Reading and Writing a Literary Critique Use the Nine Yardsticks of Value Chart to show how you rate the autobiographical novel Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao. Also, carefully read the following critique and use the chart to indicate what you believe to be the values of the author, “Monkey Bridge,” Cao has a distinctive style [...]

Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World   Preliminary Activity:  Direct students to a website similar to 24 Hours in Pictures .  Let them explore the most recent photos, choose three of their favorites and write one sentence response/reaction to those three. They can copy and paste the photo onto a Word document [...]

April 23rd is the day many celebrate the birth of William Shakespeare, one of the more widely read dramatists of all times. Prepare your students to understand Elizabethan society a little better. Have a go with your students and have them take a Humours Quiz  to determine their own basic personality traits, then see how they’d [...]

Spend some time reading poetry and deciding which poem you like well enough to share with the class. (Please select a new poem; one not done for previous assignments or projects). Steps to Selection 1. Select a collection of poems (a collection by the same or by different authors).  See our class anthology, Poems 180, [...]

Propaganda, Persuasion and Play-writing Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee Adapted from McDougal Littell Conversation: Lessons of History Includes links to Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Download Inherit the Wind Lessons  Though based on the famous Scopes “Monkey Trail” where William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow clashed over a [...]

Taking a Random Walk through the Book: An alternative way to introduce a new fiction on non-fiction reading *****Ask students to write on a piece of paper any ten numbers between the first and last page number of the book you are using. For example, 3,7, 27, 59, 78, 87, 115, 143, 205, 212 *****Next [...]

Here are samples of the Six Traits © Rubrics for Writing that has been customized to highlight specific requirements for specific assignments. When using the General Grading Guidelines for Writing, it’s important to show students what is required to earn each letter grade. Customizing the familiar rubric makes those requirements clear.  Students can self-check before [...]

 Looking for a way to inspire students to write about what they read, hear and view?  A colleague, Carol S, directed my attention to this method of journaling and this list of Essential Questions.  As often is the case, it is an accumulation of ideas from a range of educators.  Thank you to those who [...]

Patterning is a great way to have students practice what they learn about language and literature. As you view this set of workshop slides, you’ll find lots of ideas you can incorporate into your lessons to help students understand better how stories, poetry, and articles are structured and how to use what they’ve learned to enhance [...]

See Movie Trailer for Mark Mattison’s Sci-Fi Mystery for Young Adults Commander Chris and the Mystical Orb See teacher resources  with vocabulary and reading reflection exercises at Mark Mattison website.