My Quarantine Reading List

Professional Development and Inspiration

I’m not from Cincinnati. I’ve never been to Cincinnati. I’m not a Reds fan. I’ve never even been to Ohio. However, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens has been the high point of my self-quarantine. During each day of its closure, the zoo is posting Home Safari Facebook Livestreams and Resources. While I am not the target audience for this resource, I am loving every video!

Activities and resources like the Home Safari are the inspiration for today’s post! While we’re all stuck inside, I wanted to share my quarantine reads, including some for teachers! Check them out below.

My Quarantine Reading List @moore-english.com #mooreenglish

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Quarantine Reads

Here are some of the best posts I’ve read while under self-quarantine! I’ve tweeted about some of these already, but they’re worth a second mention!

Excerpt from That Hair by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida Trans. by Eric M. B. Becker tells “the story of coming of age as a black woman in a nation at the edge of Europe that is also rapidly changing.” This was a nuanced and powerful excerpt, and the book is in my Amazon cart right now! Check it out here!
In this article from Poetry Foundation, Nick Martin writes “Native lit is Dead.” His argument for why the title “Native lit” should be retired is compelling, timely, and worth consideration.
In the essay “Bright Stars” published in Harper’s Magazine, Laila Lalami describes “the unfulfilled promise of American citizenship.” It’s a long read but a powerful one!
Similarly, in “Unbecoming American” published in The Hedgehog Review, Johann N. Neem describes the changing meaning of “American,” especially as experienced or defined by immigrants.

Teacher Brain Under Quarantine

While I am trying to be grateful for the extra time, I’m not ale to turn off my teacher brain! Here are some of the educational articles and posts I’ve enjoyed lately.

“Why are we , America?” by Eric K. Ward: In this article for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Ward notes “The truth of our interconnectedness has never been more apparent.” He asks some tough questions, too. In particular, his title question about defining “America” would fit well in a unit on The Great Gatsby.
In fact, The Great Gatsby has been on my mind a lot lately. So when I read this article from Phil Christman at Vox, I thought about Nick Carraway and his eventual return to the Midwest, which Cristman writes about in “The danger of mythologizing America’s ‘heartland.'”
I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but “Fragmented Narratives Are Broken, Independent, and Honest” by Sinead Gleeson also reminded me of The Great Gatsby. In this article, Gleeson reflects on non-linear form, one of the hallmarks of modern and post-modern writing.
On a different note, Joe Pinsker wrote “When Does Someone Become ‘Old’?” for The Atlantic. While I saw this article when it was published back in January, I didn’t really have time to read it entirely until now. The teacher in me read this article and thought, “Oh, this is a great exercise in connotation!”
I was awestruck by this wonderful list of resources for Teaching Poetry Online from Poetry Foundation.
Similarly, I found this collection of lessons and activities from Facing History and Ourselves to be powerful. The essential question for this collection is “COVID-19: How can we make choices that promote the common good?”

Online Exploration

In addition to all the wonderful distance learning resources teachers have shared online, these are some other great “cornona-finds.” These are ideas, activities, and tools to share with students!

Perhaps my favorite item on this list is this free Harry Potter digital escape room created by a Pennsylvania Library! It’s amazing, free, bookish fun!
Meilan Solly at the Smithsonian shared “Eight Digital Education Resources from the Smithsonian.” My favorites from this collection are Because of Her Story and “Smithsonian Science How.”
Smithsonian Magazine also shared “68 Cultural, Historical, and Scientific Collections You Can Explore Online.” I haven’t explored all of these items yet, but the ones I’ve checked out reminded me of all the facets of culture I discuss with my students.
Folger Shakespeare Library has lots of ways to spend isolation time. First, you can check out the First Folio Image Collection. Then, check out these free Shakespeare resources. This includes the a full performance of Macbeth and 7 audio recordings of Shakespeare’s most-popular plays. You know I love Shakespeare, so this was such an exciting release!

Keeping Busy Under Quarantine

Apart from reading about education, I’ve also been updating and creating improved, digital resources. If you already have one of these resources, make sure to visit “My Purchases” on TPT and download the updates!

What are your recommendations for surviving and thriving during self-quarantine? What books, movies, games, or activities do you recommend? Let us know in the comments.