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The instrumental music and the beautiful, complex lyrics always help me think more clearly when writing. Taylor Swift is a talented writer herself, so listening to her always inspires me.

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Sometimes writing in the comfort of your home doesn't do it for you. For me personally, going to a public space like a coffee shop encourages and motivates me to work. The background noises are soothing, and honestly sometimes the aesthetic really does wonders for my productivity. I also love being able to get myself a little treat to snack on or sip while I work. I think a little treat is a great way to help you write.

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Nature inspires me both as a writer and a teacher of writer. I think that getting out and observing/writing about the world around you can be grounding. Doing this helps me connect to myself and the world around me, and I want to provide students with that same opportunity.

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Similar to nature, art is also an inspiration for my writing and my methods for teaching writing. I believe writing about art allows for a different kind of creativity. Students are able to make up the story behind the piece themselves. I think there are times when students can feel as if writing about a text is limiting (though that isn't the case) but with art there is a freedom. Everyone can have a different interpretation, and while that is the same for everything, I think applying that creativity feels easier for some.

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Sometimes the writing process can feel individualized. I value getting other voices involved because hearing other people's perspectives on your writing or their ideas can influence the way you continue that process. This doesn't have to be a solitary thing. When minds are put together, great things can occur. So whether it is me working with students, or students working together, when it comes to teaching writing I hope that providing feedback to one another is an integral part of the writing process.

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I found this playlist when I was struggling to write a research paper for my class. I now put it on most of the time when I write because it is filled with good vibes and songs by my favorite artists.

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This is an example of writing play! I always want to remember to include activities like this in the classroom.

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An example of writing play that includes art!

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This poem makes me think about the act of writing. The way you start with nothing, but as you let your mind wander, creativity takes over. And as you accept that creativity into your writing process, you then find yourself with a page full of beautiful ideas. It's just a fun little piece of writing that I really enjoy and it reminds me of the joy of writing.

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I imagine this midnight moment's forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock's loneliness
And this blank page where my fingers move.

Through the window I see no star:
Something more near
Though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:

Cold, delicately as the dark snow
A fox's nose touches twig, leaf;
Two eyes serve a movement, that now
And again now, and now, and now

Sets neat prints into the snow
Between trees, and warily a lame
Shadow lags by stump and in hollow
Of a body that is bold to come

Across clearings, an eye,
A widening deepening greenness,
Brilliantly, concentratedly,
Coming about its own business

Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox
It enters the dark hole of the head.
The window is starless still; the clock ticks,
The page is printed.

from Collected Poems (Faber, 2003), by permission of the publishers, Faber & Faber Ltd. Recording used by permission of the BBC

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I imagine this midnight moment's forest: Something else is alive Beside the clock's loneliness And this blank page where my fingers move. Through the window I see no star: Something more near Though deeper within darkness Is entering the loneliness:...

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This text changed my perspective on feedback. This is an idea I want to return to as I consider how I want to respond to the work students turn in.

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I'm going to tell you why I think comments on essays are a bad idea... but first a quick story.

About five years ago, my Sunday nights were spent at a mostly-empty Starbucks. For hours I would read and comment on all the papers and pages I accumulated over the week. By Monday afternoon, many of those papers ended the day in my wastebasket. Students would read their score, glance through the comments, and consign them to the trash.

It was disheartening.

I was asking students to write thoughtfully, and in return, I believed I was responding thoughtfully by providing specific, targeted, and individual feedback to everyone.

But it didn't really move writers forward. It was mostly-wasted effort. Seeing those papers in the trash didn't fill me with lasting satisfaction. Instead I had a slow-brewing resentment for expending so much time and working so hard only to see it unappreciated.

THE FEEDBACK MYTH

I was guilty of the "feedback myth" as described by Susan Brookhart, author of How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students.

"Much feedback on student writing is wasted, because students don't use it. Many teachers subscribe to the myth that students will use the feedback "next time" they write something similar. However, it's not true that students have some sort of file drawer in their heads, with files labeled according to type of writing, that they will magically open at some point in the future."`

Realizing this, it changed my whole approach to feedback.

Here's what I began to understand about commenting on papers:

1. There is not a lot of room in the margins of papers to give feedback. Anything I wrote had to be so terse that it often was ineffective.

2. It was one way. I was commenting, and unless a student had the courage to ask me a question, that's where the conversation ended.

3. It was paradoxical. Students expected comments but did not value them. They valued knowing that I read their work and responded to it, but they did not act upon the feedback I was giving.

4. By the time we got to our next writing assignment, students forgot their individual means to improve.

WORK

My approach to the work was well intended but totally misguided. There are three ways to look at work:

The old definition of work was a reflection of manual labor because it multiplied force by distance. Work was a reflection of how much muscle was required to plow a field or clear a forest.

Then in the industrial economy work was measured in inputs of time and effort. This was demonstrated in a punch card or how much sweat you produced on your brow.

A more modern definition of work in the information age looks at the leverage one has to produce the highest desired outcomes across the broadest spectrum.

All those nights at Starbucks I was grading papers in an industrial mode. My work was based on how many comments I could write and for how long. It did not matter if I increased my productivity by commenting faster or even working longer, the result remained the same. The papers ended up in the wastebasket.

A BETTER APPROACH TO FEEDBACK

Instead of focusing on how many comments I could write, I began to focus on using the greatest leverage I had while trying to effect the greatest improvement. My students cared about their grades more than they did my feedback. This was my leverage.. Second, instead of devoting my efforts on the individual level, I began to charge my energies into the broadest outcome.

My new, improved way to move writers forward looks like this:

1. Instead of waiting for the weekend to score essays, I focused my efforts on getting all the essays graded the day they were assigned. Here's the catch - I didn't comment on a single essay. Grading AP exams for five years taught me that I can be efficient and effective if I just score and move on. Taking the time to think about feedback - and then write it - on each essay really slowed me down. Now I could supercharge my turnaround time by reading, scoring, and repeating.

2. Now as I grade, I keep in mind the most common weaknesses. I'm not generating a running list of everything. I'm looking to cast the widest net and find the most glaring area for improvement.

3. I pick one weakness and develop a mini lesson on it the next day. Teach the skill, then use one student sample of a model that demonstrates the skill effectively. Pull two more student responses, ones that did not meet the expectation of the skill, and have students revise them.

4. I revisit the mini lesson, the skill, and one more student sample in need of improvement a week later. This helps sustain the learning and reinforce the skill.

5. Many students want a justification for their score, since there are no comments. I use this as leverage to offer writing conferences before and after school in which I can work one-on-one with a student and go through their essay along with the rubric. I have found that these conversations - which allow for a deeper give and take that comments could never provide - has had the greatest impact on student improvement. As a result of the conference, students can rewrite for a higher grade. This satisfies their need for great grades while it gives me a far better chance for improvement.

I have seen a dramatic increase in my students writing scores using this approach. It has also given me greater satisfaction while grading because my efforts are more efficient, more personal, and have a more lasting impact.

Brian Sztabnik is just a man trying to do good in and out of the classroom. He was a 2018 finalist for NY Teacher of the Year, a former College Board advisor for AP Lit, and an award-winning basketball coach.

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COMMENTS ARE A BAD IDEA - Much Ado About Teaching

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Commenting on essays is a bad idea. Here is a better way to give students feedback on their writing..

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This website provides information on this topic, but also includes several other links and resources I can refer to.

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Multimodality in the writing classroom refers to the use of different modes, such as written, oral, non-verbal, and visual, to communicate and persuade. Lutkewitte (2014) refers to multimodal composition as composition using multiple modes that work purposely to create meaning.

What does a multimodal class look like?

The future of multimodal classes

Resources for Teaching

Further Reading

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Multimodality in the writing classroom refers to the use of different modes, such as written, oral, non-verbal, and visual, to communicate and persuade. Lutkewitte (2014) refers to multimodal composition as composition using multiple modes that work purposely to create meaning. What does a multimodal class look like?

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An example of writing play that I'd like to try out in my own classroom.

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This is the first summative assessment I ever created/taught. Looking back at it, I feel as if this is a good example of ways to include writing play into a final project. This summative was evaluating the use of rhetorical devices. They had to both write a script and act out this script.

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A reminder for future me.

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Another example of writing play done in my 297 class. These were created by Dr. Boehm. Completing these in class changed my perspective on informative writing, and when it comes to teaching that genre, I want to think back to activities like this.

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An activity done in class that resonated with me. I want to keep activities like this in mind when I think about planning my writing instruction.

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For me, this is a movie that always gets my writing juices flowing. I think it is just because I feel so inspired by Jo. So, when I feel like I will never be able to write something good again, I put on this movie, and sure enough, I regain my motivation and feel capable once again.

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This is my all time favorite book series. It inspires me in so many areas of my life, but specifically with writing because I find this story so well written and beautiful.

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My resume, my why, and sample lesson plans to return to.

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Bio

I am a graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Secondary English Education. I graduated with honors, and am currently working towards my master's degree. I have done clinical work at Normal Community High School, University High School, and Lincoln High School. I have also worked as a tutor for three years of my college experience.

​

Abby Jamison

700 North Adelaide St. Apt. 30, Normal, IL, 61761

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Bio I am a graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Secondary English Education. I graduated with honors, and am currently working towards my master's degree. I have done clinical work at Normal Community High School, University High School, and Lincoln High School.

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Beautiful slide show templates I can use when creating lessons.

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Free Google Slides themes and Powerpoint templates | Slidesgo

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Discover the best Google Slides themes and PowerPoint templates you can use in your presentations - 100% Free for any use.

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This has come in handy to see what real teachers have done in the classroom. I have not seen many full fleshed out unit plans, and having this as a resource to turn to has really been helpful because I can see what others have done and I can use that as inspiration and guidance.

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Virtual Library of Conceptual Units | Unit Outlines | Resources for Designing Units | Promoting Discussions | Free Books | Links | Smagorinsky C.V. | Smagorinsky Pubs Crawling PPT | Names

VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF CONCEPTUAL UNITS

Welcome to the Virtual Library of Conceptual Units. The Virtual Libray includes conceptual teaching units for middle and high school English/Language Arts classes. These units have been designed by preservice and practicing teachers at The University of Georgia. The units follow principles of curriculum and instruction developed by George Hillocks, Jr., (see, e.g., Dynamics of English Instruction, Grades 7-12, by Hillocks, McCabe, and McCampbell; Random House, 1971). The process for designing these units is described in Peter Smagorinsky's Teaching English through Principled Practice (Merrill/Prentice-Hall, 2002) and Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry Out Instructional Units(Heinemann, 2008; an online Instructor's Guide is available for this book as well).The units are designed to cover 4-6 weeks (assuming daily class periods of 45-55 minutes). Each is organized around a concept such as a theme (e.g., Coming of Age), genre (e.g., satire), strategy (e.g., understanding irony), literary period (e.g., Victorian Age), movement (e.g., Transcendantalism), region (e.g., Authors of Georgia), or author (e.g., the works of Emily Dickinson).

The units in this library contain the following elements:

A rationale that provides a justification for teaching the unit to appropriate classes of students.

A set of goals that provide direction and purpose for the unit. These goals serve as the major assessments for the unit and are accompanied by a rubric that guides assessment.

A list of materials that serve as the primary texts for considering the unit theme or focus.

Daily lessons and activities that enable students to work successfully toward rewarding performances on the unit assessments.

In designing the units, the teachers are urged to prepare them as though they suddenly might take an extended leave from their teaching and leave instruction in the hands of a substitute. The units therefore need to be written in sufficient detail that someone else could come in and teach them.

The Virtual Library of Conceptual Units appears next. Each unit is available for downloading. To download, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. You are welcome to borrow from these units; we only ask that you respect each unit's authors and credit their work if you borrow it for your own teaching or unit design. Units listed in red have been identified as good models to follow. Most units are of high quality; those marked in red have been singled out because they model all aspects of unit design unusually well. All units in the Virtual Library, whether marked in red or not, are worth consideration for teaching.
UNIT OUTLINES This link provides dozens of unit outlines, each providing a unit topic (e.g., The Family, Frontier Literature) and accompanying lists of literature, songs, films, and other appropriate texts. Each topic listing also suggests key concepts and problems to guide the instruction. If you would like to recommend additional titles for this list, please send the title, author, and appropriate unit to smago@uga.edu. I'm also happy to receive whole new unit outlines, for which I'll list you as the contributor. Thanks!
SEVENTH GRADE

EIGHTH GRADE

Friendship (1998) by Scott Morgan and Marla Sciara

Georgia Writers (1998) by David Francis & Mark Dowdy

Animals as Symbols (2001) by E. Michelle Holbert

Through the Fire: An Eighth Grade Unit on Adversity (2002) by Sarah Patton

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Finding Out What It Means to Me--A six-week unit on respect (2003) by Phaedra Adu, Shenika Glenn, Ruth Johnson, & Emily Moore

A Different Dimension: Fantasy, Folktales, Myths and Legends (2004) by Taylor Culjan

A Perfect World? (2005) by Jennifer Brown, Lindsey Giddens Stewart, & Jennifer Watson

I Will Speak Up! For Myself, For My Friends, and For What I Believe In! (2005) by Allison Estey

Recognizing and Resolving Problems: Connecting Students to Their World (2006) by Helene Halstead

The American Justice System: Does It Work? (2007) by Megan Kingsley

Horror and Suspense: Edgar Allan Poe (2009) by Alisa Swain

Coming of Age and Constructing Identity, with Jacqueline Woodson: (2010) by Sarah Douglas

Developing a Speaker's Voice, Stating Opinions and Making Argumentative Points through Persuasive Writing (2011) by Linda Dale Carter

Overcoming Adversity: Finding the Survivor in You (2013) by Lisa Madel

Blues Music in Literature (2013) by Lacey Crump

NINTH GRADE

Peer Relations, Peer Influence and Conformity (1998) by Terri Avery & Jennifer Hood

The Spectrum of Relationships (1998) by Dana Miller and Amanda Moneyhan

Understanding Human Rights through Literature (1999) by Jenny Cockrill, Stephanie Hall, Rebecca Long

Heroes and the Human Condition (1999) by Eric Hasty, Dana Siegmund, and Jonathan Stroud

Adventure (1999) by Todd Hedden, Shane Orr, and Allison Shroyer

Personal Responsibility (1999) by Tommy Behr, Jamie Reece, and Angie Watkins

Relationships (1999) by Charlie Hollingshead and Sandra Wood

Multicultural Literature (1999) by Mary Catherine Begnaud and Lee Evans

Relationships: Authority, Family and Peer (2000) by Patrice Loggins, Rustina Thomas, and Brooke Taggart

The Youth Perspective: A Study of Literature from Young Adults by Young Adults (2000) by Badia Askari

Creations (2000) by Michael Bryan and Melia Skorupski

Beyond Tacos and Piatas: A Unit On Hispanic Literature (2001) by Beth Wright, Stephanie Rosenberg, Kelly Hellman, Angie Furney

Gangs, Cliques, and Peer Pressure (2002) by Julia Bateman

Recognizing Reductionism: Identifying the Stereotypes Placed on Individuals and Groups by Society (2002) by Bethany Bishop

Voice, Power, Identity: Guide to Choosing a Path and a Place (2002) by Heather Ely

The Exploration of Self within Society (2002) by Holly Frilot and Aleigh Tubiak

The Importance of Seeking Knowledge (2002) by Stephen Lindsay

Freedom and Identity (2002) by Mandy Brown, Meghann Hummel, Sarah Mann, Jason Taylor, and Beth Wright

Social Issues as Presented in Romeo and Juliet (2002) by Christine Trudel

Researching the World (Mythology) (2002) by Melanie Kee

A Hero Lies in You (2003) by Elizabeth Gathers

Romeo and Juliet (2003) by Lynn Berry, Sarah Donovan, and Meghann Hummel

Wonders of Mythology and Folklore (2005) by Kerri Singer

Negotiating Boundaries: Making it Through Adolescence Alive (2005) by Ronnie Ficco

Emerging Identities and Socially Constructed Gender Awareness (2005) by Pamela M. Amendola, Devon McCarthy, & Ryan L. Neumann

Looking at Our Past and Our Present through Our Future: Expanding and Interpreting Text (2007) by Carrie Greynolds

What is a Myth?: An Introduction to Mythology (2007) by Suzanne Butler

Should I Make a Stand? Adolescent Conflict with Authority (2007) by Amanda Tyndall

Complicating Courage: From Warriors Don't Cry to "The Most Dangerous Game," What Does it Mean to be a Warrior? (2008) by William Peek

Choice and Consequences with Romeo and Juliet (2008) by Brett Belcher, Aimee Dowd, & Shannon Juhan

MythBusters: Exploring Mythology and Folklore from Around the World (2008) by Stephanie Markham

Hidden Identity: Finding Yourself in Romeo and Juliet (2008) by Stacie Rustin

Adaptations of Romeo and Juliet (2009) by Rachel Winne Lilly

Shakespeare's Word: Love, Marriage, Blood, and Hands in Romeo and Juliet (2009) by Beth Pitman

Courageous Action (2009) by Nina Williams

Transformations (2009) by Deirdre Kraushaar

Humanity and Science Fiction (2009) by Chiarita Rose

Will the real Mockingbird please stand up? (2009) by Julie E. Duke

Utopias and Dystopias (2009) by Elizabeth Jasperse

Stargirl (2009) by Mark. A. Richardson

Speaking Up: Alienation and Social Responsibility (2009) by Katie Crowell

Understanding and Analyzing Theme (2009) by Sara Madden

Battle of the Villains (2010) by Lauren Niemeyer

Identity in Southern Literature (2010) by Ansley Deese, Julie Kristin, & Amber Higginbotham

Coming of Age/Loss of Innocence (2010) by Stephanie Gray

Fear, Darkness, & Mystery: A Unit on Gothic Literature (2010) by Shannon Cheek

The Power of Storytelling: A Gateway into the Narrative (2011) by Lauren Rice

The Future of Us: Science Fiction and the Short Story (2011) by Nathan Lawrence

Conflicting Loyalties in Romeo and Juliet (2011) by Sarah Chattin

#TeenProblems--Romeo & Juliet: How the Lives of Today's Youth are found in Shakespeare (2012) by Sarah Antonuccio

The Hero's Journey: Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life and Beyond: A Six Week Unit for 9th Grade CP (2012) by Morgan Peterson

The Tingle of Delighted Horror: An October Unit (2012) by Joey Morrow

Is That a Boy or a Girl? Exploring Gender Identity as a Facet of Civil Rights (2013) by Stefanie Molinaro

TENTH GRADE

Coming of Age (1998) by John Melton

Coming of Age (1998) by Scott Porter and Don Horacek

Social Stratification and Discrimination (1999) by Jeff Deroshia

Rebirth (2000) by Kasey Barrett, Tara Dean, Amanda Endres, Julie Stinchcomb

The American Dream (2001) by Jay Blanton, Heather Wicker and Brad Williams

Family (2002) by Emily Davis

The Dynamics of Family (2002) by Kimberly A. Evans

Crime and Punishment (2003) by Jessica Hagans and Kate Phillips

Humanity and Voice in Literature: Building Bridges among the Past, Present, and Future (2003) by Katherine Dodd, Elizabeth Garrard, & Audrey Welshhans

A Sense of Home (2004) by Jamie Jordan

Censorship: Breach of Freedom or Exception to the Rule? (2004) by Molly Livingston

Greed (2004) by Emily Robinson

Identity: How We See Ourselves and Others (2004) by Lara Sniffin

Science Fiction: Critiquing the Present, Exploring the Future (2004) by Joshua Dyer

Teaching Cultural and Historical Literacy Through Satire (2005) by Christian Ehret

Preserving Memory: Holocaust Literature and the Quest for Remembrance (2006) by Mary Michael Sellers

Journeys of Grief: the Quest of War, Inward and Out (2007) by Naomi White

"On the Edge": Suspenseful Literature (2007) by Amanda Paulk

Critical Thinking (2009) by Brian Kraby

Am I a "Weapon of Massive Consumption"? : Learning to Fire the Canon (2010) by Kelly Galloway

Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Intertextuality: A Unit for Tenth Grade World Literature (2010) by Audrey Jordan

Arthurian Ideals: Investigating Moral Character and Values (2011) by Jordan Rollins

On the Outside Looking In (2012) by Kate Reynolds

"What's So Funny?": Exploring Comedy, Humor, and Laughter (2012) by Taylor Schulze

Moral Courage and Endurance: A Necessity for Change (2012) by Brooke Gendron

Coming of Age in The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (2013) by Carly Stephans

ELEVENTH GRADE

A Sense of Place (1998) by Elizabeth Williams, Derek Shackelford, Holly Phillips, Kevin Mullally

Social Injustice (1998) by Nelie Betress and Bridget Taylor

The Vietnam War (1998) by Michawne Heess & Kimberly Stembridge

Working Within/Against Our Limitations as Americans (1998) by Tiffany Lee and Kathryn Johnson

The American Social Drama (1999) by Jobie Johnson

Resistance Literature (1999) by Quiana Camp, Matt Davis, and Chelle Harris

American Realism and Naturalism (1999) by Julie Waters

Exploring Struggle in American Plays (2000) by Heather V. Rachmuth & William J. Shuler, Jr.

The American Dream: Fact or Fiction? (2001) by Jennifer Howell

Going Against the Grain to Find Your Identity: A Seven Week Conceptual Unit on Huckleberry Finn (2001) by Margaret Robbins

Passing to the American Dream (2002) by Jennifer Bogdanich and Erin Butler

Technology and Progress (2002) by Tara Cooney

What America Means to Me: A Conceptual Unit on American Realism (2002) by Kristen Demaree

Detail and Voice: A Five-Week Unit on Fleshing Out One's Own Voice in Writing (2002) by Leah N. Franklin

Ideal Destruction: Constructing Realistic American Dreams (2002) by Rebecca Moon

Literature of the Holocaust: A Study of Human Issues (2002) by Erin Rose Wilder

Testing the Boundaries: A Unit on Censorship in America (2002) by Valerie Aveni, Erica Barbakow, Meg Ingram, & Bonnie Stewart

A Sense of Self (2003) by Jennifer Feldman, Melissa Lynn, & Amy Winter

Protest Literature and the American Experience (2003) by Derek Chelf

Bridging the Harlem Renaissance to the Hip Hop Movement (2003) by Kristy Mulkey & Kasha Wharton

I Sing Myself (2003) by Jennifer Astrin, Sarah Fletcher, Ross Gericke, & Paul Filush

East Asian American Literature: A Unit of Study and Lesson Plan (2004) by Ian Altman & Nick Tang

The Changing American Family (2004) by Erin Bailey

Educational Issues as a Medium through Which We Educate (2004) by Dana Buxton & Paul Kramer

War: What is it good for? (2004) by Brant Chesser

The American Dream and The American Reality of the Jazz Age (2004) by Melissa Page

Outsider American Literature (2005) by Casey Nissenbaum & Annie Tremoulis

Working Against Mainstream Culture: The Voices of Two Female African American Authors from The Harlem Renaissance to the Present (2005) by Sarah Segrest

Contemporary African American Literature (2005) by Kristal Stripling

Gender Roles in American Literature (2006) by Tanya Martin, Maggie Taylor, Mimi Voyles, & Chris Woodward

Reading a Work through the Lens of the Author (2006) by Peggy Wang

America at War with Itself: Social versus Personal Responsibility (2007) by Caitlin George

The Grotesque of the Gothic: From Poe to the Present (2007) by Amy Dyster Phillips

Who am I? A Unit of Self-Discovery through Literature (2007) by Tara Stuart

Differing Perspectives (2007) by Michael Williams

Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? Social Structures, Choices, and Consequences (2008) by Brande Ledford

Their America: A Multi-Genre Take on the State of the Union's Teens (2008) by Kevin Mink

Modernism Unit: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Eliot (2009) by Anne Krache

I Hear My Classroom Singing: Whitman, Dickinson, Hip-Hop, and America (2009) by Tyler Braddy

Perception versus Reality: And the greatness of Gatsby (2009) by Sunny Vidrine

There's No Place Like Home: Discovering Our American Home Identity (2009) by Hannah Hodges

Understanding Holden: A unit for 11th grade students (2009) by Michael Nickolai

Re-Reading History: Remembering Voices That Have Been Forgotten (2011) by Kate Towery

Don't Touch That: Censorship and Literature in the High School Classroom (2011) by Kristin Dalton

Social Alienation and Nonconformity: The Risks and Rewards of Journeying Beyond the Pale (2012) by Helen Rhinehart

Things That Go Bump in the Night: A Six Week Unit Study on Gothic Literature (2012) by Jennifer DeLong

Perceptions of Success and The American Dream: How Culture Influences Our Beliefs (2012) by Ted Davis

The Great Gatsby: Finding the Past in the Present (2013) by Tiffany Chu

Voices and Identities in Native American Literature (2013) by Brittany Ann Moore

Theories of Time and Space": Finding Identity Through Place (2013) by Tyler Goodson

TWELFTH GRADE

The following units have been created by students at Florida State University under the guidance of Dr. Shelbie Witte, using the same principles as those created at UGA

Search for Identity: Hamlet by Samar Al Slaiby and Brandi Doutherd

Friendship: Understanding and Cultivating It "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" by Amy Bradick

A Multi-Genre Look At The Social Change Of The 1960's and 1970's, Grade 12 by Samantha Buchweitz

Building Up and Breaking Down the Utopia in Dystopian Post Apocalyptic Texts by Thomas DeCeglie

A Generation Lost? Exploring the 1920's through the Eyes of The Lost Generation by Marah Dolan

"Don't Do Drugs" 9th grade by Katie D'Sousa

United We Stand: Celebrating Diversity in America by Jessica Egan

The Road Map to My Identity by Seth Federman

Symbols: Life without Words: Cultural Awareness and Self-Identity through the Evolution of Tattoos by Giannina Ferraro

Analyzing Adolescent Pressures & Choices through Young Adult Literature by Anna Harman

Adolescent Struggle With Authority While Searching For Identity By Carlin Huenke

Bullying: Students Actions and Potential Consequences by Taneshia Jones

Revolution—A Judgment of Justice by Victoria D. McDonald

Who's Cuckoo? A look into the stigma of mental illness in society by Lauren Niemeyer

The Battle of You: Struggling against Social and Family Expectations and creating an Identity, as seen through Text and Street Art by Mark Robbins-Penniman

Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a tooth by Aubrey Sallenbach

"Vociferous Voices from our Pitiless Past" A Unit on Protest Literature for 10th grade by Elizabeth Schaick

To Kill a Mockingbird by Jessica Trehy

2010 Spring

A Hero Lies in You by Kaitlyn Akos

"Peeling Away the Layers" A Unit on Social Boundaries For 9th grade by Katherine Barr

Memoirs of Migration: A Thematic Unit in American Literature by Daniel Beugnet

Can You Handle the Pressure? Peer Pressure & Today's Youth by Kelly Campbell

A Child's World by Kelly Cassidy

"Who am I, and why does it matter? A unit on life, death, and the meaning of it all. 12th grade honors. by Jenny Davis

Inner Beauty and Self-Image, Grade 9 by Christen Ellrich

Cool Runnings: "Peace be the Journey" by Katherine Freniere

Empowering Voices by Mallory Knabb

You Went through What? Struggles Students are Forced to Overcome by Erin Litvak

Through the Fire: Adversity by Annie Lockman

Going Against the Grain: "This is who I am. Nobody said you had to like it." by Nicole Lopez

The Faces of Evil – A Look into Adolescent Violence by Yahshae Mainer

"Breaking Up is Hard to Do": A Conceptual Unit on Dealing with Loss for 10th grade by Anna Martinez

Act and React by Emily Oppel

Be the one Change You Wish to See, 9th Grade by Alison Pfeifer

For Better or Worse: Making the Most Out of Our Relationships by Michelle Quintero
2010 Fall
Prose, Politics, Persuasion, and Propaganda: A Look at Society Through Literature by Jacob E. Asbell
Identity: Who Am I? by Katie Baker
Irish Literature and Culture by Samuel Berkowitz
Bridging Shakespeare with the Big Lebowski: A Unit Based on Two Gentlemen of Lebowski by Adam Bertocci
I always feel like, somebody's watching me...Teaching 1984 and the power of government by Sarah Brown
Planning for the Future by Haley Byfield
What is Love; Baby, Don't Hurt Me by Tabitha Campbell
Find Out What You Believe in, and Stand Up For It! by Chloe Kendall
Exploring Urban Adolescent Community Issues by Allison Kibbey
What Makes a Hero: Exploring Traits of a Hero & the Plot of Their Story: A Unit on Story Elements and Characterization by Colae Logueby
Stepford Wives and Macho Men: An Exploration of Contemporary Gender Representations by Kimberly Mayer
The Effects of Love: Thinking with your heart vs. Thinking with your head by Kathleen McPadden
Miscommunication: Then and Now: A Pride and Prejudice Inspired Unit by Hayley Miller
Walk a Mile in my Shoes by Laramie Ohms
Perception is Everything: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Miriam Phillips
Traveling in the World's Footsteps by Katie Rybakova

2011 Fall

Modernizing the Epic: Making the classics applicable to students and their lives by Stephanie Barker
Stereotypes, Labels, and Identity by Elizabeth Blackburn
Love and Death Within Gothic Short Stories and Poetry by Cameron Cinkus
Fairies and Folk: A Unit Exploring Fairytales and Folklore From the Modern Perspective by Christina DiBella
Fear, and Conquering Fear: Using writing to channel emotions productively by Daniel Do
Our "Civilized" Society: A 4-Week Unit Plan Designed for the Study of The Scarlet Letter by Misty Lynn Foster
Writing the American Dream by Tamara Francis
The Power of Choice: How do our decisions affect our lives and the lives of others? by Erin Grysko
Dealing with life: Understanding inner conflict by Rebekah Hurd
Their Eyes were watching Harlem by Kaitlin Donahue
"Life Inside The Music Box": Understanding Various Mental Abnormalities by Charise Kollar
Frenemies: Relationships in Othello by Gia Maxwell
Defining Happily Ever After: Traditional, Realistic, and Personal by Sarah Mazza
If we won't, who will? A unit about social responsibility by Juan Cruz Mendizabal
Setting Goals and Making Choices Based on Definitions of Personal Success by Iris Moore
Macbeth Unit by Sean Noga
Embracing Differences in America by Lenet Rivas
Bullying: Awareness, Prevention, and the Media by Sidney Rutledge
Journey through Time with Literature: Past. Present. Future. by Nikki Smith
Why Blend In: Accepting Individual Differences within Self and Others by Stacy Ward
Dare to be Different by Ashley Wiseman

The following units have been created by students at Clemson University under the guidance of Dr. Bea Bailey, using the same principles as those created at UGA. Unfortunately, we cannot credit the authors of the units because doing so would violate an agreement stipulated by Clemson's Institutional Review Board.

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: The Difficulties of Friendship and Love: During the Renaissance and Today
Elie Wiesel's Night: Out of the Darkness: A Study of Literature from the Darkest Moments in Human History and Mankind's Effort to Emerge into the Light
Walking Across Egypt By Clyde Edgerton: Exploring the Social Limitations of Age and Youth
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: Modernizing the Renaissance: Feuds, Love, and Sorrow in Romeo and Juliet and the 2011 Classroom

The following units have been provided by professors from universities that use Teaching English by Design.

Monsters under Our Beds by John Kelly, University of Cincinnati
Creating False Identities: Breaking Down the Myths of Childhood by Amy Lou Brouner, Elizabeth Madani, & Nishi Patel, Georgia State University
From Sandy to Sudan: Childhood in Crisis: A Unit on Global Literature and Engagement by Lindsay J. Wrinn , Fairfield University
'The Individual and the Cultural Environment' Conceptual Unit Featuring The Awakening by Jenna Kober

The following units have been created by students at Oklahoma State University under the guidance of Dr. Shelbie Witte, using the same principles as those created at UGA

Literary Perspectives of Growing Up: Coming of Age Tales by Michael Potts (OSU 2016)
The Hero Inside, an Examination of the Epic Hero by David Anthony Gibbons (OSU 2016)
There Are Two Worlds: The Division of Identity by Emily Stephens (OSU 2016)
The Risks and Rewards of Science by Heather Ross (OSU 2016)
The Color of Identity in African American Literature by Hannah Hunter (OSU 2016)
What Do Values Have To Do With It? by Mickala Gorrell (OSU 2016)
Identifying "The Other" in Literature and Society by Kathryn McKinney (OSU 2016)
Follow the Leader by Mackenzie Stephan (OSU 2016)
I am Not a Robot: Stigmas and Stereotypes Regarding Mental Illness in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar by Samantha Wood (OSU 2016)
Walking in Someone Else's Shoes by Alexandria Akins (OSU 2016)
Man vs. Wild: Morality in the Wilderness by Lauren Nelson (OSU 2016)
The Road Paved By Choice by Chloe Andrews (OSU 2016)
Symbolism and Implicating Literacy Devices by Ben Titus (OSU 2016)
Wilderness Adventure by Kaley Semrad (OSU 2016)
"Nothing Gold Can Stay": Dealing With Trauma and Innocence Lost by Johannah (Hannah) Koehnen Eley (OSU 2016)

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Virtual Library of Conceptual Units | Unit Outlines | Resources for Designing Units | Promoting Discussions | Free Books | Links | Smagorinsky C.V. | Smagorinsky Pubs Crawling PPT | Names VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF CONCEPTUAL UNITS Welcome to the Virtual Library of Conceptual Units.

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A resource to draw from when I am teaching American Literatures. American identity and how one's race shapes that identity is something I am very interested in. So, this unit can be used as is, or texts can be swapped, or it can simply be used for inspiration as I lesson plan.

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Another great resource that I can use when considering how to teach an American Literatures unit. This can be used as is, but it also can just be a jumping off point. This is great specifically because I am thinking about how to reorder. And reordering is something I want to constantly be thinking about in my lesson planning.

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Annotated Bibliography for Reordering Project

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Annotated Bibliography for Reordering Project

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This is full of texts on teaching poetry and authentic assessment.

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Teacher American Literatures Course Notebook

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Teacher American Literatures Course Notebook

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Full of reflection on texts, framework entries, and my thinking on the reordering of American Literatures. Could be a starting point for a unit plan.

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This book has great ideas for how to teach literature, and I can use this in conjunction with the teaching of writing.

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This book has a lot of helpful examples of different forms of poetry as well as it's history which would be helpful for the introduction of a poetry unit.