TEACHING DYSTOPIA:  New Essential Questions to Try [Ep 272]

TEACHING DYSTOPIA: New Essential Questions to Try [Ep 272]

Author: Marie Morris & Amanda Cardenas, Secondary ELA Teachers October 9, 2025 Duration: 27:22
Ready to refresh your dystopia unit? In this episode, we explore how to make the genre feel fresh, relevant, and engaging for today’s students by rethinking essential questions and diving deeper into structure, theme, and skill connections. From moving beyond the classic “Is America a dystopia?” debate to exploring what it means to rebuild a broken world, you’ll get ideas for inquiry-driven lessons that inspire critical thinking and connection to real-life issues. This is a kickoff to our thr...

Marie Morris and Amanda Cardenas are the secondary ELA teachers behind Brave New Teaching, and they’re in your earbuds to talk shop without the usual platitudes. This isn’t about theory from a distant ivory tower; it’s a direct, practical conversation forged in the reality of their own middle and high school classrooms. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair in the teacher’s lounge with two colleagues who aren’t afraid to be honest about what works, what flops, and how to navigate the ever-changing demands of education. You’ll hear them deconstruct lesson plans, debate classroom management strategies, and share the small, brave experiments that can reinvigorate a teaching practice. The core of this podcast is built on the belief that teachers are the best architects of their own classrooms, and Amanda and Marie provide the tools and camaraderie to help you do just that. They blend their distinct voices-Amanda’s work with Mud and Ink Teaching and Marie’s perspective from The Caffeinated Classroom-into a single, energizing resource. Tune in for a mix of actionable advice, reflective dialogue, and the kind of supportive push that encourages you to try something new on Monday morning. It’s a dedicated space for educators ready to reclaim their professional autonomy and find fresh inspiration alongside fellow practitioners.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers
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