This document provides summaries of 12 resources for teaching secondary English. The resources include guides on inquiry-based learning, teaching Shakespeare, using Romeo and Juliet in the classroom, The Great Gatsby, Twitter, digital games and social media, Discovery Education resources, and aboriginal literature. Each resource is summarized briefly, noting what topic it covers and why the presenter chose it.

3.  I chose this resource because I feel like inquiry-based learning is very
beneficial in today’s classroom, especially in a secondary English language
arts classroom. Since the subject is already so abstract and can really be
interpreted in many different ways, I feel as though the students should be able
to explore as much as possible, arrive at their own conclusions, and address
their own questions rather than have the work handed to them. In addition,
English language arts not only teaches you to be critical of texts and literature,
but it also encourages you to look at yourself and really search for your
identity – this is such a personal journey and I do not think the students should
be confined to the material and lessons the teacher provides for them, but
rather they should go out there and look where they feel they should look in
order to discover themselves.

5.  This is a very important resource for me because Shakespeare is a topic I struggled
a lot with while I was in high school, and although I feel like I have gotten a firm
grasp on it since entering University, it is still something that I am afraid and
worried about teaching. Since Shakespeare is such an old read, and many students
have a hard time connecting and identifying with it, I feel like this is probably one
of the most difficult texts to teach to secondary English students, because they will
have a hard time staying engaged and excited. This list on how to teach
Shakespeare by someone who already does it is a huge resource for me because it
lessens some of the anxiety about the topic and also reminds me that if I am well
educated about it, and can integrate it well into a modern day classroom, my
students will most likely have an easier time staying on task and being excited.

6.  Romeo and Juliet is an important text in a
secondary English classroom because I can
take a classic script and make it somewhat
relatable and interesting for my students.
Out of all the Shakespeare we studied in
high school, I feel like Romeo and Juliet
was the easiest to grasp, and it was the
easiest to like because it deals with modern
day issues, although they are written much
more dramatically. Every high school
student is most likely able to relate to
falling in love, being told to not do
something he/she feels is right and loss. In
addition, there is a newer movie versions of
this text so we would be able to read the
play and then watch the movie in order to
get the most out of the text and to
encourage better engagement.

7.  I chose this resource because it was one of
my favourite novels that we studied when I
was in high school, and I know that in many
classrooms it is still being taught. This is
another story about love and wealth and
living the American dream, which I think
many high school students are thinking
about at their age. In addition, a movie just
came out and also the culture of the 1920s is
something that is becoming more popular
again and can be used to engage students
and really get them thinking in a critical
way. There are many themes and symbols in
this novel that we can explore as well, and I
still remember the feeling when I identified
and understood those themes. I think this is
a great novel for students to read because it
combines an interesting story with some
great material for critical thinking and
analyzing.

9.  In many of my classes this year, mostly last semester, we discussed the
advantages of using Twitter as more than just a social networking site.
This site is a great way to become informed about things that are going on
in your community, discuss with other teachers important topics and
exchange information, as well as it can be used as a tool to encourage your
students to become more engaged and involved in the classroom. In my
first year of University, a professor incorporated Twitter into the course
outline by asking us to post our questions to him using a specific hashtag
so that they were easy to find by him and other classmates. I feel like
utilizing online resources like twitter, instead of banning them in the
classroom can be very beneficial to the students and also for the teacher as
a way to connect with the students and other teachers around the world.

13.  Slide 3: Alberta Education (2004). Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. 1-122.
 Slide 3: Alberta Education. March 2014. Adapted from: http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/aisi/themes/inquiry.aspx
 Slide 4: Retrieved at: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/index.html
 Slide 4: Image adapted from: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/index.html
 Slide 5: Sheehy (2009). How to teach Shakespeare to high school students: A few basics from one who does it. A teacher’s writes. Retrieved at:
http://ateacherswrites.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/how-to-teach-shakespeare-to-high-school students-a-few-basics-from-one-who-does-it/
 Slide 5: Hamlet book cover. March 2014. Adapted from: http://www.pagepulp.com/2219/the-many-covers-of-hamlet/
 Slide 5: Macbeth book cover. March 2014. Adapted from : http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/03/middlemarch-madness-the-sweet-sixteen-revealed/
 Slide 5 & 6: Romeo & Juliet. March 2014. Adapted from : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18135.Romeo_and_Juliet
 Side 7: The Great Gatsby. March 2014. Adapted from : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4671.The_Great_Gatsby
 Slide 8: Alberta Education (2002). English as a second language: Senior high guide to implementation. 1-140.
 Slide 9: Twitter logo. March 2014. Adapted from: http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/51-2-twitter-best-practices- infographic-twitter-political-hall-of
 Slide 10: Klopfer, Eric, Osterweil Scot, Groff, Jennifer and Haas Jason. (2009). The instructional power of digital games, social networking and simulations and
how teachers can leverage them. 1-20.
 Slide 10: Image adapted from: http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf
 Slide 11: Adapted from: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/search/page/9-12/english-language-arts/-/-/index.cfm?campaign=flyout_teachers_912_la
 Slide 12: Eigenbrod, Renate , Kakegamic Georgina, and Fiddler, Josias. (2003). Aboriginal Literatures in Canada: A teacher’s resource guide. 1-41.
 Slide 12: Image adapted from: http://curriculum.org/storage/30/1278480166aboriginal.pdf