Secondary Experience

NCTE’s Secondary Section has selected a program with the best professional learning you’ll ever find, plus a giant network of colleagues you’ll want to stay connected to all year long!

Whether you love teaching poetry, the Bard, critical literacy, choice reading, disciplinary writing, or some other specialty of grades 9–12, this Convention is rich with learning experiences for you. And for instructional leaders searching for the maximum learning experience, you’ll also want to join NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership (CEL) for its Annual Convention at the end of the NCTE Annual Convention.

What kinds of sessions can I attend?

More than 200 sessions on the Convention program are designated for the secondary level. Here are just a few of the topics that will be covered:

• Disrupting the Traditional AP Language and Literature Course
• Multimodal Connections through Photography and Digital Projects
• Reimagining Shakespeare through Primary Sources and Inquiry-Based Poetry Units
• The Power of Poetry
• Using Theatre to Explore Social Justice in the Classroom
• Using Podcasting to Deepen the Conexiones Across Literature and Modalities
• Queer and Trans Books for Classrooms and Libraries
• Culturally Sustaining Connections from AAPI and Native Perspectives
• I’m With the Banned: Strategies for Bringing Banned Books into the Classroom
• “The Past and the Future Merge to Meet Us Here:” Connections between Contemporary Popular Music and Literature

Secondary Level Favorites:

Secondary Section Get-Together: Meet members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee, hear Section updates and award announcements, and gather with friends and colleagues over appetizers.
Thursday, Nov. 16, 5:45–7:00 p.m.

High School Matters: Sponsored by the NCTE Secondary Section, this session, “The Future Is Queer…If We Fight for It: Creating New Bonds and Connections with LGBTQ Texts,” will feature talks by educators Jess Lifshitz, shea martin, Cody Miller, and Mollie Blackburn.
Friday, Nov. 17, 2:00–4:45 p.m.

Secondary Section Luncheon: This event will feature a keynote speaker, award presentations, and announcements from leaders of the Secondary Section.
Saturday, Nov. 18, 12:30–2:30 p.m.

ALAN at NCTE: Hear from a popular author during this much-loved ALAN Breakfast event on Saturday, Nov. 18, 7:00–9:15 a.m. If you’re looking for even deeper immersion in YA lit, you might enjoy the ALAN Workshop, Monday–Tuesday, Nov. 20–21. Every registrant will get a box of books! Both of these events can be added when you register for the Convention.

I’m a school principal—are there sessions for me?

This Convention is rich with learning experiences for everyone who supports literacy learning both in and outside the school, but if you’re an instructional leader searching for the maximum learning experience, you’ll also want to take advantage of the offerings from NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership (CEL): “Literacy Communities as Sites of Reckoning and Repair,” CEL’s Annual Convention, Sunday–Tuesday, Nov. 19–21.