I keep telling myself I won’t buy any more books.  Every time I resolve that enough is enough, and I can wait for grant money, it seems like another sale pops up.

Enter Scholastic Warehouse Sale.

I fell victim to the Arlington Warehouse Sale yesterday after school.  By victim, I mean I wheeling through the aisles at breakneck speed with a giant smile on my face.  I left with a stack of about 27 books for $61, and a slew of fresh lesson ideas.

5 New Ideas from a Stack of Books

1. This I Believe Essays:  I have seen so many teachers use This I Believe from NPR as a jumping-off point for writing and larger projects.  I snagged a book full of these essays for mentor texts.  How great for seniors to think about how their beliefs have changed throughout high school?  I would love to do more of this next year.
2. For the Love of…: This basketball picture book is going to make for a great mentor text for expanding upon a list.  This would also make a great starter mentor text for writing about favorites for ESL students. 
3. Same/Different/Crazy: I got this from the top two titles on my stack.  Quickwrite prompt–What has been the same this year in high school?  What has been different?  What has been CRAZY?
4. Pieces of Me: From the title, Piecing Me Together, we might do a visual representation of the pieces of each student.  Part self-portrait, part personal reflection.
5. Linger: What do you hope will disappear when you leave this building, and what do you hope will linger?  What is the legacy that you have left on this place?

These are only the ideas I’ve gleaned from the titles of these books.  I can’t wait until I actually crack the covers!

Does a new stack of books reignite your creativity?  What does your stack look like?  We would love to see some pictures in the comments or shared on FB!

Jessica Paxson is an English IV and Creative Writing teacher in Arlington, TX.  She usually takes on major life events all at once rather than bit by bit, such as starting graduate school, buying a house, going to Europe, and preparing for two new classes next year.  If you enjoy watching her make a fool of herself by being unbearably vulnerable, you can catch more of that over at www.jessicajordana.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @jessjordana.