About the store
After 32+ years of teaching in New York City, I retired on January 1st. I celebrated my career with a ten day trip to Iceland - it was awesome! Though I miss my students and school community, I do not miss the ever constant call for teachers to add more responsibilities to their already full plates. So now I'm enjoying naps, reading, and swimming at the local Y, and I finally have time to update and upload more of my resources to TPT. I hope you find something inspiring to lighten your load.
Highlights
*For three years I taught in the Project Freire Saturday Literacy Program in Brooklyn.
*For three years I worked developing teachers as a literacy instructional specialist for the Brooklyn High Schools Superintendent's Office. My double period literacy class acted as a "fishbowl" and springboard for workshops.
*I was a co advisor for my school's Peer Group Connection Class, where I taught upperclassmen to facilitate weekly mentoring activities with small groups of freshmen in order to make their transition to high school successful. This turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences I've had as an educator.
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"Sticks"by George Saunders | Literary Analysis Stations Activity | HS ELA 10-12
Looking for a no-prep, print-and-go short story activity that gets high school students doing real literary analysis? This engaging stations activity for George Saunders' flash fiction story "Sticks" is built for grades 10, 11, and 12 and covers close reading, symbolism, author's craft, and theme — all in one ready-to-use resource. At just ~400 words, "Sticks" is the perfect short story for high school ELA. It's complex enough for AP-level readers and accessible enough for on-grade learners, mak
10th - 12th
Close Reading, Short Stories, Writing
CCSS
RL.11-12.1
, RL.11-12.3
, RL.11-12.4
+2
4 Differentiated Argument Essay Checklists
This document includes four separate one page checklists for argument essays. They are differentiated by skill level (A=simple, D=complex) and test type (English Regents/AP Language and Composition). They can be used by students to organize as they write, and later by teachers as they grade. Return essays with each element on the checklist assessed (check plus, check, check minus, minus) and add specialized comments for improvement. I have found this tool particularly helpful for students with
6th - 12th
ELA Test Prep, For All Subjects, Writing-Essays
Media Literacy Activity | Crisis PR Rhetorical Analysis Jigsaw | Grades 11-12
Media literacy meets rhetorical analysis in this engaging two-day jigsaw activity for 11th and 12th grade ELA. Students analyze four real-world crisis PR texts — a YouTube apology video, a celebrity Instagram statement, a brand press release, and a political public statement — using a custom Crisis PR Checklist built around ethos, pathos, logos, and media literacy skills. This is a high-interest, discussion-driven activity that asks students to think critically about how public figures use langu
10th - 12th
Close Reading, Informational Text, Writing
CCSS
RI.11-12.1
, RI.11-12.6
, W.11-12.1
+2
Denotation vs Connotation | 45 Minute PPT Lesson | Adaptable for 6-12g
Stop teaching vocabulary in isolation — this engaging, fully built PowerPoint lesson helps students discover the difference between denotation and connotation through hands-on exploration, real text analysis, and creative writing tasks. From the very first slide, students are hooked: they're comparing word pairs like "cheap" vs. "affordable" and "politician" vs. "statesman" before they even know what connotation means. That discovery moment sets the tone for the whole lesson. ✅ What's Included
6th - 12th
Close Reading, Vocabulary, Writing
The Power of Anaphora: A 45-Minute CCSS-Aligned PPT Lesson for HS
📍Help your students feel the power of rhetoric before they can even name it — and then teach them to analyze it like pros. This fully designed, ready-to-teach PowerPoint lesson walks students through the rhetorical device of anaphora using excerpts from some of the most iconic speeches in American history: Churchill, FDR, MLK, Obama, Sojourner Truth, and JFK. Every slide is polished, print-ready, and classroom-tested in structure.✅️What's included?*Compelling warm-up using Churchill's "We Shall
9th - 11th
Informational Text, Reading, Writing
CCSS
RI.9-10.4
, RI.9-10.6
, RI.9-10.9
+3
Synecdoche: The Part That Speaks for the Whole | 45-Minute PPT Lesson for HS
📍This fully designed, print-and-present-ready PowerPoint lesson takes students from zero to confident with synecdoche — one of the most rarely taught yet frequently tested figures of speech in high school ELA. The lesson follows a structured 45-minute arc with every segment timed and labeled, so you can drop it into your figurative language unit, rhetorical analysis unit, or poetry study with zero prep. ✅️ What's Included*Discovery Warm-Up that lets students *find* the pattern before you name
9th - 12th
Informational Text, Literature, Writing
CCSS
RL.9-10.4
, RL.11-12.4
, RI.9-10.4
+3
AP Lang Argument HOT Prompts
📍These argument prompts use AP Language and Composition / College Board stable wording, and include 10 timely topics related to teens:1. Social Media & Teen Mental Health 2. Smartphones in School 3. AI & Academic Integrity 4. College Admissions & Standardized Testing 5. The Value of a Four Year Degree 6. Teen Political Engagement & Voting 7. Youth Athletes & Early Specialization 8. Mental Health Education in Schools 9. Influencer Culture & Consumer Identity 10. Climate Activism & Youth Civic Re
10th - 12th
Writing-Essays
Rhetorical Situation Choice Board
This multi-modality choice board of nine activities allows your students to choose how they wish to demonstrate their learning. Includes speaker, purpose, audience, context, exigence, choices, appeals, and tone. Editable so you can adjust it to your students' needs.
10th - 11th
Other (ELA)
AP Lang Synthesis Prompt: High Profile Entertainment Platforms
📍This synthesis prompt asks students to write an essay that argues their position on whether high-profile entertainment platforms — such as the Super Bowl Halftime Show — have a responsibility to reflect the full diversity of American culture, or whether they should prioritize broadly shared national values and traditions.✅️It uses stable wording from College Board, and includes an introduction with context, the prompt question, synopses of 6 sources with links to each full text, and essay
10th - 12th
ELA Test Prep, Informational Text, Writing-Essays
AP LANG SYNTHESIS ESSAY: DEFEND or CHALLENGE Checklist w/Sentence Starters
📍Do you have AP Lang students who struggle with qualifying their arguments? Maybe they have difficulty writing with subtlety, maybe they're black or white thinkers, or maybe it's just the time constraint of the exam. Either way, defending or challenging a given topic is completely acceptable. ✅️This checklist contains a four paragraph structure with introduction, two claims, a counter-claim and rebuttal. It includes sentence starters and is editable for your convenience. 💬 Questions?Feel
10th - 11th
ELA Test Prep, Writing-Essays
Showing 1-10 of 10 results
About the store
Experience
After 32+ years of teaching in New York City, I retired on January 1st. I celebrated my career with a ten day trip to Iceland - it was awesome! Though I miss my students and school community, I do not miss the ever constant call for teachers to add more responsibilities to their already full plates. So now I'm enjoying naps, reading, and swimming at the local Y, and I finally have time to update and upload more of my resources to TPT. I hope you find something inspiring to lighten your load.
Highlights
*For three years I taught in the Project Freire Saturday Literacy Program in Brooklyn.
*For three years I worked developing teachers as a literacy instructional specialist for the Brooklyn High Schools Superintendent's Office. My double period literacy class acted as a "fishbowl" and springboard for workshops.
*I was a co advisor for my school's Peer Group Connection Class, where I taught upperclassmen to facilitate weekly mentoring activities with small groups of freshmen in order to make their transition to high school successful. This turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences I've had as an educator.
Teaching style
Teaching style is directly related to learning style. As a learner I am curious, enthusiastic, passionate, hard working and determined. My teaching style follows suit.
Awards & shining teacher moments
I have been nominated for the Disney Hand Teacher Award and The New York City Apple Award. I am amongst the founders of a theatre arts high school in Brooklyn. I appeared in a Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes documentary with a student I taught to read who was inspired by Seedfolks to transform an abandoned lot into a garden for teenagers in his community. He went on to graduate, attend college on a scholarship and is currently working in the NYC public school system.
My own education history
Brooklyn College
B.A. English with a minor in Secondary Education
M.S. Special Education
NYS Permanent Certification in English 7-12,
NYS Permanent Certification in Special Education,
NYC Permanent License Teacher of English Day High School,
NYC Permanent License Teacher of Special Education
Additional biographical information
Special Training:
Adult Literacy Media Alliance / TV 411
Americas Choice Ramp Up To Literacy
Bader Language Assessment
Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
Theatre for a New Audience
Theatre of the Oppressed
Wilson Direct Instruction Reading Program
Peer Group Connection
CUNY LINCT to Success Pre College ELA: Exploring the Social Sciences
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