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Inquiry Pond

Rated 4.9 out of 5, based on 49 reviews

26 Followers

Texas, United States

About the store

I have been an English teacher for 33 years: education is my LIFE, and I love it. As a public school teacher, I've taught middle and high school English - AP, dual enrollment, preAP, GT, ESL, and inclusion. I also teach research and rhetoric courses for both College Board and dual enrollment. I am certified to teach English/Language Arts, EC-6th grade, ESL, SpEd Inclusion, and to be a Principal.

It's an EPIC Party for The Odyssey! HIGHLY ENGAGING! TAKES about 2 Weeks!

One of my favorites!! Adrift - Close Reading and Mentor Text for Writing

Analyzing Author's Style Graphic Organizer

How Credible Is Your Source

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Bundle of Depth and Complexity Activities - ELA

Created by

Inquiry Pond

If you've never used Depth and Complexity in your classroom, you SHOULD. It is amazing! It's AUTOMATIC DIFFERENTIATION. This is one of my favorites because it pushes students into deeper thinking without feeling repetitive or overly teacher-directed. I use these activities during novel studies, Shakespeare units, independent reading, and enrichment because they naturally encourage stronger discussion and more thoughtful written responses. What I especially love is that students begin making

8th - 12th

Novel Studies, Reading Strategies, Writing

Cask of Amontillado - Probable Passage

Created by

Inquiry Pond

ProbabLY the best way to introduce vocab AND a story! This activity is a huge pre-reading success!! Not only is it engaging, but students dig into difficult vocab words within the text. If you have never done a probable passage before, you do this BEFORE reading. Students look up the definitions of the words and decide what category each word belongs in: setting, characters, problem, outcome. Based upon where they place the words, the write a PREDICTION. Then we read to find out if their p

8th - 12th

Literature, Vocabulary

Rhetoric is Everywhere Project Bundle -- Slideshow and Rubric

Created by

Inquiry Pond

Because my students were having difficulty with the words "rhetoric" and "rhetorical situation," I created a fun analysis activity that I'm sharing here. This would be a good segue into writing rhetorical analysis and/or helping students understand Jolliffe’s Rhetorical Framework Diagram. The assignment starts with students working in groups to create a powerpoint for a presentation. The assignment could easily end here and be a 90 minute assignment with presentations happening in the

8th - 12th

Reading Strategies, Writing, Writing-Essays

Rhetorical Situation Presentation Rubric Editable Grading Tool

Created by

Inquiry Pond

This rubric is designed to assess deep rhetorical thinking — not just identification of terms. Students are evaluated on their ability to narrow a focused thesis, analyze the full rhetorical situation, evaluate effectiveness, and explain impact on audience. Originally created for a Rhetoric Is Everywhere project, this rubric works seamlessly with any rhetorical analysis assignment, speech, media study, or slideshow presentation. Categories include: • Narrowed, defensible thesis • Analysis of the

8th - 12th

Reading Strategies, Writing, Writing-Essays

Also included in: Rhetoric is Everywhere Project Bundle -- Slideshow and Rubric

Rhetoric is Everywhere -- An Introduction to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Situation

Created by

Inquiry Pond

Because my students struggled with the terms rhetoric and rhetorical situation, I created this structured, hands-on analysis project to make the concepts concrete and usable. Students work in groups to build a slideshow presentation analyzing a real-world example of rhetoric. The activity pushes them beyond memorizing vocabulary and into applying Jolliffe’s Rhetorical Framework Diagram to identify purpose, audience, context, and effectiveness. This project takes: • Two 90-minute block periods or

8th - 12th

Other (ELA), Writing-Essays

Also included in: Rhetoric is Everywhere Project Bundle -- Slideshow and Rubric

Pop Culture Powerpoint Party: Review -- Classical Template/Persuasive Writing

Created by

Inquiry Pond

Turn classical persuasive writing into a high-engagement activity with this Pop Culture PowerPoint Party! Students select a favorite pop-culture topic and create a brief presentation following the classical persuasive template. It reinforces rhetorical structure, builds public-speaking confidence, and sparks classroom energy, all with minimal prep. I created the activity/lesson and used AI to create the slideshow so that the images are not under copyright. They're also weird, which the kids kin

6th - 12th

Writing, Writing-Essays

Think Before You AI: Research Paper Analysis Activity

Created by

Inquiry Pond

Teach your students why AI can’t write a proper essay! I even used AI to make this more authentic -- as an AI example. In this ready-to-use activity, students will: Read a short AI-generated research argument Score it using a rubric for claim, evidence, reasoning, organization, and APA7 style "citations" (You're correct -- the sources are all fake) Critically reflect on the quality, credibility, and logic of the argument Recognize why AI writing is often repetitive, shallow, or misleading Th

6th - 12th

Writing

Find Your Archetype! Characterization Guided Reading & Literary Application

Created by

Inquiry Pond

This is one of my favorite activities of the year, and it consistently leads to thoughtful, high-level student analysis. Students begin by reading about how authors reveal character through direct and indirect characterization, action, dialogue, thoughts, and setting. I often divide the reading among partners so students become experts and teach their section to the class before applying what they learned. Next, students complete a close reading of the poem Mavis Hill. The guided questions push

6th - 12th

English Language Arts, Literature

Also included in: Hero, Characterization, and Archetypes Unit Bundle

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About the store

Experience

Teaching style

I like to change things up quite a bit because I get bored with one particular teaching style. I'm eclectic, but I get results! I have regularly experienced a 94-99% passing rate on state mandated tests and 90-100% passing rates in the research and rhetoric courses I teach. I tend to motivate more toward workshop and student-centered activities, with conferencing being the activity I love the MOST.

Awards & shining teacher moments

Dean’s List; Alpha Chi National Honor Society Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers Nominee for Disney’s American Teacher Award High commended ratings, usually reaching toward or surpassing 70% of my students Gold Performance Acknowledgment for commended performance in English/Language Arts Special invitation by my principal to take part in the School Improvement Committee, on which we've analyzed data and worked toward finding solutions to enhance student learning collaboratively Superintendent Advisory Team Completed Masters in Educational Administration program with a 4.0 grade point average. High passing rates in all courses I teach and have taught at the middle and high school level.

My own education history

I hold a Masters in Educational Administration. I have written curriculum guides for school districts as extra income and have worked collaboratively with some of the most amazing people in education. DuFour anyone?