Standard 3: Reading Across Genres

Using the case study, “My Home Life under an HOA,” students will explain how home ownership under a Homeowners Agreement (HOA) bounds a homeowner to additional contractual rights and duties. Students will learn homeowners’ rights within an HOA agreement and exceptions to the agreement enforceable by state law.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will compare and contrast different learning theories and discuss their implications for teaching and learning, in this lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using the case study, “Thrifting Twins Spare Expense on Website,” students will read and analyze the case study, perform hands-on activities, contribute to whole class discussions and review emails for correct grammer and punctuation.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use and build upon their prior knowledge to investigate a question related to child growth and development. As an introductory lesson to developmental principles, students will first self-reflect on their own childhood development. Then, students will evaluate the reliability of online resources as they conduct research, synthesize the information, and present their findings to a peer.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will describe a developmental principle using common academic vocabulary related to child growth and development. During a group discussion on developmental principles, students will define and provide examples of new and/or familiar vocabulary terms that are used in speaking and writing about early childhood education.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read an excerpt from John F. Kennedy's speech, commonly titled "A Moral Issue", in response to the Civil Rights Movement. Upon reading the text, students will analyze and evaluate President Kennedy's use of ethos, as well as the impact of delivering the speech via live broadcast.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn the basic rules for effective paraphrasing. Students will read the 1993 inaugural address of President Bill Clinton. They will paraphrase several key sections to develop their paraphrasing skills and deepen their knowledge of the United States foundational principles and global leadership referenced in the address. Students will also answer text-dependent questions to further analyze the ideas and content of President Clinton’s address.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will analyze testimony delivered to congress by Suffrage Activist Lucy Stone (1892) in support of amending the U.S. Constitution to give women the right to vote in this lesson. The lesson specifically focuses on Stone’s use of alliteration, antithesis (parallel structure), and rhetorical questions to help achieve her purpose.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will read Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July.” Students will analyze Douglass’s use of rhetorical appeals throughout the text. Students will specifically identify his use of pathos and logos and examine how Douglass uses these appeals to support his overall purpose. Students will also learn important historical context about Douglass and the abolitionist movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using the case study, "Training Day: The Importance of Professionalism in the Workplace," students will research proper business etiquette and effective workplace communication. 

Type: Lesson Plan

The hero's journey is an archetypal plot structure found in novels and epic poems, yet it can also be found in other text formats. After students have read the novella Anthem and the poem "Invictus," they will craft an argument supporting their claim of whether or not the hero's journey is evidenced in shorter texts. They will find and organize evidence, draft their arguments, and perform a peer review as they complete the writing process. This lesson is lesson two in a two-part series.

Type: Lesson Plan

The hero's journey is an archetypal plot structure found in modern novels and can also be found in popular poetry. After students have read the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, they will examine the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley for elements of the Hero's Journey. Students will work collaboratively to decide whether or not all aspects of the hero's journey are demonstrated efficiently in this variety of texts.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is the third lesson in a three-part series on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. In this lesson, students will analyze King's speech, which has been broken up into eight sections, for his perspective and tone. At the end of the lesson, students will respond to a prompt and write an essay based on what they have analyzed throughout the lesson. A graphic organizer, suggested answer key, and writing rubric have been provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is the 2nd part in a 3-part series on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I've Been to the Mountaintop." This lesson focuses on some of the figures of speech and rhetorical devices used by Dr. King in his speech. The speech has been divided into eight sections. As students read through each section they will analyze some of the figures of speech and rhetorical devices King used, record their answers on a graphic organizer, and analyze how use of the figure of speech or rhetorical device impacted the meaning of that section of the speech. Students will write an extended paragraph for the lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the first lesson in a three-part series on Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I've Been to the Mountaintop." In this lesson, the speech has been divided into eight sections with text-dependent questions that are specific to each section. Throughout the course of the lesson students will determine a central idea for each section and examine King's ideas and claims and how they are developed and supported. At the end of the lesson, students will determine an overarching central idea of the speech and write an extended paragraph to explain the central idea and how it is developed and supported with specific evidence throughout the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read the poem "The War After the War" by Debora Greger and examine the three different perspectives within the poem. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to examine and analyze figurative language and perspective, as well as craft their own poem using multiple perspectives and figurative language.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will create a research question based on The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Students will develop a research question about how a characteristic or event in the life of young Ben Franklin influenced an accomplishment of an older, mature Ben Franklin. Students will research the life of Ben Franklin to answer their questions and present their findings in a short oral presentation.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this close reading lesson, students will read William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" one chunk at a time to examine elements of plot, culture, setting, and point of view that contribute to the mystery and suspense that lead to its dark, even terrifying, ending.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will read, understand, and analyze a speech by Fredrick Douglass. Students will write an essay to support their analysis of the central idea of Douglass's speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro."

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson (part 2 of 2 in a unit), students will read and analyze literary devices in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." Students will practice text-coding the story to note uses of setting, imagery, diction, and foreshadowing. Students will complete a handout where they will analyze how Jackson creates suspense through the use of setting, imagery, diction, and foreshadowing. For the summative assessment, students will write an essay comparing and contrasting Edgar Allan Poe's use of suspense with Jackson's, making a claim as to which author more successfully creates a suspenseful mood.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine the figurative language and literary devices used in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." They will read the first part of the story with support and modeling from the teacher, the next part with a partner or in small groups, and the final section on their own. Students will also use various strategies to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary within the context of the story and identify which of those words and phrases create the suspenseful mood in the story. In the summative assessment, students will share their analysis and provide textual examples of how Poe creates suspense in his story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will read and analyze the poem, "To an Athlete Dying Young" for the figurative language of metaphor and imagery and how each works together to create both a somber mood and support the universal theme of death.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the third and final lesson in a unit analyzing rhetorical appeals. In this lesson, students will identify and analyze rhetorical appeals in a speech from President Obama and plan an outline for an essay to explain President Obama’s choices to establish meaning and achieve his purpose in the speech.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will analyze and interpret two pastoral poems, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe and "Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh, with an emphasis on the universal theme of love and its expression. The analysis will culminate with the students creating modern interpretations of the two poems. Hand-outs of the poems, questions to aid analysis, and a model modern interpretation are provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will review the first three chapters/sections of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men to analyze character traits as they support the universal themes of anxiety and fear in this lesson. They will then compare the two themes using their analysis.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson (the third in a three-lesson unit), students will analyze an excerpt from Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Working collaboratively and independently, students will explore the diction, images, details, language and syntax of the text. The summative assessment requires students to write an essay analyzing how the author uses language and literary techniques to convey the experience of the soldiers in the Vietnam War. Supporting handouts and materials are provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the culminating lesson in a three-part series designed to support students as they embrace poetry analysis. The purpose of this lesson is for students to reflect on the poems they analyzed in lessons one and two. Students will then create a digital presentation to share with the class that explains their analysis of the use of symbols, imagery, mood, and theme in poetry.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is Part 2 of a poetry unit designed to support students as they embrace the study of poetry. Part One focuses on universal themes. In this lesson, students read and analyze two poems for their use of imagery as it supports the mood of each.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the first lesson of a three-lesson unit on rhetoric appeals and persuasion techniques.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is part two of three included in a unit that addresses rhetorical appeals. In this lesson, students will research and find examples of ethos, pathos and logos used in advertisements.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is a culminating activity for Shakespeare’s Macbeth. By breaking down the Shakespearean language and paraphrasing the text to modern day language, students will use their new dialogue to transform their new version of the text into a short video. Students will deliver an oral presentation to the class to explain the choices they made in their new version of the scene.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is part two of a three lesson unit that will explore and analyze how different authors convey American Puritanism. In lessons two of this unit, students will analyze key literary elements and Miller’s use of rhetoric to create mood in the play, "The Crucible."

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the character development of protagonists and antagonists from literature read over the course of the school year. Students will complete a note-taking activity as well as a graphic organizer to use as they answer an analysis question about the characterization of protagonists and antagonists across various genres of literature.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will gather information on aspects of the 1930s and the Great Depression including how they are linked to current issues and events, then create a presentation based on their findings and present it to the class. This lesson will help to build background knowledge for reading literature set in the 1930s and would be a good activity to complete before reading texts that take place during that period. This activity will develop students' research skills including evaluating sources, note-taking, and integrating information from multiple sources, as well as giving students opportunities to engage in creating digital presentations.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is the first of three interrelated lessons in a unit which use text and fine arts (photography and paintings) to convey the theme(s) of immigration, shared American ideals, and civic responsibilities in a democracy. The first lesson asks students to analyze "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. Students' understanding of text and earlier waves of immigration will be fostered by viewing photographs of immigrants to Ellis Island.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson plan provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze President Kennedy’s inaugural address. Students will specifically examine the use of three types of rhetorical devices within the text: imagery, alliteration, and anaphora. Students will be able to practice identifying the use of these rhetorical devices and how they support President Kennedy’s purpose.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be practicing close reading and literary analysis skills, annotating, and writing an analysis of texts. During the class discussion, students will practice listening skills and use explicit examples from a text to support their analysis in this lesson. Suggested excerpts from Annie Dillard's From an American Childhood, Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain are referenced in this lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will review elements and types of characterization and will analyze the various characters in the novel The Hunger Games or any appropriate novel of the teacher's choosing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will read and analyze three texts: Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue," Richard Rodriguez's "Se Habla Espanol," and Zora Neale Hurston's "How it Feels to be Colored Me" looking at how the language in each expresses a specific tone and author’s style. Students will choose one of the three texts and write an analysis of how the author uses language to create tone and style.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read multiple texts, conduct online research, brainstorm ideas, and analyze and synthesize information. Students will also practice the arts of note-taking, writing concise and informative summaries, and collaborating with peers to learn more about South Africa's Anti-Apartheid (A.A.A.) movement and the hero who saved them.

Type: Lesson Plan

Examine how the symbolism in Saki's short story "The Interlopers" contributes to the overall mood of the text.
This interactive tutorial is Part Two in a two-part series. Be sure to complete Part One first. Click HERE to view Part One.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In Part Two of this two-part series, read more excerpts from Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula. You'll continue to examine how the author creates suspense using the narrative techniques of exposition, foreshadowing, and imagery.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how figurative language—including personification, hyperbole, and imagery—creates mood using excerpts from the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about paraphrasing and the use of direct quotes in this interactive tutorial about research writing. Along the way, you'll also learn about master magician Harry Houdini. This tutorial is part one of a two-part series, so be sure to complete both parts.

Check out part two—Avoiding Plaigiarism: It's Not Magic here.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn to analyze the use of rhetorical devices in a nonfiction text. In this interactive tutorial, you'll examine excerpts from President Obama's speech on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Selma and analyze his use of three specific rhetorical devices: antithesis, rhetorical questions, and anaphora. You'll also analyze how he uses these rhetorical devices to help achieve his specific purpose. Along the way, you'll brush up on some important American history. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This resource provides the tools to help students analyze the rhetorical devices in one of the most pivotal speeches of the civil rights movement. In 1965, President Johnson addressed Congress and the nation in the wake of the events in Selma, Alabama. The American public had been jolted by scenes of state troopers attacking peaceful marchers.

Just days later, President Johnson addressed the nation to promote the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He skillfully drove home his purpose through the use of two rhetorical devices: imagery and anaphora. This resource will help students analyze his use of these devices and how they strengthen his speech.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze the use of rhetorical appeals in President Franklin Roosevelt’s speech, “A Day that Will Live in Infamy.” The president delivered this powerful speech in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Students will analyze Roosevelt’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his address to Congress and the American people. 

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides students with the opportunity to analyze President Jimmy Carter's use of rhetoric in his Inaugural Address. The resource contains historical context and both a student and teacher copy of the speech, along with text dependent questions and an answer key. Students will connect Carter’s use of rhetoric in achieving purpose in his speech to the role the U.S. has in establishing and maintaining peace.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze Lucy Stone’s 1892 address on women’s suffrage. Students will analyze her use of two specific rhetorical devices: imagery and rhetorical questions. The resource will help students identify these devices within the text and analyze how they establish and support Stone’s purpose.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource will provide teachers the tools/ideas to help students analyze the speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This speech was given to Congress in order to persuade them to join the war efforts, protecting American ideals of freedom. This speech uses the rhetorical techniques of pathos and logos to persuade his listeners.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze the central idea and mood within John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. This includes examining how President Kennedy supports the central idea relating to foreign policy and protecting liberty throughout his speech. 

Type: Text Resource