The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA
Want to love walking into your ELA classroom each day? Excited about innovative strategies like PBL, escape rooms, hexagonal thinking, sketchnotes, one-pagers, student podcasting, genius hour, and more? Want a thriving choice reading program and a shelf full of compelling diverse texts?
You're in the right place!
Here you'll find interviews with top authors from the ELA field, workshops with strategies you can use in class immediately, and quick tips to ignite your English teacher creativity.
Love teaching poetry? Explore blackout poems, book spine poems, I am from poems, performance poetry, lessons for contemporary poets, and more.
Excited to get started with hexagonal thinking? Find out how to build your first deck of hexagons, guide your students through their first discussion, and even expand into hexagonal one-pagers.
Into visual learning? Me too! Learn about sketchnotes, one-pagers, and the writing makerspace.
Want to get your students podcasting? Get the top technology recs you need to make it happen, and find out what tips a podcaster would give to students starting out.
Wish your students would fall for choice reading? Explore top titles and how to fund them, learn to make your library more appealing, and find out how to be a top P.R. agent for books in your classroom.
In it for the interviews? Fabulous! Find out about project-based-learning, innovative school design, what really helps kids learn deeply, design thinking, how to choose diverse texts, when to scaffold sketchnotes lessons, building your first writing makerspace, cultivating writer's notebooks, getting started with genius hour, and so much more, from our wonderful guests.
Here at The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, discover you're not alone as a creative English teacher. You're part of a vast community welcoming students to their next escape room, rolling out contemporary poetry and reading aloud on First Chapter Fridays, engaging kids with social media projects and real-world ELA units.
As your host (hi, I'm Betsy), I'm here to help you ENJOY your days at school and feel inspired by all the creative ways to teach both contemporary works and the classics your school may be pushing. I taught ELA at the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade levels both in the United States and overseas for almost a decade, and I didn't always get support for my creativity. Now I'm here to make sure YOU get the creative support you deserve, and it brings me so much joy.
Welcome to The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, a podcast for English teachers in search of creative teaching strategies!
Latest episodes
Sep 21, 2021 • 12min
135: When Students Design Escape Rooms
Today we're diving into all the details (and the free curriculum set) to get you started with student-designed escape rooms. You'll find out when to use the project, why to use the project, and how to use the project. And oh yes, there's definitely a rubric inside the curriculum set, don't worry, you'll also be able to grade the project! Find the show notes on my website here. Connect on Instagram here.
Sep 7, 2021 • 19min
134: Creative Escape Rooms without the Fuss
So you've heard about escape rooms, but you don't have 73 hours to spare? I hear you! In this episode, learn how to create a basic-but-awesome escape room using two easy tools, Canva and Google slides.
Aug 24, 2021 • 42min
133: Body Biographies & Digital Escape Rooms with Danielle Knight
Get ideas for how to use body biographies, digital escape rooms, and digital sketchnotes in your ELA classroom in this interview with Danielle Knight of Study All Knight.
Aug 10, 2021 • 29min
132: A Case Study in Successful Student Podcasting
In this episode, learn how Beth Duncan, a creative high school teacher from North Carolina, got her students podcasting. Discover the steps she went through to make the project successful and get ready to start podcasting with your own students.
Jul 20, 2021 • 37min
131: Help for Integrating SEL, with Dr. Lorea Martinez Perez
It's more important than ever to integrate strong SEL practices in the classroom following the pandemic. Find out how in this interview with Dr. Lorea Martinez Perez, SEL-expert.
Jul 6, 2021 • 18min
130: Build Connection with your Classroom Design
In this episode, featuring five creative guest experts, discover six powerful ideas to transform your ELA classroom into the inclusive, creative, inspiring place you want it to be. These tips are low cost or no cost, and easy to put into place. Go Further: Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!
Jun 23, 2021 • 10min
129: Try Hexagonal One-Pagers
Love hexagonal thinking? Love one-pagers? Combine them in one visual critical thinking activity for your creative ELA classroom. Go Further: Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!
Jun 7, 2021 • 10min
128: Take your Hexagonal Thinking Activities Deeper
Want to try hexagonal thinking but aren't sure how to get students to make interesting connections? Use the strategies in this episode to encourage depth and creativity in your students' thinking. Go Further: Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!
May 25, 2021 • 12min
127: How to Create a Hexagonal Thinking Deck
Ready to get started with hexagonal thinking in your classroom? Find out exactly what to put on your hexagonal thinking decks in today's episode. I think you're going to love this creative discussion strategy! Go Further: Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!
May 10, 2021 • 11min
126: 5 Ways to Use your Writing Makerspace
Ready to put your writing makerspace into action? In today's episode, get five easy ideas for incorporating it into your writing instruction in your creative ELA classes. Go Further: Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!
