Teaching ELA for CHANGE
Lesson and Unit Plans for Change:
Teaching ELA for CHANGE means supporting students as they Challenge injustice to Help make a difference in the world by Asking and answering tough questions and Noticing ways to Get involved and Engaged in making the world a better place.
To get the most out of the ideas presented below, I suggest you read my blog post "What is Critical Literacy Pedagogy?"
Lesson Plan Library:
Here you'll find specific lesson plans you can use to teach ELA for CHANGE. Before you review a lesson plan, though, please make sure to check out the lesson plan template (and feel free to use it). Because secondary ELA curricula can vary widely across the United States, I did not include grade level or standards on the template. I hope, regardless of what grades and standards you teach, that at least some of these ideas will inspire you as you teach for CHANGE.
These lesson plan ideas are based on my high school teaching experience–I taught grades 9, 10, and 11 at a public school for eight years before becoming a college professor. In each lesson plan, I do my best to cite my sources and share other resources you may find helpful. Of course, all educators know that in our profession we beg, borrow, and steal teaching ideas that we adjust to fit our classrooms. While I do create each lesson plan personally, I know that having been an educator for over 10 years makes it impossible for me to credit every source that has inspired my teaching over the years. If you like any of these ideas, please "steal" them and make them your own!