A New Way to Teach Descriptive Writing

Some of my lower level English students struggle with understanding the impact of descriptive writing. They understand what an adjective does and what its function is in a sentence, but translating that to a larger scale and applying that concept to descriptive writing in a story is very difficult for them to do. After trying a couple of techniques to increase their ability to identify descriptive writing and becoming frustrated, I decided to have the students "DO" instead of just "LISTEN."

I only had four students in this class on this day and I could really take the time to show them what they were missing and where they needed to go. I placed them at different points around the school and had them look at the scene in front of them. I told them to write down all of the adjectives that they could think of to describe what they were looking at in 1 minute.

I timed them and once they were finished with that scene, they rotated clockwise to the next scene. Once they were finished with all of the scenes, I had them come back to the classroom where I drew a table on the board and wrote their names across the top and the title of each scene along the side. Each student recited the adjectives they thought of to describe each scene and I wrote them on the board. We discussed the different adjectives and I asked them if they saw any trends in the adjectives they chose.

The #1 trend they noticed was that almost all of the adjectives they chose were colors but there wasn't anything to describe the temperature, the sounds, the sights, the smells, the change in texture, sunlight, or perspective. I wrote a list of the five senses on the board and asked them to re-do one scene from outside using their five senses, and find adjectives to describe the scene that addressed each sense.

Once more, we went back inside after the minute was up and I wrote their new adjectives on the board next to their previous choices. It became obvious that these new adjectives made a huge difference in describing what they saw and to further make this point, I gave each student a different student's list and asked them to write a paragraph using the new adjectives.

One student only came up with two new adjectives and to the student who had to write a paragraph using only two adjectives, it soon became apparent that in order to write a paragraph, you needed more than two adjectives to describe a scene.

This exercise not just TOLD them but SHOWED them how important descriptions were to the development of the setting. In a story, instead of only reading the words, I want them to be more aware of how the author is creating the setting by accessing their five senses to create a comprehensive experience for the reader. I want them to to be able to identify when descriptive writing is being used and how it affects the development of the story.

Gothic Literature A.K.A Weird Stories about Dreadfully Fiendish Things

I think I finally understood the complexity and depth that some writers can go to in order to create alternative worlds and new experiences when I read Edgar Allan Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher" in my 11th grade AP English class.

Prior to reading this, I had been entertained, taught, even brought to tears by books and stories, but I never really got that tingly feeling through my toes and been unable to tear my eyes away from the story developing before me. I don't know what it was that caught me, but I think it was the Poe's use of words and descriptions, his vague references of crazy family relations and the supernatural, and the dichotomy between sanity and insanity.

I was hooked...to the creepy, the macabre, the dark themes that Poe explored and I wanted to know more about it. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I was a teacher that I could spend time on the Gothic authors, researching the time period, the origin, other Gothic authors, and read more in this genre. I read Stoker's Dracula, almost all of Poe's collected works, Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto, and of course, Ms. Shelley's Frankenstein. As I was reading, I kept noticing elements and details that were found in each of these stories and it seemed to me that these authors relied so much on the setting to help them create the mood and tone of the entire story. I also noticed that some of places or locations were similar, the characters were similar, and even some of the more creeptastic descriptions were similar.

After looking for some information on teaching Gothic literature as a sub-category of the Romantic era, I was able to track down some lists that explained the origin and common elements found in most Gothic Literature. First of all, Horace Walpole started the genre of the Gothic novel with his story, The Castle of Otranto set in a castle similar to his own, Strawberry Hill. If you've ever read this story and if you are anything like me, you'll spend most of the time looking incredulously at the story and mentally repeating "WTF!!" because the story is crazy weird and completely unnerving. However, he set a precedent that was followed and upheld by authors who followed down his dark and demented path.

Common Gothic Elements:

Setting- Most of the time, the story is set in an old, crumbling mansion, family house, or castle of some kind. The location is central to the mood or tone of the story and Gothic authors took this element very seriously. Great detail and a large amount of adjectives were used to explain the setting to the reader and to provide a sense of "dread" or "darkness" to the upcoming events. And let's be honest, when have you ever gone into an abandoned house, factory, church, mansion, or castle and not felt a certain presence or unearthly influence? Yeah...me either...

Ancient Prophecy- Many of the stories have an underlying reason for the events that happen to the characters or family. This is usually because the character who owns the house or castle or the main character of the story is a part of prophecy that either needs to be fulfilled. It could also be that there is a link in the chain of events that must take place for peace to come to the family and the house.

Ghosts, Moving Objects, Supernatural Elements- Ghosts or supernatural events are featured heavily in Gothic literature because, let's face it, ghosts are kinda scary and I sure as heck do not want to be in a crumbling old castle with a prophecy that states something bad is going to happen and THEN turn around and come face to face with Lady Madeline's GHOST!! Nope, you can bet your money that I will turn my butt around and run screaming away from that situation!! But Gothic authors capitalize on this fear, manipulating it into a dual force of interest and terror- a necessary reaction to keep audiences captivated!

Metonymy- First of all, this is a very strange word. I can't seem to remember it or connect it with what it actually means. See, metonymy means a metaphor or comparison that is created between the audible characteristic and what it evokes in the reader. For instance, have your ever seen a graveyard or a funeral portrayed in the movies and it is a beautiful, bright sunny day? When you are watching a freaky ghost movie, do you ever see entities in the bright sunshine with rainbows shown behind them? No? This is because authors depend on the connection between the action in the environment and the reader's reaction. The creaking door, the howling wind, the rain beating against the window are all examples of metonymy because it conveys a sense of darkness, sorrow, and ominous foreboding that helps create a unique, menacing mood. I try to teach my kids that looking for examples of metonymy is not necessarily about the similes and metaphors, but an exercise in evaluating their personal reactions to what they are reading. If the hairs start go up on the back of their neck, or they find themselves feeling a little frightened, chances are the author is using metonymy.

Women in Distress (a.k.a annoying girls who scream at everything)- Typically, in the time period that the Gothic novels were written in, and with the exception of Mary Shelley, women were not considered as strong as men. Consequently, many women featured in Gothic stories were often simpering, weak individuals who ran away from danger and need the help and protection of a strong masculine figure. The exception is Edgar Allan Poe. In his stories, the females are either incredibly strange and seem a tad demented- or dead and walk around as ghosts or holed up in the wall. (Poe was seriously screwed up! I love him!) But one of the interesting aspects of the screaming female figure is that the story depends on this character to continue the storyline and provide the readers with a sympathetic connection to the situation unfolding before them. Without a character like this, they can't experience some of their feelings of fear and anxiety that have built up in their daily lives. This character becomes a release for them and readers can experience all the feelings that come from crying or screaming without actually doing it. A nice win-win for all involved!

There are other elements that can be found in the Gothic novel, such as necromancy, visions, the doppelganger, and the pursued protagonist, and I go through each those as well as the elements discussed here in my Gothic Novel PowerPoint. Students can also use this Elements of the Gothic Novel worksheet to find and analyze Gothic elements in any piece of literature written in the Gothic time period or style.

I also have some fun activities that encourage students to write a poem in the style of Edgar Allan Poe or create a murder short story. Each of these activities use graphics that encourage participation and visual interest and are excellent for students who aren't very interested in school or learning. (**Please be aware that these activities do include graphics such as blood splatter or bloody drips and hand prints so use caution for younger students) By using visuals and powerful images that demand attention, students become interested not only in the subject matter but in creating something pretty amazing.

It seems all of us have a specific genre or time period that we are particular to- Gothic Literature and Transcendentalism are two of my favorite time periods, what is yours?

ADHD: Different Symptoms Does Not Equal Different Disorders

Many people are aware of ADHD and whether they believe in the prevalence of the disorder or not, there is no denying that some kids have something different going on with them. But many people don't understand the umbrella of symptoms that can be seen in ADHD kids or the additional disorders that can be associated with ADHD.

Let me explain- ADHD exists in the part of the brain that is also responsible for controlling sensory feedback, controlling thoughts, anxiety, and depression. Since it basically a chemically based disorder that relies on the levels of Dopamine and Serotonin in the brain and is found in the same area, it can "borrow" symptoms from these other disorders. Children with ADHD can have some obsessive compulsive tendencies or become anxious a lot faster and easier than children without ADHD. They can become depressed and even have ticks like children with Tourettes Syndrome do. That does not necessarily mean that is their Primary disorder, it just means that children with ADHD can show symptoms of these other disorders, yet have their primary diagnosis as ADHD.

It is important that parents and teachers acknowledge the possibility that their kids or students can exhibit other symptoms and they should keep track of them because the chance of developing a secondary disorder from the above disorders is higher than children without ADHD. Kids like my 7 year old can have the primary ADHD diagnosis early on and then start exhibiting another disorder that needs to be addressed with additional medication. We will be starting medication for his Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms soon due to the severity of it, yet we have managed his Sensory Integration Disorder symptoms through cognitive behavioral therapy. It really depends on what the child is experiencing and the options available to help those symptoms.

As a teacher to high school students, I generally see ADHD with some other diagnosis. Most of the time, it is anxiety or depression yet I have seen a Gifted student with ADHD exhibit some Asperger's symptoms with OCD tendencies. We address the issues that come up and help students monitor their own symptoms to determine what they need help with. Sometimes this means therapy, sometimes this means medication, and sometimes this means increasing their self-awareness about their triggers and learning how to avoid them. 

Since each child is different, they will require different methods and therapies, but I urge parents and teachers to become educated about the different disorders that exist within the ADHD umbrella so they can identify their child's combination of symptoms and respond accordingly.

College: Which Colleges Provide the Best Services for ADHD and Learning Disabilities?

If you read my post about what college options look like after high school, you will be aware of the lack of understanding and/or education about what is available for kids with ADHD or learning disabilities. This really isn't the student's parents fault because many of the high school counselors don't really know about the available programs or services out there. And it really isn't the school counselor's fault either since they are usually not in the classroom and are maybe not as aware of the student's struggles are or what their IEP or 504 plan states.

So...where can we look to place the blame? Well, how about we don't blame anyone and instead, focus that energy into looking for programs and colleges that provide comprehensive services to students who need them. What if we start looking at the potential of these students instead of automatically placing them in the "Junior College Only" category? Because these kids shouldn't be overlooked or opted out because they have different needs or even more needs than other students- they should be given the same opportunity that other students have so that they can feel the success that comes from attending a school that empowers them instead of shaming them.

Through my research about such programs and talking to parents who have come before me and done some of the initial leg-work, I have come up with a couple of amazing programs that help bridge the gap between Parent's house and Independent Living, some options that help provide a smaller stepping stone between living at home and living out the world by themselves. If you have any other suggestions, I would LOVE to hear about them so that we can create a comprehensive resource for parents, counselors, and even the students themselves.

Landmark College:

Landmark College is an Associate Degree program in Vermont that provides students with a comprehensive education that has been designed specifically for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD. Students learn that the WAY they learn is as important as WHAT they learn and start educating themselves accordingly. This program focuses on proven strategies for students who need adaptive teaching methods and technology based teaching. Students learn how to self advocate as well as coping skills that benefit them both in school and in real life.

Michael from Scaggsville, MD says that "(He) only had three other options: return to Franklin and Marshall, return to community college, or stay home and get a job. I chose Landmark. I have loved it. At Landmark, they teach you about yourself and what your strengths and challenges are and how to overcome those challenges by focusing on your strengths."

Check out more at http://www.landmark.edu/ or email them at admissions@landmark.edu

Menlo College

This is a top business school in the Silicon Valley, California and name "Best in the West" by Princeton Review for two years. The best part about these amazing distinctions is that Menlo also provides extensive services for students due to their amazing 14:1 student to faculty ratio. These services can be from simple tutoring to a personal faculty liason for students who need interventions and specific help from the teachers. Students say that this personal connection with their professors is one of the main reasons why they are so successful because "no one will leave them behind."

Check out Menlo College at http://www.menlo.edu/
and email questions to admissions@menlo.edu

Beacon College

Beacon College is a four year college in Leesburg, Florida that provides degree programs for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and those on the autism spectrum. Students have the opportunity to study Business Management, Computer Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, Human Services, and Psychology. What makes Beacon unique is their belief that all students, regardless of their disabilities, can achieve a four year degree that provides them with the stepping stone necessary for most American young adults trying to make it in a world where a B.A. is a necessary trade mark of a career driven person.

Andrea Cornick, 2013 graduate, said "What I love about Beacon College is the fact that it gives you a chance to shine and prove to yourself and others that you are capable of achieving more than your best expectations. Beacon College is the place to make your academic dreams come true."

Learn more about Beacon College at http://www.beaconcollege.edu and email them at admissions@beaconcollege.edu.

College Living Experience

I am actually really excited to talk about College Living Experience because I know for a fact how much good it can do for my students and their parents. College Living Experience is a program that helps students with ADHD and Executive Functioning Disorders attend school at either a four year university or community college and participate in a live-in program that provides structure and regulations for students. They have specific meetings they must attend, such as tutoring hours, study hall, and social and academic workshops to increase their skills, housekeeping presentations, and living skills classes. These services provide students with a stepping stone between their parent's house and living completely independently. Students are able to participate in any of the services that are provided, however students are also expected to start the process of understanding what it takes to function on an independent basis. I think it is such a great chance for college students to find out how to be successful away from home yet still learn how to make a difference in their own lives by self-advocating for their needs.

Contact College Living Experience at http://experiencecle.com and call them at (800) 486-5058.

Question of the Day - Good v. Evil

So...Reality Came and Smacked Me Across the Face....

Remember how I said that my Senior class period 6 was going to be a lot of fun? Yeah....I was wrong. Like- dead wrong. HOLY MOLY!!! They are a tough crowd. First, I have this class at the end of the day when their meds have just about worn off. Second, they enjoy having me as a teacher and they enjoy the class, which means I am constantly trying to contain the optimism and enthusiasm of eight 17-18 year old boys, all of whom have ADHD, one with the addition of Aspergers, 2 with auditory processing disorders, and 1 who thinks because he is an actor that he can get away with anything. It take so much energy to just get them to attend to what I am teaching that day that I am usually left exhausted and feeling like I have survived a tornado when that 50 minutes is finally over.

By Thursday of the first week back to school, I started thinking of ways to get them to settle down instead of using the time as Social Hour. I also realized that most of them have had some type of discipline modeled for them since childhood and if I could bring that back into the classroom, I might be moderately successful. With this in mind, on Friday when the class began, I wrote three red Xs across the top of the board and explained that I was going to erase an X each time they got too loud or were not paying attention to the lesson because they were talking. When all three Xs were erased, they were going to have to get out of their chairs, find a spot along the wall, turn so they were looking at the wall, and complete their work in their laps. Since I only have 8 students, I could space them out enough to prevent more talking and socializing.

Once I explained my tactic and reasons, they calmed down enough to get through some of the preliminary explanations on Macbeth and Shakespeare and by the end of the period, I only had to erase 2 of the 3 Xs. I think this is going to be a standard practice in this class and with these boys.

I love teaching them and I know they like the class, but trying to contain their energy is like trying to herd cats...its basically impossible without the right incentive!

English IV is going to be a fun class!

I have a great group of boys in this class and they are all very interesting and dynamic but require a strong hand when getting into their work and producing some quality results. Most are ridiculously intelligent but lazy as they come so to inspire them, I decided to do a unit on the concept of insanity and who, what, or how insanity is determined. We are reading three books this semester, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.

All amazing books and I thoroughly enjoy teaching them and the subject matter. However, I let them know today that they are responsible for the way the class is going to be. If they don't do their homework, it will be a silent reading experience with everyone individually completing their work- OR they can complete their homework at home so we can have interesting and dynamic discussions about controversial topics and issues. Most of these students have had me before and appreciate my frank and honest explanations about everything we read or discuss so they know that in order for me to put in the effort to coordinate these discussions, they need to do their part, but I wonder how some of the new students will react.

It will be interesting to observe the different pressures from the students who want to discuss the book and topics on the students who just want to slack off. I told them it was all or nothing and I hope I didn't make a mistake by doing that because I know they want to slack off but also really want to talk about things that most other classes would never consider discussing. I think this will be my favorite class this year but it requires a ton of energy to teach and I have SO much on plate with the other 3 different levels of English I am simultaneously teaching IN ADDITION to being the College Counselor and Academic Counselor. I am already tired! But I love getting them inspired about great literature so I will give it all I got!

What do IEPs actually do?

Most of the kids I have in my class, especially those that transfer from a public school, have IEPs or Individual Education Plans. Most teachers know that IEPs provide students with accommodations in the classroom for various learning disabilities, psychological issues, behavior problems, and other issues that might impede a student's learning. However, when dealing with 25-45 students on a daily basis, each with different learning styles, expectations, intelligence, and motivations, those IEPs tend to get confusing and too specific to follow.

 For example- these goals are found somewhere in each IEP, usually in different places depending on the section where they need help:

  Johnny needs to have all notes provided to him PRIOR to the lecture. 

 Mabel required extra attention on math word problems but not on ELA vocabulary quizzes. 

Tracy needs verbal prompts a minimum 3x a day to re-focus on her work but no more than 6 prompts should be used. 

 Anthony will be working on writing assignments in calendar and teacher will sign schedule everyday.

 Now- a list like this might make it easier to see who needs what, but that is not what happens. IEPs and 504s are kept in a student's file in the office because it is a private, legal document that cannot be shared with people not teaching or consulting that student. So if a teacher needs clarification on a goal, or referencing a particular skill set that needs work, the teacher will have to find the file, write down the goal on a separate piece of paper and then implement the requirement in the classroom- FOR EVERY STUDENT.

 Simply put, it gets to be too much. But everyone agrees that these students actually NEED these accommodations allowances, breaks, and prompts. So what is the solution? How can teachers reference the goals easily and quickly while still creating the best learning environment for EVERY student?

 The teachers and special education specialists that are participating in these discussions agree that changes need to be made in the way the system works and the expectations that are placed on teachers, but no one really will step up and say some of the hard observations or offer suggestions that might be considered too "offensive" to the parents.

 So it stays the way it is with the teachers in the dark about the IEP goals, the parents wanting teachers to "fix" their student even to the detriment of the other 24-44 students in the class, and administrators who want to keep everyone happy while preventing lawsuits.

What do you do with bragging students?

I have a fault as a person and as a teacher. I HATE students who constantly, incessantly brag about what they have done or been, what they can do, or how much they know. Logically, I realize that most of the time students who brag like this are self-concious about themselves and brag as a way to increase their feeling of self-worth. But, MAN!! They drive me crazy. I almost always have this need to call them out on it and one-up them. It is such an immature desire and one that I suppress all the time.

However, when someone comes along who tries to one-up a student after they have shared something time and again, sometimes I can't help myself.

Case in point: I have a summer school student who I haven't had before in any of my classes. She is only in 10th grade but taking an 11th grade prep class for college. I get that she is trying to get ahead and she really is remarkable in her different abilities, but she likes to brag to become the center of attention. After six weeks of this, I have had enough when she tries to say that she has eaten monkey brains and insects (she claims she can eat all of them, except for ants...). I ask her when and where she ate monkey brains and she says she ate them in China. OK.....I ask how old she was and she states that she was pretty young but she remembers the flavor and texture. This would have been about 10 years ago and I am by no means an expert in the availability of monkey brains, but this just sounds ludicrous!

hat familiar desire to call her out surfaces and I fight myself, trying to suppress this need to let her know how ridiculous she sounds. I refuse to let it get to me, because honestly, what am I going to do, call her a liar IN CLASS with the other students around me? Absolutely not! But I can't help just taking it to the next level. So I ask her what region of China she was in when she ate monkey brains? She stammered a bit and I started to feel sorry for her and let it go.

Seriously though, how would you handle this? I know that I did this a little bit here and there growing up and while most of my stories are so ridiculous they have to be true, I wonder if people felt this way about me. I traveled throughout my childhood and have eaten some weird and exotic things, met some unusual people (Egyptian donkey trader wanting to trade my father 25 donkeys for me as a wife when I was 15 and the Masaaii warrior wanting to make me his 4th Junior wife when I was 12 are vividly remembered!) and experienced some truly amazing things. But when does it become too much and cross over the line into bragging territory? How can I let students like this know that it rubs people the wrong way and causes them to question their validity? I don't want to hurt their feelings or embarrass them- I really truly don't! However, when you KNOW something a student says is completely wrong, do you correct them?

I don't know, I am at a loss and wondering how everyone else handles this!

Chaos = Order and Order = Chaos

One of the most fascinating things about the brains of ADHD people is how fast they are. People with ADHD typically get some of the most complex, developed concepts easily but have a really hard time on the content that most other people would consider "easy."

For example, I cannot add or multiply to save my life. It has taken me YEARS to be able to multiply without going through each step in my head and writing it down and I still have to really try hard to make sure I know what I am doing. However, I can usually complete dimensional measurements, converting them to centimeters and then fractions, multiplying to find the square foot of a room in a three dimensions. Or, when I was in math, I could do Calculus by placing random numbers on the paper as "place holders." At this point in my life, analyzing poetry, even the most difficult poetry, is usually only a matter of seeing it and arranging it in my brain with words that make sense.

I don't say any of this to brag- believe me, it took me many many hours of hard work to learn to add and subtract. But I wanted to make a point and that is that for many kids with ADHD, they really don't start to feel successful in school until the information that is being taught can be understood by their brains. I call this "reverse learning."

I explain it like this: the brains of ADHD jump around so fast, trying to be stimulated and changing direction all the time that when a worksheet is placed in front of them with multiple circles for organizing, like this:



It creates complete chaos in their brain. I look at this and think-

Wait a minute, what do you want me to do with this? It looks kinda like an amoeba, no, maybe wallpaper from the 50s. Ok, pay attention- you are supposed to organized something in this thing....Organize? How the heck can I organize anything in circles? Circles connect how? Pay attention...She is saying something about main ideas and how they go in the center...Center of what exactly? Center of the circle? Should I get a ruler? Yes! That must be it, I need a ruler to center the idea...what idea? Oh yeah- the main idea...What is a main idea and where can I find it? Ruler and idea....Maybe I just need to draw the circles within the circles like concentric circles....oooooo and then I can color them in different colors and that would be pretty...Heck of a lot more sense than main ideas and rulers....

And yes, I really just typed what I was thinking when I was looking at this.

In school, I would write my essay and then fill out whatever outline or graphic organizer I needed to turn in since I really had no clue what should go where and why and how. It just did not make sense to me and when I started teaching, I realized that it did not make sense to ANY of my ADHD students. So, I changed it to be very direct and specific:

 

 

5 Paragraph Essay Organizer

 

Now this makes so much more sense. I can see exactly what I need to include and how each sentence relates to the essay, creating an easy to follow essay graph. I also use these graphs and organizers for Senior Research Projects and even Character Maps.

I like to remember that whatever may seem to be orderly and exactly what makes sense to the non-ADHD person will generally look like complete chaos for a kid with ADHD whereas something linear, easy to follow with specific instructions and connections will be easier for them to concentrate on.

The Problem with Multiple Choice for ADHD and Learning Disabled Students

I know a lot of teachers like the format of multiple choice tests and assessments. For them, it is easier to grade because there is a clear right and wrong answer. No questions, just clear straight results. But for some students, it not so clear. Multiple choice questions and answers present a level of difficulty that is hard for most people without ADHD or learning disorders to understand.

Think of it this way:

Question- There are many colors in the rainbow, but only three are considered primary colors. In the following options, choose the primary color.
     (a)  Green
     (b) Yellow
     (c) Purple
     (d) Orange

For most of non-ADHD and non-Learning Disabled students, the clear answer is (b) Yellow. But for your SES students, there is an internal dialogue happening in regards to the answer. Why? Because when they were learning about primary colors to begin with, they were analyzing the specific colors, referencing them and categorizing them in many different groups, most of which had nothing to do with the correct organizational technique you were probably teaching them. They categorized them in "My favorite color" and "The colors that look pretty together" and "The outside has this many colors when it is raining, sunny, cloudy..."

So let's look back at the question: Primary colors is the focus of the question but when you are looking through the answers, none accurately describe the student's belief about primary colors because they haven't connected that Primary does NOT mean their favorite. It means that it is the basis of all other colors. Even if you repeat this concept over and over and over again in your lesson, they still can't connect it to the answers. They make no sense. It becomes especially difficult when Secondary teachers take abstract concepts that have a multitude of different meanings and connections and ask students to pick factual details out of the general text. It is like trying to catch a fly with chopsticks. The focus isn't there. The attention to detail isn't there. The motivation to memorize factual details isn't there. They group and generalize so differently that is becomes virtually impossible to be able to find the correct answer out of 4.

To answer this issue, I like to make my questions short answer or explanation based. They can meander through their categories until they find the one that makes the correct connections you are asking about without the fear of only one correct answer. It provides them with an opportunity to fell successful when other traditional testing models don't work that well. This is the reason why I don't have students take tests on their reading and focus my efforts on creating analytical questions for the novels I teach.

If you are interested in some of these novel units and trying a different method of teaching, please check out these fun and dynamic novel units.