Creative English Teacher

Five Reasons to Teach John Milton's Paradise Lost

February 21, 2024

Alongside Dante and Shakespeare, John Milton is heralded as one of the greatest poets of all time. Not surprisingly, Paradise Lost, his greatest work, is likewise praised as one of the greatest works of English Literature. In spite of its many accolades, the poem is not widely taught in the English classroom, so here are five reasons for teaching Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost has deep themes. As he clearly states at the beginning of the poem, Milton's purpose in writing his epic poem is to justify the ways of God to man–or to explain why an all-powerful God would allow...

Gamify Your Classroom: Try a Social Deduction Game

January 29, 2024 • Gamification • Teaching Ideas

Social deduction games are more than just “filler.” They teach non-verbal and verbal communication, course content, and critical thinking–and, hey, they’re fun, too! Gamify your classroom with one today!

A “Super” Easy Way To Give Writing Feedback: Saving Time with the “Level Up Your Writing” Scoring Guide on Student Writing

November 09, 2023 • Teaching Ideas • Writing

Learn how to improve student writing using the Super Mario Bros characters in this free, teacher-friendly scoring guide that gives students speedy feedback.

How to Teach the Odyssey Creatively with Script-Stories, Art Analysis, and Classroom Games

November 07, 2023 • Mythology • Readers Theater Script-Stories • World Literature

The language of the Odyssey is sometimes difficult for teenage readers to understand, and when students struggle with comprehension, they miss out on the poem’s deeper meanings. That's why we suggest using Reader's Theater script-stories in conjunction with the original poem. Here's how!

6 Spine-Tingling Mythical Creatures from World Mythology

October 26, 2023 • Mythology

World mythology is filled with some of the most terrifying monsters ever imagined, and these are six of the spookiest!