This project was for my Young Adult Literature class. I took it because I had taken a similar class in my undergrad and wanted to see how the genre had changed or stayed the same. Many of the topics we discussed were similar to those of my undergrad class, but now I had first-hand experience working with high school and middle school students. I was able to use my knowledge of their lives and applied it to my studies. 

For this project, we had to create a unit for a class and I chose to use a book about poverty in rural America. I worked in a similar type of area for my first three years in the field and felt like I could use The Serpent King as a way to connect to students in similar situations. While I do not work with young adults anymore, the information I learned from this book, as well as in my research for this project, can help me with the incarcerated individuals I work with now. 

Literature Circles in the College Classroom to Analyze Social Norms Vision and Overview

In my research for this class, which focused on the composition class in post-secondary schools, led me to the use of literary circles in the college classroom. I had done many lit circles in my high school and middle school classrooms, but it is looked at differently at higher levels. I created this unit for a future community college or 2 year institution classroom. Again, I wanted to build off of what I knew and create something new for a different audience. Building on my own experiences has helped me realize that I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time I start a new job - I have a strong foundation and I should use it to my advantage. 

This was one of my favorite projects from my time at ASU. Through the course of the class, I came across a podcast that dove into the history of the English language. One of these episodes was about magical and mythical creatures. As a fantasy fan myself, I knew I wanted to do my own research. I decided to make my project in the form of a unit plan, complete with presentation slides, readings, and assignments. This is a topic I would love to explore even more as I continue in my education.