PRESTO PLANS BLOG

I’ve got a soft spot for any holiday that involves a big meal and a decadent dessert, so Thanksgiving ranks up there as one of my favorite times of the year! However, when it comes to incorporating this holiday into the ELA classroom, it can initially seem challenging to find a meaningful Thanksgiving lesson for […]

One thing I absolutely love about using novel studies in middle school ELA is using the power of fiction to help students develop a stronger sense of empathy. After all, novels give the reader a chance to see through a character’s eyes and gain a greater understanding of their experiences. With this in mind, I […]

October is the season of tricks and treats, and if you’re looking to infuse a few scares into your middle or high school ELA classroom, teaching Neil Gaiman’s short story “Click-Clack the Rattlebag” is an excellent choice. This spooky tale, published in 2015, has all the makings of a perfect ghost story. It centers around […]

If you are teaching “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, you might be looking for creative ideas to bring this thought-provoking short story to life for middle or high school students. In my opinion, “A Sound of Thunder” is a great text to share with students as Halloween approaches! But really, it’s an awesome […]

If you are teaching “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, you might be looking for strategies and tips to help your students make the most of this mysterious and frightening short story. While “The Monkey’s Paw” makes a great lesson in the lead up to Halloween, it can be used at any time of year. […]

Have I mentioned how much I love teaching scary stories for Halloween? Middle and high schoolers always seem to get a kick out of creepy plot lines, sinister characters, and twist endings! Suspenseful texts are fun to teach at any time of year, but I think October is the perfect month to incorporate a scary […]

One of the challenges that I notice in the ELA classroom is that students can be very literal readers. This is why I believe activities for teaching inference in middle school are so important! As adults, we make inferences automatically when we read! This means that we sometimes take inference skills for granted. But with […]