My goal is to create a connection between prior knowledge, new knowledge, literary text, and the real world. Aside from improving reading comprehension, developing analytical skills, and encouraging higher-order thinking, I want my students to be confident with their interpretations and responses. 

I will handle all topics, texts, and discussions with discretion and maturity. Everything will be presented in a factual and unbiased fashion. I will redirect any conversations that I deem inappropriate for this age group. However, I will encourage the students to make personal connections with any ideas that are synthesized through the text.

About me -
~ I have taught English Language Arts in middle school for 16 years.
~ I am ELA certified for grades 4th through 8th.
~ I am certified as a generalist in Early Childhood - 4th Grade.
~ I am certified in ESL for grades Early Childhood - 12th Grade.
~ I am certified in Special Education for grades Early Childhood - 12th Grade.

Confirmation of Reliable Holocaust Materials and Experience -
~ I have taught about Anne Frank and the Holocaust for 15 years in the public classroom.
~ I have done extensive research on the Holocaust and was the curriculum writer for over ten years in my district. 
~ Anne Frank is required reading in Texas public schools, the state that I have taught in for 15 years.
~ I have met, interviewed, and attended Holocaust seminars with Holocaust survivor Max Glauben.
~ I have read The Upstander: How Surviving the Holocaust Sparked Max Glauben's Mission to Dismantle Hate.
~ The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam shared my classroom project on their Twitter page.
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through annefrank.org and ushmm.org 

Confirmation of Reliable Civil Rights Movement Materials and Experience -
~ I have taught about Martin Luther King and related civil rights materials for 15 years in the public classroom.
~ I have done extensive research on this topic to verify the facts presented in the nonfiction articles I present to my students.
~ Websites that I have used to cross-reference facts are history.com, biography.com, si.edu (Smithsonian)

All of the reading materials will be provided through the Outschool Classroom. I display the text on the screen and the students will witness my annotations as we read the text. The students will receive a copy of the annotated text after the class ends.

I have done extensive research on the civil rights movement and the Holocaust. As a researcher, educator, and as a human that is passionate about these topics, I have cross-referenced all of the facts presented in the nonfiction articles we will be reading. 

The Holocaust 
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through annefrank.org and ushmm.org 

The Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through history.com, biography.com, si.edu (Smithsonian)

Tuskegee Airmen
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through tuskegee.edu, history.com, and nps.gov