About Holly |
Experience
Holly has dedicated over 30 years to supporting students, teachers, and administrators. Throughout her career, she has served in diverse roles, including Middle and High School English Teacher, Advanced Placement Coordinator, Instructional Coach, Content Director, Professional Learning Coordinator, and Director of Strategic Planning. This breadth of experience has given her deep expertise in literacy, leadership, federal and state policy, accountability, and coaching for both teachers and administrators.
Holly is passionate about helping students become stronger readers and writers by teaching patterns that truly stick. She believes in teaching reading analysis and writing in a way that meets students where they are, building their skills step by step. She also has a strong interest in curriculum and lesson planning that intentionally integrates reading and writing, ensuring secondary classrooms use time effectively to close learning gaps and develop essential skills.
Author
Having been a fan, and friend, of Jeff Anderson for many years, Holly was thrilled to become part of the Patterns of Power family
by co-writing the High School book. Having Middle and High School experience, she enjoys opportunities to support secondary schools with implementing effective grammar instruction. The process differentiates learning to include all learners as well as offers a different way to approach grammar, as many secondary students have experienced worksheets, Grammar Boot Camp, and a variety of online programs.
by co-writing the High School book. Having Middle and High School experience, she enjoys opportunities to support secondary schools with implementing effective grammar instruction. The process differentiates learning to include all learners as well as offers a different way to approach grammar, as many secondary students have experienced worksheets, Grammar Boot Camp, and a variety of online programs.
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Patterns of Power, Grades 9–12: Teaching Grammar Through Reading and Writing Jeff Anderson, Travis Leech, and Holly Durham In this detailed look at how the Patterns of Power invitational process supports the specific needs of high school writers, Jeff Anderson along with veteran literacy leaders, Travis Leech and Holly Durham, show teachers how to create an environment where writers study and appreciate the beauty and meaning of grammar and conventions, rather than memorizing what is always wrong or always right. Aligned with common standards and full of use-tomorrow resources, this extension of the acclaimed Patterns of Power series, will help you tune your high school writers into the powerful patterns in language that inspire us, affect us, and makes space for growth and meaning to unfold. |
“Up early one morning, I thought I’d skim this book while sipping that first cup of coffee. The skimming stopped almost immediately as I began reading slowly to catch every idea, to understand each teaching move, to jot my own notes in my journal. My coffee grew cold and was forgotten. I was watching master teachers Jeff, Travis, and Holly make things such as colons and commas, apostrophes and appositives, phrases and fragments become more than things to be learned; instead, they were turning conventions of language into conversations I wanted to have with kids. Filled with the well-designed lessons that show you how to move kids from noticing to naming to using, this is a book that won’t sit on your bookshelf. It will stay beside you as it guides you through lessons that actually help kids think about how they write.”
—Kylene Beers, coauthor of Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Forged by Reading: The Power of a Literate Life
—Kylene Beers, coauthor of Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Forged by Reading: The Power of a Literate Life
The Patterns of Power family of resources: PreK-12
COMING SOON!
December 2025
Patterns of Analysis, Grades 6–12: Connecting the Conventions of Grammar to Analytical Reading and Writing
Holly Durham
Patterns of Analysis is a resource designed for middle and high school educators who want to teach analytical reading and writing more effectively. It provides clear, concrete entry points into texts, helping bridge convention and grammar instruction with critical and analytical reading.
This approach streamlines the process of analysis and encourages problem-solving that students can apply across a range of reading and writing contexts. Once you're familiar with the Patterns of Analysis structure, you can adapt it for any text or mixed media in your classroom.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your curriculum or need practical, ready-to-use lessons to get started, Patterns of Analysis offers flexible support for secondary classrooms.
Holly Durham
Patterns of Analysis is a resource designed for middle and high school educators who want to teach analytical reading and writing more effectively. It provides clear, concrete entry points into texts, helping bridge convention and grammar instruction with critical and analytical reading.
This approach streamlines the process of analysis and encourages problem-solving that students can apply across a range of reading and writing contexts. Once you're familiar with the Patterns of Analysis structure, you can adapt it for any text or mixed media in your classroom.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your curriculum or need practical, ready-to-use lessons to get started, Patterns of Analysis offers flexible support for secondary classrooms.