Teaching Whole Books
Resources for Teaching Texts View resources for Middle School and High School Traditional Texts, find lesson plans and ideas, articles and much more Middle and High School Resources for Specific Works A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret…
Juan is Part of the Black Arts Story
I, Juan De Pareja What are you teaching next? Now is a fine time to plan an inter-disciplinary unit in which you invite students to draw on what they’re learning in other courses to connect with, supplement, expand and or explore the literature you’re studying in English. Teaching historical…
Values, Beliefs and Attitudes
It's important to know the values, beliefs, and attitudes that motivate behavior in order to write an effective persuasive speech or argumentative essay. It also is important to understand ways that speakers and authors reveal these motivators in their writing. Tasks: Locate website for creating word clouds as a kick-off…
Labels – Who Am I?
Sara Holbrook's poem "Labels" can be added to the list of poems used to inspire students to think about themselves and to describe who they as based on their genetic and ethnic heritage as well as their own personal interests and passions. Consider a lesson in poetry writing that invites…
Book Talks – Demonstrate then Delegate
Introduce Students to Books Old and New Select three books that you can link to what interests your specific students. Create two-three slides for each book that include images from book covers or of a key event in the book. On each slide write a probing question, a summary…
Gaining Cultural Insight: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
Gaining Cultural Insight This opening of the school year assignment, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? is a novel way to invite students to write a narrative essay based on two different books or literary works. It also can be adapted for history, science or math classes. Rather than focus on…
Understanding Non-Fiction Text Features
Non-Fiction Text Features Here's an efficient way to introduce/review the concept of text features with your students using slides, a short video, a check list and copy of their textbook from science or history. 1. Show the Text Features Slide that points out different features one may find in non-fiction…
We Wear the Mask
Start of the Year Writing Prompt Here's a start of the year writing prompt based on a poem, "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In one of my classes, it was the end of year essay prompt. Students were asked to consider three texts we'd studied and identify…
Ready for New School Year?
New School Year - Are you ready? “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.” (Hale, 1870) For many educators, the beginning of…
Planning for Focused Units
Get Off to a Good Start Consider thematic units that may be drawn from Essential Questions. Once you decide on themes or essential questions for the first unit or marking period, you could ask the students to choose the themes/questions for the subsequent ones. Almost any piece of fiction/non-fiction can be adapted…