisfying to watch that growth unfold! I’m definitely not the keeper of the red pen (the horror!), but rather a facilitator of knowledge—like a well-curated museum of ideas, resources, and concepts. My classroom runs on consistent routines, because, as I like to say, "familiar tasks equal cerebral space"—so the brain can focus on the content instead of figuring out where to sit or when the bell rings. I’m thrilled to share some of my lessons on TpT, showcasing how high expectations, when delivered with care, lead to real student growth and how we can unapologetically craft a rigorously challenging classroom environment our students can thrive in without fear.
Awards & shining teacher moments
I’ve had the privilege to work with so many incredible people and create memorable moments for students in their learning environments. I was honored to receive "Best Teacher" in 2010 and 2011, and runner-up for 2012 and 2013 for Best in Kent (my hometown), which was a humbling recognition. But ultimately, the awards and accolades that mean the most to me are the quiet ones—the small milestones that only I get to witness. Those little breakthroughs, the “aha” moments, and the growth I see in students every day are what truly make my job so incredibly rewarding and, honestly, just plain cool!
TPT is the largest marketplace for PreK-12 resources, powered by a community of educators.
IXL family of brands