--- title: Engaging Students with an AI-Proof Choice-Based Curriculum description: English teacher Jessica LeBlanc shares how a choice-based curriculum is helping her boost engagement and teach literacy in the age of AI. image: https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-Featured.png --- [Skip to content](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/how-to-ai-proof-engage-students-choice-based-curriculum#main-content) [![Digital Theatre+ logo linking to website homepage](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20for%20website.png?width=528&height=306&name=logo%20for%20website.png "Digital Theatre+ logo linking to website homepage")](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com) [![DT+ logo](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/dt-mobile-logo@2x.png?width=136&height=58&name=dt-mobile-logo@2x.png "DT+ logo")](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com) [Schools ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/what-do-you-teach) ![Back](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Laureate/dt-menu-arrow-back.svg) ![audience-image-example](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/audience-image-example.jpg?width=191&name=audience-image-example.jpg) ### Looking for new lesson ideas & inspiration?  Get the latest teaching tips, education trends, and more on our blog! 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[![Explore Blog](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4771810/f66f0991-d0b6-465c-9bab-c5b88a9e974a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4771810/f66f0991-d0b6-465c-9bab-c5b88a9e974a) ### About Digital Theatre+ - [ About us ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/about-us) - [ How to subscribe ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/how-to-access) - [ Our platform ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/platform) - [ Request pricing ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/request-pricing) - [ Funding options ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/funding-options) - [ Success stories ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/success-stories) [View more](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/about) ### Help & Support - [ Accessibility ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/accessibility-statement) - [ Privacy ](https://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com/privacy-policy) - [ FAQ ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/faq) - [ Contact us ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/contact-us) [View more](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/contact-us) [Sign in](https://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com) [Request a quote](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/request-a-quote) ![](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Laureate/dt-mobile-burger.svg) ![](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Laureate/dt-burger-close.svg) 29 January 2026 # Engaging Students with an AI-Proof Choice-Based Curriculum [High School](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/tag/high-school) [English](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/tag/english) [Teaching tips](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/tag/teaching-tips) [Topics and trends](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/tag/topics-and-trends) [International](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/tag/international) [![Author Avatar](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Jessica%20LeBlanc.png) ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/author/jessica-leblanc) [ Jessica LeBlanc ](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/author/jessica-leblanc) High School English Teacher ![](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hubfs/Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-Featured.png) Share this blog to [mailto:someone@example.com?subject=Recommended%20for%20you&body=Engaging%20Students%20with%20an%20AI-Proof%20Choice-Based%20Curriculum%0D%0Ahttps://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/how-to-ai-proof-engage-students-choice-based-curriculum](mailto:someone@example.com?subject=Recommended%20for%20you&body=Engaging%20Students%20with%20an%20AI-Proof%20Choice-Based%20Curriculum%0D%0Ahttps://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/how-to-ai-proof-engage-students-choice-based-curriculum) *In today's blog, High School English teacher Jessica LeBlanc shares how she transformed her English 12 curriculum to create a new course that engages her students in the power of literature.* After more than a decade in the classroom, I was given the opportunity to change the curriculum of our English 12 course. I felt like one of the subjects of [*Grand Designs*](https://www.granddesigns.tv/), snatching the chance to build a completely customized dream course. I knew the feeling I wanted to create in my classroom: energized focus coupled with enthusiastic inquiry. I wanted students to head to university with an understanding of how they can (and should) weave reading and writing into their lives forevermore. Here's how I approached designing this course, which I named 'English 12: A Field Guide to Life'. ## Define the Terrain: Identify Student Needs First, I identified three areas to guide my course design: - **Student engagement:** My students ([like most](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/us/high-school-english-teachers-assigning-books.html)) find sustained and deep attention difficult, which means close reading is a challenge. They can do it, but they need strong incentives *beyond grades *to engage. - **Artificial intelligence:** The increased use of AI writing tools further erodes student engagement, as well as the development of key skills that would be typically honed through writing. - **Teen mental health:** In the wake of the pandemic, we've seen a steep decline in teen mental health. Getting students to engage with one another in the classroom is a priority. [![Blog-Engaging-Reluctant-Readers-Poetry-2](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Engaging-Reluctant-Readers-Poetry-2.png?width=550&height=309&name=Blog-Engaging-Reluctant-Readers-Poetry-2.png)](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/how-to-engage-reluctant-readers-student-poetry-anthologies)[High School teacher Hollis Ball shares his tips for engaging students in poetry in this blog!](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/blog/how-to-engage-reluctant-readers-student-poetry-anthologies) ## Set the Foundations: Adapting Classroom Practices It was clear that I needed to change my conception of what an English classroom *should* look like. During this process, I identified some practices that helped build the foundation of the course: ### Student Choice Curriculum A choice-based curriculum gives students agency and increases engagement. Within each unit, they have 4-5 texts to choose from. Rather than examining one text together, we examine one theme across multiple texts. Texts are then selected to unite around a theme, while representing a diverse range of styles and focuses. ### Emphasizing Personal Connections to Texts Students discuss and write about themselves in connection to the texts and themes we study. The units encourage engagement, as they are modeled on our life cycle:  - Childhood: Middle grade novels - Adolescence: Coming-of-age plays - Adulthood: Students choose either literary or genre fiction - **Death:** Poetry and short stories Like life, the units become increasingly rigorous as the year progresses. ### Studio-style Classroom To combat the draw of AI, I set out to emphasize the essential humanity of writing. All writing is completed in class. Since students frequently share their writing aloud, writing becomes a communal critical thinking and creative practice. Reading is the only homework I assign, allowing the time and space to read deeply and process without having to switch modes. ### Literary Discussion Circles Within each unit, we form small groups according to the text. These small groups meet for low-stakes, exploratory discussions. Later, the whole class discusses how authors represent similar themes in their work, showing students the connections between various pieces of literature. ### Portfolio Writing Summative writing draws together all the formative work students have completed within each unit. They select from their existing writings to build 'A Field Guide to [Unit Name, i.e., Childhood]'. The rubric requires students to discuss how their authors represent themes from their text and connect those themes to their own personal experiences. By the end of the course, students will have written a complete 'Field Guide to Life'. [![Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-2](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-2.png?width=550&height=309&name=Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-2.png)](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/dt-features)[Click to discover the DT+ features that help engage and inspire your English students.](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/dt-features) ## Build the Structure: Establish Unit Content and Flow With the conceptual changes in place, I created a curricular flow from unit to unit. This flow provides stability with familiar pacing, while also shaking up students' expectations with lively lessons. For example, the unit flow might look like... 1. Select the text for the next unit to build anticipation. 2. Break the class into groups by text selection – groups set their reading pace, meeting regularly to discuss the text for understanding and meaning. 3. Generate material for students to build on for their summative assessments through frequent low-stakes writing in 'Observation Logs'. 4. Explore how multiple authors grapple with the same themes through class-wide discussions. 5. Punctuate the unit with engaging lessons on grammar, vocabulary, and research/media literacy. 6. **Summative writing:** 'A Field Guide to [Unit]'. 7. Repeat! [![Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-1](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-1.png?width=550&height=309&name=Blog-Student-Engagement-Choice-Based-Curriculum-1.png)](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/dt-features) [Utilize advanced search and filter capabilities to help your students browse selected titles, themes, or genres!](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/dt-features) ## Moving In: My Findings Thus Far! Designing 'English 12: A Field Guide to Life' reminded me that, like architecture, curriculum shapes how people navigate and enhance a space. So far, the student response has been overwhelmingly positive – letting students decide what they read has allowed them to take pride in their choices. I've noticed that students have shown increased engagement as the year moves on, and those who started out engaged have begun to use the course to explore reading and writing in greater depth. This has made for some lively discussions, as students are invested both critically *and* personally. Ultimately, I've found that the more I focus on human interaction and encourage students to rely on each other and their own thinking, the more willing they are to trust me. I still have work to do on the course, but it is gratifying to see these kids thrive in the space I was inspired and empowered to create. ---   ## About Digital Theatre+ Digital Theatre+ is your online education platform for Theatre & English. Find powerful planning tools for K-12 through to Higher Education, engaging productions from leading arts organizations, and standards-aligned resources to support every learning style. [Book a 5-minute demo to find out how Digital Theatre+ could support your institution.](https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/home-book-demo-digital-theatre) ## Related blogs #### What makes a 'great' educator? Tips for Shakespeare's Birthday What makes a 'great' teacher? Are there certain qualities that teaching requires? And how are you... 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