Category Archives: 21st Century Skills

The Groundbreaking Circle

Posted on May 23, 2022 by kennedymorris11

Our lit circle has been loving Maggie Shipstead’s 2021 Booker Prize nominated novel Great Circle! Being an all-female group, Shipstead’s emphasis on feminism as really caught our attention and made this book very engaging. We appreciate how she highlights the … Continue reading →

Posted in #PBL #StudentCentered, 2021 Booker Prize Short List, 21st Century Skills, English IV Honors, Feminism, Learning Through Technology, Lit Circles, maggieshipstead, PBL Public Program, Podcast, Project Based Learning, Reflection | Tagged Booker Prize Shortlist Novels, English IV Honors, Feminism, PBL, SEL, The Great Circle | Leave a comment

Let’s Celebrate Divergent Thinking!

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Bill Sullivan

Do you see how one thing these two thinkers have in common about explaining divergent thinking involves school? With that in mind, let’s leave behind your school brain and enjoy this moment to foster a new cognitive skill that helps … Continue reading →

Posted in #PBL #StudentCentered, 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, Design Thinking, Design Thinking on HMK, Divergent Thinking, Project-Based Learning, Reflective Assessment, TED Talks/TEDx Talks, Twitter | Tagged Guy Claxton, Sir Ken Robinson | 43 Comments

Patterns of Fabric

Posted on May 24, 2019 by sohishah

Visual media can add a lot to the meaning of a work as a whole. Amy Lowell’s poem “Patterns” is one of her most famous works. Artwork inspired by this poem assists in the understanding of themes being conveyed. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, American Literary Studies, American poets, American Studies, AP Mindset, Bloom's Taxonomy, English III Honors, Feminism, Growth Mindset, Higher Order Thinking, Homework, Honors English III, Modern American Poetry | Tagged amy lowell, Media, motif, pattern, poem, Poetry, water | Leave a comment

Trees of Temptation

Posted on May 1, 2019 by sohishah

The Bible is an influential text that presents in self in a variety of American literature in the form of allusions and motifs. The motif of a tree is important in the Bible, and its significance has found its way … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, American Literary Studies, American Studies, AP Mindset, Becoming an American Literary Critic, Biblical Allusions, Honors English III, Uncategorized | Tagged americanliterature, AP Mindset, awhiteheron, Bible, Biblical Allusions, Temptation Motif, The Scarlet Letter, treemotif | 2 Comments

Create a Compelling Argument

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Bill Sullivan

Let’s celebrate this great documentary on Willa Cather’s letters more. Again, we’ll review first the section around minute 19 where Cather receives the mentorship of Sarah Orne Jewett to find a quiet center in her life and compose literature. https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365563628/ … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century Learning, 21st Century Skills, American Literary Studies, AP Mindset, Uncategorized | Tagged Willa Cather | 15 Comments

PQP = Praise, Question, Polish.

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Bill Sullivan

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

What is the Difference Between a Semicolon and a Comma?

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Bill Sullivan

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

Dear Will on TNT #WillTNT

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Bill Sullivan

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

Create a Public Service Ad Campaign

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Bill Sullivan

This unit on Emerson, Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller is so important and relevant to modern life in America. So in small groups you will work on a public service campaign. You can create infographics, brochures, advertisement campaigns, etc. Less is … Continue reading →