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Alexie, Sherman. “Superman and Me.” Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1998. Accessed July 15, 2025. https://www.umsl.edu/~alexanderjm/SupermanandMebyAlexie.pdf.
Alexie reflects on his experience growing up on a Native American reservation and the importance of reading and education.
Barry, Lynda. "The Sanctuary of School." In The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Melissa A. Goldthwaite et. al, 414-418. 14th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.
In this text, Barry tells the story of how she found refuge in her school when she felt invisible and left behind at home.
Christensen, Linda. Reading, Writing, and Rising up: Teaching about Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word. Milwaukee, Wis.: Rethinking Schools, 2000.
This text offers a range of student-centered writing lessons and activities to incorporate in your classroom. Specifically, she includes a great model for writing workshops (or read arounds in her classroom).
Culham, Ruth. Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School. Scholastic, 2010.
This text walks the reader through the 6+1 traits of writing. It includes clear explanations, activities, and rubrics. While this is for younger grades, there are still plenty of takeaways for the high school classroom.
Del Nero, J.R. Fun While Showing, Not Telling: Crafting Vivid Detail in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 83–87. (2017) doi: 10.1002/trtr.1575
This text offers concrete strategies to help students write in more descriptive detail.
Gay, Roxane. “The Illusion of Safety/The Safety of Illusion.” The Rumpus, August 28, 2012. Accessed July 15, 2025. https://therumpus.net/2012/08/28/the-illusion-of-safetythe-safety-of-illusion/
Gay questions how safe trigger warnings make our society and reflects on her owntriggers in daily life.
Hillocks, George. Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007.
Hillocks provide clear information about teaching students to write narratives. He offers tips on revision and how students can structure their writing.
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. Several Short Sentences about Writing. First Vintage Books edition. New York: Vintage Books, 2013.
Klinkenborg talks about writing as a craft and provides helpful information on how to approach writing in general. It discusses the importance of writing concisely, revising your writing, and ignoring common writing rules.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Second Anchor Books Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 2019.
Lamott gives advice about life and writing. She offers guidance on building your confidence as a writer and how to start writing when you feel stuck.
Lattimer, Heather. Thinking through Genre: Units of Study in Reading and Writing Workshops 4-12. Portland, Me: Stenhouse Publishers, 2003.
This text covers multiple genres. The memoir section is informative and offers a range of concrete suggestions for planning, drafting, and writing a memoir.
Marius, Richard. A Writer’s Companion. 4. ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill College, 1999.
This text offers concrete strategies to write clearly such sentence length and beginning sentences with a subject.
Mejia, Madeleine. "Metawriting: Empowering students to discover their knowledge of writing". Journal of Pedagogical Research 2024 8 no. 1 (2024): 83-105. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202423833
This text talks about the research behind metacognition and reflection in the classroom, particularly around writing instruction.
Reed, Mary Jane. Teaching Powerful Personal Narratives: Strategies for College Applications and High School Classrooms. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Pub., 2004.
Reed offers concrete tips to write an effective personal statement, whether it is for college or any other year in school.
Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks.” Accessed July 10, 2025. https://www.commonlist.org/texts/fish-cheeks
In this personal narrative Amy Tan tells the story of hosting an American family for Christmas. At the time she feels shame for her culture but looking back she can appreciate her family and background.
Walker, Alice. "Beauty When the Other Dancer Is the Self." In The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Melissa A. Goldthwaite et. al, 74-80. 14th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.
In this personal narrative Walker discusses her relationship with beauty and looks. She recounts feeling cute and beautiful as a child and how that changed after a BB gun accident. Through her young daughter's eyes she is able to find not just self-acceptance but self-love.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 6. ed., rev.Updated. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 1998.
Zinsser shares strategies and tips not just for students, but for all writers.
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