• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog
  • Teachers Pay Teachers
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Innovative English Instruction

English Language Arts Resources

Back to School Classroom Decor: Meet the #SocialDistancersofLiterature

September 3, 2020

Last spring, at a time when I teach Emily Dickinson, I was surrounded, like we all were, by messages of “social distancing.” The term got me thinking about Emily Dickinson’s identical practice, though her reasons were self-imposed. I completely reinvented an analysis task I used to assign my students. A recluse at heart, Dickinson was a self-proclaimed introvert who had trouble adjusting to social situations. 

Once I started reflecting on Dickinson’s life, I couldn’t help but think of other authors who would have loved this hiatus from social interaction, like Edgar Allan Poe, Henry David Thoreau, and Harper Lee. I even discovered authors who I didn’t know were “social distancers,” like science fiction author Octavia Butler. 

I created this poster set to share my discoveries with other middle school and high school students. I love these posters because they’re big and bold, which make them the perfect back to school classroom decor. You can put them anywhere in your classroom or easily add them to a bulletin board.

This poster set draws on words of wisdom from classic authors (spanning 200+ years) with a penchant for their own space, including Emily Brontë, Marcel Proust, William Faulkner, and J.D. Salinger. 

My favorite discovery from my research was learning more about Cormac McCarthy.  So reclusive, he preferred to “eat beans for another week,” as his ex-wife, Annie DeLisle recalls, rather than earn $2,000 for a public speaking engagement.

Each poster features a framed photograph of the author and a chalkboard-style quotation penned by the author which captures the authors’ proclivities for social distancing. I also included an image associated with the author, like a sculpture or a painting. 

Learn more about this resource here. 

If you’re looking for more social distancing classroom decor, check out these space-themed posters for social distancing. 

Who is your favorite literary social distancer?

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, Innovative English Instruction!

Recent Posts

  • Introduce Shakespeare with a Mystery!
  • Four Poetry Lessons to Boost Student Engagement During Distance Learning
  • Back to School Classroom Decor: Meet the #SocialDistancersofLiterature
  • Help Your Students Step Away From the Thesaurus With These Precise Verb Cards
  • Spark Your Students’ Creativity with this Jekyll and Hyde Digital Escape Room

Recent Comments

    Pinterest

    Blog Archive

    Categories

    innovativeenglishinstruction

    I’m so excited to start the year off with these I’m so excited to start the year off with these pastel Ticonderoga pencils!  What supply are you excited to use this year?  #firstyearteacher #iteachtoo #iteachhighschool #iteachhighschoolenglish #backtoschool #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #teachersofinsta
    Thanks for the feedback on my last read! I’ve m Thanks for the feedback on my last read!  I’ve moved onto Robin Sloane’s next book, Sourdough, and am loving it!  Any suggestions for what I should read next?  #summervibes #summervacation #teacheronbreak #teacheronsummerbreak #teacherauthor #iteachhighschoolenglish #iteach #iteachtoo #readingtime
    Do you want to know the first time I heard “Back Do you want to know the first time I heard “Back to School” this summer?  It was the day after I finished school!  Now that we are actually in BTS season, how about a $10 TpT gift card to use during Tuesday and Wednesday's sitewide TpT sale (or whenever you'd like to use it)!? Entering for your chance to win is as easy as: 1.) liking this post 2.) following my account, and 3.) sharing in the comments a TpT resource of mine that would reduce your summer scaries. 
Contest is open to teachers/homeschoolers 18+ and is open until tomorrow, 8/1, at 12pm EST. Winner will be contacted via DM tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for entering and good luck! #teachersfollowteachers #tptsale #teacherspayteachers #iteachsecondary #iteachhighschoolenglish #iteachtoo #techteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #firstyearteacher
    Success! Found a famed piece of Gloucester sea gl Success!  Found a famed piece of Gloucester sea glass.  What’s a must-see of your summer travels?  #summervibes #teacheronbreak #teacheronsummerbreak #massachusetts #newengland
    Rockport, MA is charming! We had delicious lobste Rockport, MA is charming!  We had delicious lobster rolls at Roy Moore’s and fun in the sun at Pavilion Beach in Gloucester (even though we missed the supposed beach glass all over it!). Where are your summer travels taking you? #summer #summervibes #teacheronbreak #teacheronsummerbreak #roymoorelobster #rockportma #gloucesterma #newengland #salemmassachusetts
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

    Copyright © 2023 · Wordpress Theme by Hello Yay!