Sample Lesson Plans and Portfolio Items

Reading Lessons

English Lessons
Determining Importance: an 8th grade lesson using relevancy and chunking of text to explore the strategy in nonfiction
Historical Fiction Lesson: the attached 8th grade lesson showcases the reading workshop model; minilesson slideshow, projects, rubric, and student work are also within
Infer Character Traits via Patterns: this 10th grade lesson scaffolds the work through various types of texts surrounding immigration (precursor lesson for social studies class)
Close Reading Annotation Symbols and Strategies: at the beginning of the year, it is important to develop a common "language" about how we interact with text when we read in 8th grade reading class. We talk about "annotation symbols" and "sign posts." Additionally, I have shared this information with faculty, and has started to be adopted in other classes.
8th Grade TDA Best Text Evidence: this interactive lesson builds on several critical thinking reading/writing lessons about identifying evidence and evaluating its value to the writer's argument
You Be the Teacher Final Project: at the end of the year, it's important for students to apply the writing, researching, speaking, and listening skills they've acquired throughout the year.  Students find this project thoroughly fun and engaging; plus, it's great getting to know students' interests while applying their skills. Below, you'll see the materials I created for the project.
Poetry (Tone through Diction): this 11th grade lesson uses a scaffolded approach to understanding tone through careful consideration in an author's word choice (especially connotative meaning). Included are lesson plan and materials.
Crucible Activating Strategy: relating to The Crucible can be difficult for 11th grade students. One of the ways I immerse students in the experience and personally invest them in the plotline, it so create an experience for them and a safe place to discuss. We play a version of the camp game "mafia" (adapted for Communism). The discussion leads into the next day's lesson, where students learn of Arthur Miller's intent and parallelism to the Salem Witch Trials.

Creative Writing Lessons

"Good Writing" Unit: one of my favorite units to do with students (because it is so transformative for student writers) is a unit where we "read like writers." We do a series of whole class, group, and individual activities to understand the vocabulary, craft, and style of mentor authors.  Below are some of the resources I use in the unit.
 AJournaling: one of the essential skills sets in a quality creative writing program is instilling the habit of journaling for ideas, stamina, and/or precision of writing.  Daily journals with various types of prompts (picture prompts, motivational quotes or first lines, and more) are essential to building and maintaining engagement, and periodic opportunities to take this "sloppy copy" writing to more published piece are just as critical. Attached as some of the materials used for student journals, including an explanation/application of Collin's FCAs (focus corrective areas).
Personal Narrative Materials and Sample Lesson: one of the first units that I start with in creative writing is a subject matter teenagers generally feel comfortable with: themselves. The FCAs (focus correction areas) of this unit are: content (show, don't tell and specific word choice) and grammar (complete sentence and dialoguing rules). The sample lesson included talks about the importance of "research" in developing a story (even our own).
Poetry Unit (Poetry Bracket Tournament): I actually STILL do this unit with my English students even though it started as a creative writing unit to celebrate National Poetry Month in April. Students compare pairs of poems using the focus of a mini-lesson (theme, symbolism, etc.), and the "winner" poem moves on in the bracket. 

Co-Taught Lessons

8th Grade Position Paper: throughout the school year, a fellow Honors English 8 teacher and I worked to implement Lucy Calkin's writing workshop into our curriculum while adapting it to fit our needs and our students' needs. Attached is a slideshow that showcases our collaboratively created mini-lessons in the position paper unit.
TIW Mini-Unit (font marketing): working with the other Honors English 8 teacher, we developed a Teacher in the Workplace mini-unit that extended students' understandings about propaganda in Animal Farm. Included below are the mini-lessons (slideshow) we developed together, and me interviewing guest speakers.
Battle of the Books 2021:  After its first year in competition, I expanded the program by requesting the gifted teacher to co-advise this extracurricular book club with me. Below is an explanation of the competition, our advising, and how I crowd-sourced student-created Quizizz questions to help students read closely and review.

Virtual Teaching Lessons
Virtual Teaching: during the 2020-2021 pandemic, I taught in several different ways (virtual, hybrid, full in-person).  I've learned a lot along the way, including how to make mini-lessons interactive sans traditional hands-on methods, including (but not limited to) edPuzzle and Nearpod. Below is a small sampling of some of my virtual instruction.
Virtual Teaching Trainer: during the 2020-2021 pandemic, my interest and abilities in teaching 1-1 technology were used to help train faculty in using Microsoft Teams, its software, and LMS.  Below is an example of some training for parents/community that I was a part of (as we started the year completely virtual).