Author Archives: bsullivan35

About bsullivan35

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

PQP = Praise, Question, Polish.

Posted on May 2, 2018

One of the most essential parts of building a productive atmosphere for learning in any classroom is sharing what you learn. Another is giving and receiving useful feedback. The most important thing is to do this in a positive spirit. With … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, AP Mindset, Best Practice for Peer Review, Best Practices for Blogging, Biblical Allusions 2018, Honors English III, PQP: Praise, Question, Polish, Reflection, Reflective Assessment, Twitter | Leave a comment

Closing With Our First Assignment

Posted on March 2, 2018

We began this #PBL journey at the start of the winter trimester, and this story as well as the students’ own posts sustained an authentic innovator’s mindset. It was fun to revisit this work at the close of class because … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Thinking on HMK, Disposition of a Critical Thinker, Growth Mindset, Podcast | Leave a comment

What is the Difference Between a Semicolon and a Comma?

Posted on February 27, 2018

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) Let’s use this … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Skills, AP Mindset, Wikipedia | 8 Comments

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

Posted on January 19, 2018

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 21st Century Learning, American Literary Studies, Flipped Classroom, Podcast, Twitter | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Create a Compelling Argument

Posted on January 8, 2018

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 21st Century Learning, American Literary Studies, AP Mindset, Flipped Classroom | 9 Comments

Managing Time and Workflow

Posted on December 18, 2017

Let’s tap into the optimism that the new year provides and consider ways to improve how we complete our homework assignments. When we step back into the winter trimester in January, let’s explore a time-management technique, called the Pomodoro Technique. Use … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth Mindset, Pomodoro Technique, Time Management | 1 Comment

Can a Podcast Help Cultivate a Growth Mindset in the Classroom?

Posted on December 6, 2017

https://www.npr.org/player/embed/562887933/563105739 Let’s have fun learning about this now ubiquitous App Instagram evolved, and then we will examine how we can adopt elements of their success story as we begin our first steps in our own project-based learning journey. So how … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth Mindset, Podcast, Project Based Learning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Connect a Moment in Section 52 to Another Location in Whitman’s Work

Posted on October 13, 2017

The technology staff in the Crowsnest is back on the job to isolate perhaps the most important part of this video that will help you understand how and why Whitman develops the first person voice in Leaves of Grass. You … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, Design Thinking, Design Thinking on HMK, Homework, Honors English III, Twitter, Whitman | 9 Comments

Connect a Specific Line from Whitman’s Poetry to a Specific Scene in This PBS Documentary

Posted on October 9, 2017

The technology staff in the Crowsnest is still trying to find out why PBS took the great episode of Whitman off of their American Experience website! We found another great asset on YouTube sharing this on their channel. So, we … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, American poets, AP Mindset, Design Thinking on HMK, Digital Citizenship, English III Honors, Higher Order Thinking, Whitman, YouTube | 9 Comments

Let’s Curate Digital Assets for Colonial Literary History

Posted on September 30, 2017

Religious leader Anne Hutchinson arrived in the New World from England on this day in 1634. https://t.co/1oQk9CrwX1 #apush pic.twitter.com/pZ2QkV1mZl — AP for Students (@APforStudents) September 18, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsLet’s start collecting digital assets that will enhance our study of colonial literature. … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, American Literary Studies, Becoming an American Literary Critic, Colonial Literature, Twitter | Leave a comment