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Spark Creativity

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Minnesota, United States
About the store
Welcome! Here you'll find innovative secondary ELA curriculum, like podcasting projects, one-pagers, PBL units for genius hour and AI research, choice reading program elements, hexagonal thinking for any text, and more. After almost a decade in teaching, I now host The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast and design curriculum for creative English teachers full time. You can find me on Edutopia, Cult of Pedagogy, Truth for Teachers, We Are Teachers, NCTE's Read Write Think and more.
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Preview of Halloween Creative Writing Activity: Sensory Details, Funny Mad Libs Prompts

Halloween Creative Writing Activity: Sensory Details, Funny Mad Libs Prompts

Looking for a Halloween-themed creative writing activity that keeps students engaged while reinforcing descriptive writing skills? This Halloween creative writing activity blends sensory details practice with a funny, Mad Libs-style story prompt that gets students laughing while thinking critically about word choice. Students work with a partner to complete a haunted house story by inserting their own sensory-based words—focusing on nouns, adjectives, and vivid details. It’s a lighthearted wa
Preview of Plagiarism and Citation, MLA Format Activity with In-Text Citation Lesson, Game

Plagiarism and Citation, MLA Format Activity with In-Text Citation Lesson, Game

Plagiarism and citation format are tricky topics to teach. There are so many little details and they take a lot of practice for students. No doubt you've corrected 3,467 citations in papers. This lesson will allow you to review citation format for popular sources like books, poems, plays, online articles, podcasts, and films with a colorful and clear slideshow as students take notes on the guiding sketchnotes handout. Then they can immediately practice what they've learned - notes in hand - by
Preview of Hexagonal Thinking Template: Generic Novel Study Activity, Any Novel, Any Book

Hexagonal Thinking Template: Generic Novel Study Activity, Any Novel, Any Book

This flexible hexagonal thinking template is the perfect way to deepen literary analysis and promote critical thinking in your middle or high school ELA classroom. Designed to work with any novel or book, this editable activity invites students to make meaningful connections between characters, themes, symbols, literary elements, and more. Whether you're looking to encourage thoughtful book discussion, introduce visible thinking routines, or add a new tool to your novel study activities, this
Preview of Digital Magnetic Tiles for Spring Poetry Activities: Middle and High School ELA

Digital Magnetic Tiles for Spring Poetry Activities: Middle and High School ELA

Looking for a fresh, creative poetry activity to celebrate the season? These Digital "Magnetic" Tiles for Spring Poetry offer an engaging way for students to build poems with vibrant, seasonal language—perfect for National Poetry Month, spring writing units, or a fun brain break. Students use Google Slides to drag and drop spring-themed word tiles onto beautiful seasonal backgrounds, creating unique digital poetry posters. With no prep required, this activity fits easily into your classroom r
Preview of Hexagonal Thinking: The Social Dilemma Social Media Literacy Discussion Activity

Hexagonal Thinking: The Social Dilemma Social Media Literacy Discussion Activity

Want to get your students thinking deeply and critically about the issues presented in The Social Dilemma? It's not always easy, I know! This hexagonal thinking activity will help them connect the big ideas, warnings, key points, and suggestions for moving forward that fill this important documentary. Be prepared to be surprised at the depth of your students conversations.Here's what's included in The Social Dilemma Hexagonal Thinking Set:6 pages of visually interesting hexagons (grayscale fo
Preview of Winter Poetry Activities: Digital Magnetic Tiles, Holiday Creative Writing

Winter Poetry Activities: Digital Magnetic Tiles, Holiday Creative Writing

Bring creativity and calm to your classroom with this engaging Digital "Magnetic" Tiles for Winter Poetry activity. Perfect for the weeks leading up to winter break, this resource invites students to reflect on the beauty of the season and express themselves through poetry. Using Google Slides, students drag and drop winter and holiday-themed word tiles onto four cozy, seasonal backgrounds to craft their own digital poetry posters. With word tiles that include references to Hanukkah, Diwali,
Preview of The Book Talk Podcast Project: Student Podcasting Activities, Book Club Podcast

The Book Talk Podcast Project: Student Podcasting Activities, Book Club Podcast

With book talk podcasts, students find an authentic audience for their choice reading check-in and their peers find inspiration for their next book! In this curriculum set, you’ll find everything you need to help students prep and record a creative book talk podcast episode without any tech hassles. These episodes can then be used to create a class index of book reviews all students can use to help choose their next book. The project includes planning steps to help students create an episode (
Preview of Halloween Poetry Tiles: Poetry Activities and Halloween Poetry Activities

Halloween Poetry Tiles: Poetry Activities and Halloween Poetry Activities

Looking for an engaging and creative activity for the hectic Halloween week? This Halloween Poetry Tiles resource is the perfect fit! Designed to captivate students' attention while letting them unwind, this digital poetry activity encourages them to reflect on Halloween memories and explore imagery in a fun and interactive way. With three beautiful backgrounds to choose from and a large set of Halloween-themed “magnetic” poetry words, students can mix and match to craft their own striking po
Preview of Editable Quiz Game Template: Unit Review, Test Review, Exam Review for any Topic

Editable Quiz Game Template: Unit Review, Test Review, Exam Review for any Topic

Want to gamify review for your next unit? Do it in a few minutes with this colorful, Editable Quiz Game Slideshow Template. It's a super fun way to make unit and exam review more engaging! This interactive, customizable slideshow helps you create fun, game-based reviews for any subject. Perfect for test prep, classroom competitions, or group activities, this resource makes reviewing material exciting while reinforcing key concepts. What’s Included:Fully editable quiz game template – Custom
Preview of Documentary Film Project: Engaging ELA Project, Research and Writing Assignment

Documentary Film Project: Engaging ELA Project, Research and Writing Assignment

Harness the interest your students have in creating video for TikTok and YouTube with this Documentary Film Project. You’ll be able to walk students through documentary creation while helping them develop ELA skills like storytelling, research, and interviewing. The materials in this project will walk students through the process of examining short documentary models, coming up with a story to tell, understanding how to use different types of audio and video clips, and storyboarding their idea.
Preview of Digital "Magnetic" Tiles for Poetry (education theme)

Digital "Magnetic" Tiles for Poetry (education theme)

Need an engaging activity for an in-between day or a poetry unit? Try this fun magnetic poetry lesson. Students have a chance to unwind a little while checking in with you about how they feel about school. Perfect for middle and high school classrooms, this activity allows students to drag and drop "magnetic" word tiles in Google Slides to create their own school-inspired poems. With four lovely backgrounds to choose from and a large set of education-themed "magnetic" poetry words, students
Preview of Choice Reading: Book Trailer Project l independent reading activities & project

Choice Reading: Book Trailer Project l independent reading activities & project

Looking for a new and exciting way for your students to share about their choice reading books? Try this Book Trailer Project to guide students step by step through creating book trailers that you can then integrate as a tool in your choice reading program.  For this quick project, students will create a book trailer to showcase one of their choice reading books.  The goal of the assignment is to contribute to the culture of reading in the classroom, not just to prove that they’ve read. As you
Preview of Macbeth Hexagonal Thinking Kit: Shakespeare Analysis, Critical Thinking Activity

Macbeth Hexagonal Thinking Kit: Shakespeare Analysis, Critical Thinking Activity

Want to ignite quality discussion with hexagonal thinking as you read Macbeth, but unsure how to get started? This strategy can yield inspiring results, so let me help you launch it with this resource-packed toolkit. Inside this editable toolkit on Google Slides, you'll find:An editable set of key terms, historical connections, themes and symbols from Macbeth that you can tweak to meet your needs inside Google Slides and then print. Teacher and student instructions to make it easy to get rolli
Preview of Language Arts First Week of School: Back to School Digital Poetry Tiles Activity

Language Arts First Week of School: Back to School Digital Poetry Tiles Activity

Kick off the school year with creativity and connection using these Digital Poetry Tiles: Goals (Back-to-School). This no-prep digital poetry activity is the perfect way to get to know your students while encouraging them to reflect on their goals and aspirations for the year ahead. Students will use Google Slides to drag and drop goal-themed magnetic poetry tiles onto four beautifully designed backgrounds. With a focus on self-expression, this activity helps build classroom community and make
Preview of Life Skills, Career Readiness Project: High School Independent Research Unit

Life Skills, Career Readiness Project: High School Independent Research Unit

Help students build real-world confidence with this Life Skills and Career Readiness project—a flexible, engaging independent research unit for high school students. Whether you’re teaching ELA, advisory, life skills, or career prep, this project gives students the opportunity to explore essential adulting skills and practice sharing what they’ve learned with their peers. Students will select a life skill—such as doing laundry, booking travel, writing a professional email, or budgeting—and c
Preview of Digital Magnetic Poetry Tiles for Gratitude, Thanksgiving, SEL, ELA Writing

Digital Magnetic Poetry Tiles for Gratitude, Thanksgiving, SEL, ELA Writing

Looking for a meaningful and creative activity for Thanksgiving or your gratitude lessons? These Digital "Magnetic" Tiles for Poetry: Gratitude are the perfect way to blend reflection and language play in a way students will enjoy. With three beautiful Google Slides backgrounds and a large collection of gratitude-themed “magnetic” word tiles, students can craft thoughtful poems that express what they’re thankful for. This drag-and-drop activity is a great way to build vocabulary, spark creativ
Preview of Escape Room Project for Middle and High School: Student-Created ELA Activity

Escape Room Project for Middle and High School: Student-Created ELA Activity

Looking for a creative way to review academic content while boosting engagement and collaboration? This student-created escape room project gives middle and high school students the chance to design their own digital escape rooms—all while building ELA skills in research, writing, and storytelling. Perfect for project-based learning, end-of-unit assessments, enrichment, or even independent reading extensions, this flexible resource works with any topic or content area you want students to exp
Preview of Hexagonal Thinking Template: Shakespeare Analysis, Discuss Activity for Any Play

Hexagonal Thinking Template: Shakespeare Analysis, Discuss Activity for Any Play

Spark deeper conversations around Shakespeare’s plays with this hexagonal thinking template, designed to promote critical thinking, literary analysis, and student-led discussion. Whether you're teaching Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or The Tempest, this flexible resource helps students visually connect key ideas—like characters, themes, symbols, and historical context—using an engaging, hands-on format. This Shakespeare discussion activity is ideal for small groups, whole-class discussions, or
Preview of Project Based Learning: High School Public Speaking, Presentation Skills PBL

Project Based Learning: High School Public Speaking, Presentation Skills PBL

Project based learning helps your students connect their in-class work with their lives. In this PBL project, your students will have a chance to raise their voice and take a stand on the subject of their own education. After exploring modern trends in education, they'll craft a 3-4 minute "Ed Talk" to propose a new program, course, pedagogy, or department at your school or in your district. What will your students argue for when they take the stage? Senior internships? Genius hour? Interdiscip
Preview of Research Podcast Project for any Unit, Podcast Project for Students, ELA Project

Research Podcast Project for any Unit, Podcast Project for Students, ELA Project

In this curriculum set, you’ll find everything you need to help students create a research podcast project that will fit quickly into any unit. Students will choose a topic (free choice or you can guide them to an area relevant to your current unit), research with three solid sources using the graphic organizer or sketchnotes template, build their show in three parts, and then record their audio or video podcast by following step by step guidelines.  Students will be supported with a graphic or
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About the store

Experience

Welcome! Here you'll find innovative secondary ELA curriculum, like podcasting projects, one-pagers, PBL units for genius hour and AI research, choice reading program elements, hexagonal thinking for any text, and more. After almost a decade in teaching, I now host The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast and design curriculum for creative English teachers full time. You can find me on Edutopia, Cult of Pedagogy, Truth for Teachers, We Are Teachers, NCTE's Read Write Think and more.

Teaching style

I like to use creative, artistic, differentiated pedagogies. I constantly promote free-choice reading, use interdisciplinary journal prompts and help students explore different forms of creative writing. I like a variety of discussion forms like literature circles and fishbowl discussions, but particularly focus on developing the group dynamics required for round-table discussions.

Awards & shining teacher moments

National Arthur Ashe Award for Community Involvement, Leadership, and Sportsmanship The Webb Schools New Teacher Award

My own education history

B.A., Pomona College M.A., Middlebury College

Additional biographical information

The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast The Creative High School English Facebook Group @nowsparkcreativity nowsparkcreativity.com