Free Learning Guides

Today's Teacher Tip is possibly my new best friend for my literature lesson planning. Especially for literature circles or book clubs when I can't possibly be well-versed on every novel, this will be my go-to resource.

So, what is this fabulous find? Shmoop. (Maybe it's just me, but when I saw the name of this site, I immediately began singing, "Shmoop, Shmoop ba-doop" in my best Salt N Pepa impression. All the more reason to love it!)

Some of the teacher resources on this site are available for purchase (at pretty reasonable prices), but what I fell i love with is the Learning Guides section. There's something for everyone:

As I clicked around I saw summaries, analyses, quotes, flashcards, study questions, videos, quizzes...

And... they're free!!!

I love that these are written for students. In fact, their tagline is, "We Speak Student!" 

Each introduction I read came with a "Why Should I Care?" section that basically gives students the investment piece we often fail to provide.

So, while I know these learning guides are technically meant for the students, they are excellent resources for us teachers as we prepare our lesson plans. Why recreate the wheel, right?