Author Archives: bsullivan35

About bsullivan35

I am an English teacher working with great students at an independent school in Ct.

Reflect on and Locate Chinua Achebe’s Post Colonial Novel, Things Fall Apart

Posted on August 6, 2017

Let’s enjoy this informative interview with Nigerian author Chinua Achebe that was recorded fifty years after the publication of his novel, Things Fall Apart. View this interview and take notes on a few items. First note what was Achebe’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Thinking on HMK, Disposition of a Critical Thinker, Summer Reading, Things Fall Apart | Leave a comment

Best Practices for Effective Blog

Posted on May 26, 2017

Does this image help you revise all the parts and nuances of a successful blog post? Importantly, did you need to revise your prose at all to incorporate well your media? This list will also help you will smaller details, … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices for Blogging, PQP: Praise, Question, Polish, Reflective Assessment, Twitter, Writing | Leave a comment

Dear Will on TNT #WillTNT

Posted on May 23, 2017

As scholars of a Shakespeare course at Suffield Academy, we have spent the past year studying the works of the greatest playwright of all time. When we first heard about Will on TNT, we could not contain our excitement. We would … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, Shakespeare, Twitter | Leave a comment

Learners Appreciate Feedback

Posted on May 1, 2017

As one of the most essential part of learning is getting feedback on your writing. Let’s also take time to share what we learned about our present Biblical allusion reflections and follow this helpful protocol. These PQP steps will help … Continue reading →

Posted in AP Mindset, Best Practice for Peer Review, Collaboration | Leave a comment

Let’s Begin Our Discussion of Donne with a Cinematic Hook

Posted on February 26, 2017

This is a great scene from the movie, Wit. Though the scene stands on its own and inspires a re-reading of Donne’s Death Be Not Proud, Holy Sonnet X, you can learn more about the rest of the movie here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_(film) Before … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, AP Mindset, Disposition of a Critical Thinker, English III Honors, Twitter | 12 Comments

Let’s Use Malcolm Gladwell’s Podcast to Introduce Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

Posted on January 25, 2017

Malcolm Gladwell examines the story of this famous painting to begin his podcast. Below is an image of Calling the Roll After An Engagement, Crimea, better known as The Roll Call. I used the image from Wikipedia; it is an 1874 oil-on-canvas … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literary Studies, Design Thinking, Podcast, Reflective Assessment | Tagged | 4 Comments

Create a Compelling Argument

Posted on January 9, 2017

In 4-6 sentences (of Standard English), make an argument for the best AP Prompt that illuminates the most profound literary qualities of Cather’s novel, My Antonia. If someone else has claimed the same prompt that you had in mind, then … Continue reading →

Posted in AP Mindset, Growth Mindset, Metacognition, Reflective Assessment | Tagged | 11 Comments

Utilizing Great TV Writing to Appreciate Shakespeare

Posted on January 8, 2017

We’re using this great PBS show to appreciate character development in our Shakespeare’s Comedies class. In particular, this documentary helped us appreciate strong female characters as well as the most comic archetype that finds a way to express ideas that … Continue reading →

Posted in Shakespeare's Comedies Class | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sharing Our Best AP English Lit Multiple Choice Questions

Posted on October 31, 2016

In an attempt to understand how to navigate AP Multiple Choice questions, we spent a night composing some. Here are our three best to date. We would appreciate any positive feedback in our comments below. HB’s Multiple Choice question is … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, AP Mindset, Reflective Assessment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Got Time Management?

Posted on October 28, 2016

Over the past weeks, it has been fun getting to know new students in the Crowsnest and observing growth in those who are back for another voyage. It was also fun to start the year doing creative work with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Infographic, Time Management | 33 Comments