Hi! Meet Heather.
Heather Marshall is a master educator and founder of The Book Somm, sharing 20+ years of teaching experience and a passion for literature. Discover innovative ideas for student engagement and a love of reading on her website.
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Book Reviews
I read so many young adult novels it just made sense to start sharing my thoughts about them. I realize that most teachers don’t have the time to read every new YA book that is published, and it is something of a hobby of mine. I hope that by sharing my reviews of the books I read and the lessons I create for them, I will introduce a teacher to a new book, which will, in turn, be shared with more students.
Pairings
Choosing various resources will add depth to a student’s understanding of a novel’s characters, theme, setting, or conflict. By building their background knowledge through paired texts, students are able to make more connections, which will increase both their enjoyment and understanding of the text. Using paired texts within a novel unit also allows for exposure to and analysis of multiple genres. Creating novel units that include a diverse set of paired texts gives students the opportunity to work towards mastery of both fiction and nonfiction reading standards.
Lessons & Novel Units
When I really love a book that I read, I immediately start thinking about how I might use it in class. What can we learn from this?
It takes a great deal of time for me to create these novel lessons, and I only do it for books that I truly love. I read a book at least five times when creating a novel study, so I really have to like it.
I also share lessons and teaching ideas for short stories, short films, and poetry.
Popular Articles
How Eating Lunch with Students Can Renew Teacher Happiness
It’s two days until testing, and this morning, I received a few emails that led me to the gas station for the tell-tale bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. My students know I’m having a rough day when I eat Cheetos. They noticed the red stains on my fingers and commented that I must be having a rough day because I’d been eating the Flaming Hot Cheetos again.
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