Standard #: LAFS.910.RL.1.2 (Archived Standard)

This lesson is the third in a series of three based on O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi." The previous lessons provide instruction in using context clues to determine word meanings and in analyzing the significance of literary devices in a short story. In this final lesson, students will apply their knowledge of context clues from lesson one while also working to analyze irony across two texts, "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Shivering Beggar," a poem by Robert Graves.

In this lesson, students will analyze the contribution of point of view, setting, allusion, plot, and irony to the development of theme in O. Henry's classic short story, "The Gift of the Magi." Students will write an extended paragraph explaining how one device contributes to the theme. This lesson is the second in a series of three based on "The Gift of the Magi." The previous lesson provides instruction in using context clues to determine word meaning.

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.

Students will analyze protagonist, antagonist, conflict, resolution, and hubris in three classic myths: "Odysseus and Polyphemus," "Athena and Arachne," and "Echo and Narcissus." They will write an essay explaining the message of each myth using examples from the myths and discuss the impact of the recurring theme of hubris on the ancient Greek audience.

There's more to plot than identifying the series of events in a story. After viewing a PowerPoint presentation on plot structure, students will read and analyze the plots of three different short stories (as a class, in small groups, and individually). Then, they will use an online interactive plot structure tool to diagram the plot lines. This lesson also includes a writing assessment with rubric.

A study of Charlotte Perkins Gillman's short story, "The Yellow Wall-Paper", this lesson touches upon literary elements such as setting, characterization, symbol and narration, in addition to addressing the social and historical aspects of the author and her times. There is a preceding lesson at the same location that speaks to a woman's role in society during the early part of the 20th Century.

The focus of this lesson is to have students rewrite the ending of All Quiet on the Western Front. The newly created ending must include some form of irony in order to stay with the ironic elements of the book. Students will then peer edit each other's ending, and then revise their final draft. Finally, students will create a new cover for the book in which they will reveal their new title to the text.

The goal of this lesson (lesson 3 in 3-part unit) is for students to be able to analyze and interpret the ways in which an author's style (use of literary devices) develops the author's purpose, tone, and theme found in complex and challenging texts. Close-reading skills culminate in a literary analysis essay in which students analyze how an author creates meaning through deliberate choices of language devices.

From the resource:
"From personal computers to the latest electronic gadgetry for the home or entertainment, Americans seem to have fallen in love with just about anything that will make our high-tech lifestyles more comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable. Students first complete a survey to establish their beliefs about technology before using a literary elements map to explore the role of a fictional technology in a novel such as 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, REM World, or Feed. Next, students discuss and debate what they believe the story's author is saying about technology. By exploring the fictional technology, students are urged to think more deeply about their own beliefs and to pay attention to the ways that technology is described and used. This lesson plan can also be completed with short stories, video games, films, and other fictional resources that examine issues related to science and technology and their possible effects on society."

This lesson is the 3rd lesson of a unit on Immigration and America. In this lesson, students will analyze the famous Four Freedoms paintings by Norman Rockwell and make thematic connections to the previous works studied. The culminating activity is students' production of short essays in which they compare the works (both print and non-print) in terms of theme. They will need to write a strong thesis statement and support their ideas with textual evidence. Extensions to this unit would be for students to create multi-media presentations or artistic expressions of the topic of immigration today (compared to past eras) or how immigration has personally affected them and/or their family. This lesson also contains alternate activities and prompts so that it can stand alone if teachers choose not to use it in conjunction with the first two lessons in the series.

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 characterization and references to tradition. Students will complete a handout where they will analyze how Jackson creates suspense through the use of setting, imagery, diction, and foreshadowing. Students will also compare/contrast a short (ten minute) film version of "The Lottery" to Jackson's story. Students will also participate in a Socratic Seminar covering topics such as Jackson's use of irony, tone, theme, and symbolism. 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.

In this lesson, students will read and analyze 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 in small groups, and the final section on their own. Students will examine Poe's use of imagery, foreshadowing, simile, personification, symbolism, and characterization. Students will also use various strategies to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary within the context of the story, as well as work to identify word choices that evoke a sense of time and place for the setting of the story. In the summative assessment, students will be able to explain how Poe creates suspense in his story, and they will be able to determine a theme from the story with support from the text. 

In this lesson, students will explore books 13-23 of The Odyssey through text coding and analysis of both character development and theme. For the summative assessment, students will write an essay analyzing characterization and theme in the text and drawing conclusions, supported by textual evidence, about the nature of heroes. Student handouts for all activities are provided.

This lesson supports the implementation of the academic standards in the 9-10 classroom. It includes the literary text as well as templates for organization and links to pertinent materials. The purpose of this lesson is for students to read, understand, and analyze poetry. Students will analyze the poem, "To an Athlete Dying Young" for use of figurative language, word choice, imagery, tone, style, and theme.

In this lesson, students will conduct a close reading of a short story, "My Watch: An Instructive Little Tale," by Mark Twain. For the first reading, students will focus on story elements and selected academic vocabulary. In the second reading, students will analyze the structure of the text and the effects that are created by that structure. In the final reading, students will analyze figurative language used in the story and how it impacts meaning and tone. Graphic organizers to help students for the second and third reading are provided, along with completed organizers for teachers to use as possible answer keys. The summative assessment, in the form of an extended response paragraph, will require students to determine the central idea of the text and how it is shaped throughout the story. 

This lesson supports the implementation of the academic standards in the 9-10 classroom. It includes the literary text as well as templates for organization and links to pertinent materials. The purpose of this lesson is for students to read, understand, and analyze poetry through the use of close reading and scaffolded learning tasks. Students will learn the format of a villanelle and analyze how that format contributes to the tone of the poem. At the conclusion of the unit, students will write an essay that prompts students to use textual evidence to support their claim.

The goal of this lesson is that students will be able to 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 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.

The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninth-grade students to be able to read for subtext in works of literature, write their own theme statements, provide text-based supporting details and a thorough analysis, proving their theme statements. Lesson One has students receive instruction and practice with writing theme statements and including primary support details. Students will use a series of three texts from Aesop's Fables. Lesson two presents students with a longer and more challenging children's story titled One. Students will draft their own theme statements and support and analyze the text using a literary analysis paragraph structure titled TIQA.

*Finally, lesson three culminates with students using their assigned fiction novel Of Mice and Men, and writing a TIQA TIQA paragraph, a longer literary analysis paragraph supported not only with textual evidence and/or quotes, but also with strong literary analysis.

Through collaborative discussions and repeated reading, responding, writing and analyzing, students will learn to consistently craft correct theme statements and support them with relevant textual details and analysis.

*The bolded section is relevant only to this lesson, the third in a series of three.

I Declare War Part 2 is an extension of Part 1; therefore, the lessons must be done in sequential order. In Part 2, students will use the TPC(F)ASTT analysis chart to analyze "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen and write a comparative analysis of Owen's views on war versus Lincoln's views and examine the strategies they use to bring their viewpoints across. The poetry analysis of "Dulce Et Decorum Est" can be used for pre-AP preparation or to introduce AP Literature students to literary analysis at the beginning of the year before they attempt more complex poems.

This is lesson three of a three-part unit. The purpose of this lesson is to help students take the information they have gleaned in the previous two lessons from analyzing poems from the Brave New Voices series and use it to create an analytical and argumentative paragraph exploring how a theme is developed. This lesson guides students through creating an analytical paragraph and developing revision skills. By the end of this lesson students will explain, using specific textual evidence, how the theme is conveyed through the title, symbols, imagery, or tone.

This is lesson two of a three-part unit. This lesson should take approximately 2-3 class periods. In this lesson, students analyze poems from the Brave New Voices series. They will identify literary devices such as symbolism, imagery, and figurative language and find textual evidence to support analysis of these devices as well as each poem's title, theme and tone. To accomplish this, students will complete a close reading of three poems using the T-SIFTT (Title, Symbols, Imagery, Tone, Theme) pre-Advanced Placement strategy from College Board.

This is a four day lesson that is designed to be completed at the beginning of a class book reading assignment for the novel I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. The lesson addresses taking notes, determining character traits and analyzing character development, tracking key events happening during a chapter, and determining the main (central) idea of a chapter. This lesson is designed for struggling secondary readers.

The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninth-grade students to be able to read works of literature, write their own theme statements and provide text-based supporting details and thorough analysis proving their theme statements. Lesson One includes instruction and practice with writing theme statements and including primary support details with a series of three texts from Aesop's Fables. *Lesson two presents students with a longer and more challenging children's story titled One. Students will draft their own theme statements and support and analyze the text using a literary analysis paragraph structure titled TIQA*. Finally, lesson three has students returning to Aesop's Fables and writing a TIQA paragraph, a longer literary analysis paragraph supported by not only textual evidence or quotes, but also strong literary analysis. Through collaborative discussions and repeated reading, responding, writing and analyzing, students will learn to consistently craft correct theme statements and support them with relevant textual details and analysis.

*The bolded section is relevant only to this lesson, which is the 2nd in a series of 3.

In this lesson, students will summarize and analyze Petrarch's love sonnets (including "Sonnet 18", "Sonnet 159" and "Sonnet 104") and then do the same with Shakespeare's love sonnets (including "Sonnet 18", "Sonnet 130" and "Sonnet 106"), comparing Shakespeare's themes and approach to Petrarch's themes and approach. The summative assessment is an essay in which students will summarize and analyze Shakespeare's "Sonnet 27" and describe how that poem reflects and diverges from Petrarch's themes and style.

The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninth-grade students to be able to read works of literature, write their own theme statements, provide text-based supporting details/evidence, and thorough analysis, proving their theme statements. *Lesson One includes instruction and practice with writing theme statements and including primary supporting details with a series of three texts from Aesop's Fables.* Lesson two presents students with a longer and more challenging children's story titled One. Students will draft their own theme statements and support and analyze the text using a literary analysis paragraph structure titled TIQA. Finally, lesson three has students returning to Aesop's Fables and writing a TIQA paragraph, a longer literary analysis paragraph supported not only by textual evidence or quotes, but also including strong literary analysis. Through collaborative discussions and repeated reading, responding, writing and analyzing, students will learn to consistently craft correct theme statements and support them with relevant textual details and analysis.

*The bolded section is relevant only to this lesson, the first in a series of three.

Upon reading, viewing, and discussing the characteristics of three diseases (including the fictional "Red Death" penned in Poe's allegorical tale, "The Masque of the Red Death"), students will complete a "3-Circle Venn Diagram" to help synthesize (first compare and contrast) the discussed elements. Students will use their Venn diagrams to help create a one-page summary of their comparisons of the diseases presented in the text/clips. Student summaries should be narrowed to discuss the defining characteristics of each disease (the fictional Red Death, the bubonic plague, and the Avian Bird Flu), as well as identify/evaluate similar patterns regarding the spread/evolution of each. Using their understanding of the material, students should assess whether plagues will continue to plague the human race while referring to the theme of Poe's work in their summary.

In this lesson (lesson one in a two-part unit), students will read Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s short story "Harrison Bergeron" examining the usage of literary elements in order to develop an objective summary describing how the author uses language to portray characterization, impact tone and mood, and develop the central ideas of the text. Students will be able to remark upon/critique the author's criticism of society through his combination of the above elements.

In this lesson, students will analyze character motivation, dialogue, and theme by performing a close reading of a scene from Macbeth. By breaking down the Shakespearean language and rewriting the text in modern day language, students will input their new dialogue into an internet based program called GoAnimate to transform their new version of the text into an anime cartoon movie. Students will use this cartoon in a formal presentation to the class where they will point out literary elements from the story and describe the motivations and actions of the characters.

In this lesson (part 2 in a 2-part unit), students will review crucial details present/omitted in a film treatment (2081) of Vonneguts's "Harrison Bergeron," using a Venn diagram to record their observations. Students will use their diagram to compose a one to two page objective summary of their findings, drawing parallels between the original work and the film in regard to literary elements, author's purpose, audience, etc. and their effects on the overall meaning of the works.

In this 4 day lesson, students will be completing a comprehension instructional sequence (CIS). Using Robert Frost's "The Road not Taken" and Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man," students will read, code text, decode difficult vocabulary, and engage in deep academic discussion regarding both authors' views on fate. At the end of the lesson, students will complete an extended writing assignment using the knowledge built from the previous 3 days.

The goal of this lesson is that students will be able to analyze and interpret the ways in which an author's style (use of literary devices) develops the author's purpose, tone, and theme found in complex and challenging texts. Close-reading skills culminate in paragraph writing (Lesson 2) and then a style analysis essay (Lesson 3) in which students analyze how an author creates meaning through deliberate choices of devices of language.

In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the tone and theme of two poems about death. Students will annotate text, complete a directed note taking organizer and essay organizer, and will write a compare/contrast essay.

This lesson is the first of three interrelated lessons in a unit which use both literary and informational 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.

The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to use Wordles and background knowledge to make predictions about the short story "Harrison Bergeron." Students will then read the story, participate in small and whole group discussions, and answer specific, text-dependent questions in order to broaden their understanding of the term "handicapped." Finally, students will create their own word cloud about "Harrison Bergeron" to show their understanding of theme(s) that the author conveys in the story.

Study "Leisure," a poem by Amy Lowell, to determine a theme of the poem and craft a thematic statement. At the end of this interactive tutorial, you'll use what you've learned throughout this two-part series to compare and contrast a theme in "Leisure" by Amy Lowell and a theme in "Leisure" by W. H. Davies and how these themes are developed.

Make sure to complete Part One before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to launch Part One.

Learn to determine a theme of a poem, craft a thematic statement, and write a summary of the poem "Leisure" by W. H. Davies.  

This interactive tutorial is Part One of a two-part series. In Part Two, you'll study "Leisure" by Amy Lowell to determine a theme of the poem and craft a thematic statement. By the end of this series, you will compare and contrast a theme in each poem and how these themes are developed. 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Explore the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay in this tutorial series. This tutorial is Part Three of a three-part series. In Part Three, you’ll study her poem "Recuerdo." You'll identify the topic of the poem, determine a theme of the poem, and explain how the theme is developed through specific words and phrases.

You're encouraged to complete the previous tutorials in this series before beginning Part Three.

Click HERE to launch Part One. 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Explore the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay in this tutorial series. This tutorial is Part Two of a three-part series. In Part Two, you’ll study her short poem "Second Fig." You'll identify the topic of the poem, determine a theme of the poem, and explain how the theme is developed through specific words and phrases.

Make sure to complete all three parts!

Click HERE to launch Part One.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Explore three short poems by the famous American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and practice determining a theme for each poem in this three-part interactive tutorial series. In Part One, you’ll identify the topic of the short poem “First Fig.” Then, you’ll select words and phrases from the poem that address the topic of the poem. Finally, you’ll determine a theme in the short poem. By the end of this series, you should be able to explain how a theme is developed and supported by specific words and phrases throughout a short poem. 

Make sure to complete all three tutorials in this series! 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Examine some of the various topics and themes present in the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read excerpts from the novel and examine the development of the main character, Scout. You'll analyze how her words and actions help develop the important themes of the novel. You'll wrap up the tutorial by creating your own theme statement based on the text.

Learn how to determine the theme of a fictional text using excerpts from Book 12 of Homer's The Odyssey. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to determine the theme of a text based on the characters and events of the story. You'll also practice distinguishing between themes and topics in a work of literature. Finally, you'll create your own theme statement for The Odyssey using details from the text.  

Are your students having trouble understanding Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron"? Use this resource from EDSITEment! to select videos that describe Vonnegut's America, dig into the character of Harrison Bergeron, and examine the satire in the story. Discussion questions are included for extended analysis.

This teaching idea addresses the pros and cons of discussion by analyzing the concept of utopia in a satire. Students collaborate in small groups to create a Discussion Web that addresses the question, "Are people equal?" Students engage in meaningful discussions analyzing all sides of their initial response, form a consensus, and present it to the class. Students then read "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and use supporting details to complete another Discussion Web that examines whether or not the people in the story are equal. Web-based graphic organizers, assessments, and extension activities are included.

Students will use teaching strategies as they read and discuss Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's memoir Night. Everyone in the classroom takes a turn assuming the "teacher" role in a reciprocal teaching activity, as the class works with four comprehension strategies: predicting, question generating, summarizing, and clarifying.

Things That Are features a mystery: How can a 17-year-old girl who is blind and learning how to deal with her disability help an elusive fugitive wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)? In this unit, students learn how this teen manages her own life, including finding her way in the community, keeping on top of school work, and, more importantly, nurturing a special relationship, as they work to cite textual evidence to support text analysis, participate in collaborative discussions to determine and analyze its theme and how complex characters are developed, and give a presentation of their findings and supporting evidence.

Study "Leisure," a poem by Amy Lowell, to determine a theme of the poem and craft a thematic statement. At the end of this interactive tutorial, you'll use what you've learned throughout this two-part series to compare and contrast a theme in "Leisure" by Amy Lowell and a theme in "Leisure" by W. H. Davies and how these themes are developed.

Make sure to complete Part One before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to launch Part One.

Learn to determine a theme of a poem, craft a thematic statement, and write a summary of the poem "Leisure" by W. H. Davies.  

This interactive tutorial is Part One of a two-part series. In Part Two, you'll study "Leisure" by Amy Lowell to determine a theme of the poem and craft a thematic statement. By the end of this series, you will compare and contrast a theme in each poem and how these themes are developed. 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Explore the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay in this tutorial series. This tutorial is Part Three of a three-part series. In Part Three, you’ll study her poem "Recuerdo." You'll identify the topic of the poem, determine a theme of the poem, and explain how the theme is developed through specific words and phrases.

You're encouraged to complete the previous tutorials in this series before beginning Part Three.

Click HERE to launch Part One. 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Explore the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay in this tutorial series. This tutorial is Part Two of a three-part series. In Part Two, you’ll study her short poem "Second Fig." You'll identify the topic of the poem, determine a theme of the poem, and explain how the theme is developed through specific words and phrases.

Make sure to complete all three parts!

Click HERE to launch Part One.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Explore three short poems by the famous American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and practice determining a theme for each poem in this three-part interactive tutorial series. In Part One, you’ll identify the topic of the short poem “First Fig.” Then, you’ll select words and phrases from the poem that address the topic of the poem. Finally, you’ll determine a theme in the short poem. By the end of this series, you should be able to explain how a theme is developed and supported by specific words and phrases throughout a short poem. 

Make sure to complete all three tutorials in this series! 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Examine some of the various topics and themes present in the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read excerpts from the novel and examine the development of the main character, Scout. You'll analyze how her words and actions help develop the important themes of the novel. You'll wrap up the tutorial by creating your own theme statement based on the text.

Learn how to determine the theme of a fictional text using excerpts from Book 12 of Homer's The Odyssey. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to determine the theme of a text based on the characters and events of the story. You'll also practice distinguishing between themes and topics in a work of literature. Finally, you'll create your own theme statement for The Odyssey using details from the text.