M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with more than fourteen years of classroom experience in urban middle and high schools. M. Towle began teaching in South Gate, California — a predominantly Latino community in the Los Angeles area — before relocating to Philadelphia, where seven years were spent at Hill-Freedman World Academy, an International Baccalaureate magnet school in the School District of Philadelphia.
At Hill-Freedman, M. Towle helped design the Middle Years Programme curriculum (IB certification), led professional development on unit planning and assessment, and received the School District of Philadelphia Distinguished Teacher Rating four times. The school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2015.
M. Towle holds a Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Gratz College (High Honors, 2016). The capstone project was the Holocaust Literature Project — an educational website supporting secondary teachers working with Holocaust literature. That project planted the seed of TeachNovels.
TeachNovels launched in 2017 with one conviction: secondary teachers deserve novel units that are rigorous, engaging, and genuinely ready to use. Every resource on this site is built on fourteen years of classroom experience — the same principles, the same lesson structures, and the same instinct for what actually engages students that were developed and refined in real classrooms over a long career.
Credentials and Distinctions
- M.A., Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz College — High Honors, 2016
- B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Syracuse University, 2001
- Secondary English (7–12), Pennsylvania certified
- Social Studies (7–12), Pennsylvania certified
- Secondary English Language Arts, California certified
- School District of Philadelphia Distinguished Teacher Rating — 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016
- Delegate, International Baccalaureate Americas Conference, 2016
- Representative, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, 2015
- Educational Testing Service Recognition of Excellence, 2009
- Los Angeles Opera Lesson Planning Award — 2004, 2005, 2006
- Los Angeles Teaching Fellows, 2003–2005
What Teachers Are Saying
“I want to start by mentioning this is the first time I have ever felt the need to leave a review on TPT. This is one of the most comprehensive products I have ever seen on this platform by far. This undoubtedly has everything you need to teach 1984. Not only does this unit have quality, rigorous material, but my students have been totally engaged!”
— Verified teacher review
“These lessons were SO engaging. There were so many creative activities, strong chapter discussion questions, and lessons that get kids excited about classic literature.”
— Verified teacher review
“It was academically rigorous, which is why I used this unit with an advanced year 10 class; they were engaged and interested throughout.”
— Verified teacher review
“This resource is well-organized, easy to use, and works great in my high school special education classroom. My students stay engaged, and the materials are clear and accessible.”
— Verified teacher review
About TeachNovels
TeachNovels provides standards-aligned novel units for secondary ELA classrooms — lesson plans, reading guides, discussion questions, writing prompts, activities, projects, and assessments, all developed from real classroom experience.
A portion of every purchase supports the rescue dogs who oversee operations at TeachNovels headquarters.
Currently on staff: Cosmo.