Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

Let’s paint a picture of a scenario that most of us have likely been in at one point or another. You have a list of literary terms that you want your students to learn. You’re teaching them over and over (and over) again. You’ve given them the lists. You’ve played Kahoot and Jeopardy. You’ve done all the things, and yet, your students still can’t analyze literacy terms.Sound familiar? Well, have you tried caring less and letting them cheat? We know it sounds crazy, but hear us out! It actually makes more sense than you think. In this episode, we’re here with a lesson plan rescue that will share several solutions for you to try in your classroom.Resources:Short Story Unit: Mystery, Suspense, Tension & Turns for Secondary ELA ReadingText Annotation & Text Analysis Cheat SheetShop Brave New Teaching digital resourcesSign up for our free masterclass, Down With the Reading QuizJoin Curriculum RehabConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingFollow Marie on Instagram: @thecaffeinatedclassFollow Amanda on Instagram: @mudandinkteachingLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Show Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode176 "Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Brave New Teaching friends, you are in for a treat (and lots of laughs) today! We have Gaspare Randazzo on the show. Gaspare is a history teacher and comedian who you may know from TikTok or Instagram. Gaspare shares his journey that led to teaching high schoolers, the importance of connecting with your students, and how his teaching experience has prepared him for stand-up comedy. Without a doubt, Gaspare will bring lots of laughter to your day, and at the same time, you’ll see his unwavering commitment to his students and the world of education.You can catch an extended episode with Gaspara over on Happy Hour!Resources:Follow Gaspare on Instagram: @standuprandazzoGaspare’s websitePodcast: The Social Studies PodcastJoin Curriculum RehabLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple PodcastsShow Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode175 "Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

We recently hosted a live training session with members of the Brave New Teaching community and let’s just say, it was pretty awesome! During this training, we focused on teaching and guiding students through the process of synthesis writing.So today in this podcast episode, we’re bringing you part of that live session. You’ll hear us talking through writing a prompt, using essential questions, and other things to keep in mind when you are crafting a prompt for a synthesis writing assignment. Plus, we give a couple of different options for outlining. After listening, if you want to hear more, you can access the full training where we walk through some real-life examples of writing, sentence frames, helping our students understand how to synthesize, and more. Grab the full coaching session here!Resources:Join Happy Hour!Marie's Amazon StorefrontCloudy Lesson planLive Coaching: Synthesis WritingShop additional BNT resourcesConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingFollow Marie on Instagram: @thecaffeinatedclassFollow Amanda on Instagram: @mudandinkteachingLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Show Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode174"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Using picture books is one of our favorite strategies for opening up a unit or individual lesson. Without fail, it always  sparks interest and gets students excited to learn about the topic at hand! Tune in to hear us walk through a lesson plan using one of our favorite picture books to introduce a unit in Dystopia.Not only is leveraging picture books a way to level up your engagement, but it is also a great practice in inclusive instruction. It’s a fantastic way for your entire class to be able to access the same text and begin at the same level, regardless of which skills they have.To prove this to you, we’re going to walk through a lesson plan using Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to introduce a unit in Dystopia. This activity is so incredibly simple, and we’re even going to share how you can download the entire lesson plan for free! Resources: Cloudy Lesson plan Dystopia WorkshopLive Coaching: Synthesis WritingAmanda's Introduction to DystopiaAmanda's Dystopian Lit Mega BundleCloudy With a Chance of MeatballsEpisode 61: Living in a Dystopian WorldEpisode 60: Making the Case for WonderLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Show Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode62"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

What time is it? Dystopia time! We all know how important it is to engage our students with relevant and thought-provoking content, and dystopia is the perfect genre to do just that. Today we’re sharing three secrets to teaching dystopia that will help you get the most out of your units. It’s not just about reading dystopian novels. Dystopia is a great opportunity for our students to dig deep, think critically, and connect with characters. We’ll discuss strategies such as how to contextualize current events and legislation alongside these texts, allowing our students to bridge the gap between themselves, history, and different parts of the world.Resources:Join Happy Hour!Amanda’s SPF powder (and other favorites!)Grab your 30-day FREE trial of AudibleCloudy Lesson planDystopia WorkshopLive Coaching: Synthesis WritingAmanda's Introduction to DystopiaAmanda's Dystopian Lit Mega BundleShop additional BNT resourcesConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingFollow Marie on Instagram: @thecaffeinatedclassFollow Amanda on Instagram: @mudandinkteachingLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.Show Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode172"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Many of you have been eagerly waiting for us to dive back into the dystopian genre. You don’t have to ask us twice! We love any excuse to geek out over dystopian literature and that’s exactly what we’re doing today.We have a fresh book list update for you to help you rethink some ideas moving forward in your own dystopia units. Whether you’re looking for something that’s an all-class text, student choice, book club, or lit circle, there’s something here for everyone.Books We Mention in This Episode:The Marrow Thieves, Cherie DimalineThe Grace Year, Kim LiggettThe Cure, K.A. RileyStation Eleven, Emily St. John MandelGoliath, Tochi Onyebuchi The Last Cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera We Set the Dark on Fire, Tehlor Kay MejiaHow High We Go in the Dark, Sequoia NagamatsuResources:Get a free 30-day trial of Audible! Cloudy lesson planDystopia WorkshopLive Coaching: Synthesis WritingAmanda's Introduction to DystopiaAmanda's Dystopian Lit Mega BundleJoin Curriculum RehabLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple PodcastsSHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode171"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

A few months ago, we sent out a listener survey to get a feel for what you wanted to hear more of on the Brave New Teaching podcast. The overwhelming consensus was that you wanted detailed lesson advice. We hear you and we’re ready to deliver with our new “lesson plan rescue” series!Today we’re zoning in on one of our favorite things to talk about - close reading. Have you ever been in a situation where you’re in a good rhythm of close reading in your classroom but then things start to feel super repetitive and stale? If you’re nodding your head yes, then this episode is for you!We are each giving you different ways to shake things up when it comes to how you approach close reading. We hope you can stick these ideas in your back pocket so you have strategies to try when things are feeling a bit boring. If you need more support with close reading, be sure to check out this Close Reading Workshop and other resources listed below.Resources:Join Happy Hour!Amanda Close Reading WorkshopAmanda’s Essential Question Adventure PacksEpisode 22, To Teach Close Reading: Characterization Episode 11, To Teach Close Reading: SyntaxJoin Curriculum RehabLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple PodcastsShow Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode170 "Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

It’s time for another reading update! We’re sharing what we read (and loved) this summer, and what we plan to read this fall. These updates seem to help us keep up with our reading and we hope it does the same for you.We have a variety of recommendations today from historical fiction, YA, and fantasy, to plays and musicals. You can see our recommendations below or shop our full lists here and here.Resources:Join Happy Hour!Reduced Shakespeare Company YouTubeMarie's Amazon Book Stack ListAmanda's ListLearn to teach the Synthesis EssayGet Abby Gross’ Book BrochuresJoin Curriculum RehabLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple PodcastsShow Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode169 "Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Whether you’re a first year teacher or a teacher with 20+ years of experience, we all make mistakes throughout the school year. These mistakes ultimately teach us how to pivot and do things differently in the future.We’ve made our fair share of mistakes, and today we’re sharing four that made specifically during the back to school season. From comparing student rosters to giving too much information on the first day of school, we hope you can avoid these mistakes as you kick off the year!Plus, you’ll hear a new podcast segment, Read-Alouds with Amanda. Amanda reads a passage from Bear Town, by Fredrik Backman. If you’re interested in reading Bear Town or other titles, grab your free 30-day trial of Audible here.Resources:Get your free 30-day trial of Audible!Curriculum Rehab: Pace and Plan Your Entire YearJoin Happy HourEpisode 167, Unpopular Opinions: Back to SchoolJoin Curriculum RehabLet us know what you think! Leave a review on Apple PodcastsShow Notes: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode168 "Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

In this episode, the hosts share their unpopular opinions on the back-to-school season. They discuss the challenges of being prepared and separating unrealistic expectations from realistic goals. They also question the effectiveness of icebreakers in building community among students. The hosts talk about the exhaustion that comes with going back to school and introduce a new segment called 'Teacher Ask'. They share their unpopular opinions on the importance of syllabi and debate the practice of taking writing samples at the beginning of the school year.