IIC Competition Entries

I enjoyed seeing many of the entries, but I was really interested in Brittany's. She was talking about history, but the ideas could easily be applied to English. Her website is really nice looking--it can be easily navigated.
The differing views on the civil war can be used... in conjunction with Civil War literature! No surprise there. Students will be similarly involved in a historical analysis of the text.
I recently heard a suggestion that you teach students critical theory--the different ways of analyzing a text--by taking a novel and analyzing every chapter with a different kind of criticism. The historical criticism would definitely be different using a presi or making a web drawing, or anything else the teacher chooses to do. Different students learn by different methods, which is why it's best to change your approach often (and not just for changing your approach).