| Name |
Description |
| Analyzing Political Cartoons | The decisions students make about social and political issues are often influenced by what they hear, see, and read in the news. For this reason, it is important for them to learn about the techniques used to convey political messages and attitudes. In this lesson, high school students learn to evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness. Students will learn about the artistic techniques cartoonists frequently use, and, for the summative project, will create their own political cartoon, analyze it, and give a presentation on their illustration. |
| Wear Sunscreen: A Satirical Take on the Time-Honored Graduation Speech | This close reading lesson focuses on Mary Schmich's comical commencement speech essay, "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young." Students will take an in-depth analysis to discover her powerful satirical style, as well as the power of social nuances. Students will focus on academic vocabulary and answer high-level text-dependent questions as a guide for their comprehension of the essay, evaluating if her choice of words and wisdom remain valid, relative, and sufficient for the youth of today. Graphic organizers and worksheets, along with teacher keys, and a writing rubric have been provided. |
| A NanoDegree that Can Get You a Programmer Position with Google? Must Examine with CLOSE Reading! | In this lesson, students will practice using close reading strategies as they read a high interest New York Times article about new methods companies are using to train and recruit skilled workers for entry-level positions. A vocabulary organizer, text-dependent questions, summative writing exercise, and extension ideas are all included to help students analyze the revolutionary potential of the NanoDegree. |
| Buried in Ash: New Revelations of an Ancient Culture | In this lesson, students read a non-fiction text as they learn of the artifacts unearthed from the remains of a Salvadoran village preserved in volcanic ash much like Pompeii. Students will discover how researchers piece together evidence to determine the significance the artifacts reveal in illustrating the daily lives of this ancient people. As students come to understand the researchers use the artifacts to infer religious, cultural and economic aspects of the Ceren village, they will answer text-dependent questions and compose a multi-paragraph writing response (sample answer keys included) asking students to describe the power of this natural disaster to destroy this ancient culture yet preserve its details for future generations to learn from. |
| Cells: Taking out the Trash | In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text that addresses cellular waste. The article students will read explains the different ways a cell gets rid of waste, including how proteasomes and lysosomes break down cell waste. The article covers another method of letting the waste "pile up." This informational text is designed to support reading in the content area. The lesson plan includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric. |
| Analyzing Elements of Fiction: The Gift of the Magi--Lesson 2 of 3 | 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. |
| CIS: Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Taken on by Congress in Right-To-Know Act | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended for 10th grade students. The lesson's essential question asks students: what evidence supports whether or not it should be a legal requirement for food labels to identify products that have been genetically modified? Students return to a news article looking for information three times. Students present their understanding through citing text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| CIS: Life Beyond Earth | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended to be completed with 10th grade students. The article asks students to examine the possibility of extraterrestrial life forms. Students return to the article looking for information three times. Students present their understanding using text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| CIS: Ban on Bottled Water, Apparently a First, Puts a Small Town on a Big Stage | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended to be completed with 9th grade students. The article presents information regarding a town's ban on bottled water and asks students to determine whether bottled water is a wise consumer choice. Students return to the article looking for information three times. Students present their understanding through use of text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| CIS: How Environment and Technology Can Improve Health Care | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended for 10th grade students. Students are asked to examine how technology and environment impact patient recovery in the health care system. Students return to a news article looking for information three times. Students present their understanding using text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| CIS: Tensions Swelling as Beach Erodes | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended for 9th grade students. Students are asked & to determine what causes beach erosion and explore how communities are impacted by erosion. Students return to a news article looking for information three times. Students present their understanding through use of text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| Swagger: Shakespeare versus Jay Z | This lesson provides students the opportunity to explore how the word ‘swagger’ has transformed over centuries through the writings of poets such as Shakespeare and rappers such as Jay Z. Students will read an article from NPR titled “What do Jay Z and Shakespeare Have in Common? Swagger” and thereafter will be asked to analyze vocabulary from the article, respond to text-dependent questions, and complete a summary of the term swagger analyzing its previous and present day definitions. A vocabulary graphic organizer, answer key, text-dependent questions handout and answer key, a learning scale, and a writing rubric have been included with the lesson. |
| You've Just Won "The Lottery"! | In this lesson, students will analyze Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery." Students will first view the thrilling movie trailer to hook them into the lesson. Students will then read the short story, work to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary words from the text, and answer guided reading questions. In the summative assessment, students will become newspaper reporters and write an article to describe the events of the lottery, as if they were present on the day the lottery took place. This lesson will take students to a different time period - when winning the lottery felt more like losing! Included with the lesson are guiding questions and an answer key, as well as a writing checklist and rubric. |
| An Argumentative Essay in Support of the Abridged Hero's Journey | The hero's journey is an archetypal plot structure found in novels and epic poems, yet it can also be found in popular poetry and music. After students have read the novella Anthem, the poem "Invictus," and the song "Run Boy Run," they will craft an argument proving that the appearance of the hero's journey in shorter texts is just as developed and apparent as its appearance in longer texts by synthesizing and citing directly from three different sources. 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. |
| An Abridged Hero: The Archetypal Hero's Journey in Novella, Poem, and Music Video Form | The hero's journey is still an archetypal plot structure found in modern novels and can also be found in popular poetry and music. After students have read the novella Anthem, they will examine the poem "Invictus" and the lyrics and music video for "Run Boy Run" 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 sources. Student worksheets, answer keys, and a writing rubric are included with the lesson. |
| Looking Over the Mountaintop: Tone and Perspective | 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. |
| Looking Over the Mountaintop: Figures of Speech and Rhetorical Devices | 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 using the quotation sandwich method as the summative assessment for the lesson. |
| Looking Over the Mountaintop: Central Ideas | 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. Text-dependent questions, graphic organizers, selected answer keys, and a writing rubric have been included with the lesson. |
| CIS: To Make School Food Healthy, Michelle Obama Has a Tall Order | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended to be completed with 9th grade students. The article presents a journalist's experience with his daughter's school lunch program and asks students to decide whether schools are making sufficient progress towards providing healthy meals. Students return to the article looking for information three times. Students present their claim and text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is re-visited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| CIS: Psychopathic Criminals and Brain Research | This CIS lesson is a deep reading lesson intended to be completed with 10th grade students. The article presents research on psychopathy and asks students to determine, based on the evidence, whether psychopaths are truly responsible for their criminal acts. Students return to the article looking for information three times. Students present their claim and text-based evidence in a short writing assignment that is re-visited and shaped throughout the lesson. |
| The Surveillance Society – Is Privacy just an Illusion? | "The line between private and public space is as porous as tissue paper." Students will explore issues of privacy through the TIME magazine article "The Surveillance Society" by David Von Drehle. This article will provide students with an opportunity to be up close and personal with delineating, evaluating, and explaining an author's claim. Students will read chunks of text while interacting with a graphic organizer to assist them in drawing conclusions and creating an original response to whether or not privacy has become an illusion due to our technological advances. |
| One rotten apple spoils the bunch! An Argument Analysis of Disney's Guest Assistance Card Program | In this lesson, students will conduct several close readings of the news article "Parents: Disney Policy Targeting Faux Disabled Punishes Truly Disabled Kids" by Jason Garcia. For the first close reading, students will focus on selected academic vocabulary. In the second reading, students will analyze the claims being made in the article, focusing on the validity of each claim being made. During the final close reading, students will analyze the arguments being presented, choose a side, and participate in a Philosophical Chair discussion. In the summative assessment, students will write a three paragraph argument in the form of a letter to the Disney corporation. |
| "What good are the words?" A Close Reading of an excerpt from The Book Thief | This close reading lesson focuses on an excerpt from Markus Zusak's novel The Book Thief. Students will close read the text multiple times to discover Zusak's powerful writing style, as well as the power of words through the eyes of Liesel, the novel's protagonist. As students consider Zusak's style, they will build their comprehension of the text and write an analytical essay to demonstrate final interpretations and understandings. |
| Literary Elements in The Most Dangerous Game | This lesson focuses on similes, metaphors, personification, irony, imagery and allusion in Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." Students first create a "Silly Sheet" study aid for these literary devices, and then they engage in a "scavenger hunt" where they find examples of these devices in the story. Students then work in small groups to interpret the meanings of these devices within the context of the story. Finally, students will individually write an essay analyzing the effect that these devices have on the story as a whole. The "scavenger hunt" handout and answer key, two PowerPoints, and the directions for the essay with a planning sheet and rubric are included. |
| Close Reading: Monster or Not? Three Excerpts from Frankenstein | In this lesson, students will conduct close readings of several extended text excerpts from Frankenstein in which the creature is the narrator. The students will utilize a text-coding strategy during the first reading of the text and follow up with an analysis of selected vocabulary words from the text. During the second close reading, students will answer text-dependent questions about the text that focus on how the creature changes and what causes those changes. Students will then participate in a Socratic Seminar. As a summative assessment for the lesson, students will write extended paragraph responses for three questions.
|
| Culture, Character, Color, and Doom: Close Reading Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" | 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. |
| Hubris: A Recurring Theme in Greek Mythology | 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. |
| Privacy: A Matter of National Security? | In this lesson, students will embark upon a journey of espionage and inquire how the rights of one can become a barrier for the greater good of a nation.
Students will read two informational texts about former NSA agent Edward Snowden. This close reading activity will require students to use textual support, reasoning and relevancy of the text, and analyze an author's claims to engage in discourse through Philosophical Chairs. Students will also synthesize the arguments, information, and claims within the text to write an essay proving that Snowden is either a hero or a traitor. |
| A Biography Study: Using Role-Play to Explore the Lives of Authors | Dramatizing life stories provides students with an engaging way to become more critical readers and researchers. In this lesson, students select American authors to research, create timelines, and write bio-poems. Then, they collaborate with other students in small groups to design and perform a 'panel of authors' presentation in which they role-play as their authors. The final project requires each student to synthesize information about his or her author in an essay. There are tons of additional links and resources included in this lesson plan! |
| Sold: Interview of a Trafficked Child - Final Lesson 3 | Lesson 3, "Interview of a Trafficked Child," gives students the opportunity to support their position on human trafficking by incorporating research and statistics into an article format. |
| Close Reading Exemplar: 1984 | Students often have difficulty envisioning and making sense of a story that is set in a markedly different time or circumstance than their own. This two-day activity introduces students to the dystopian society of 1984 by George Orwell. By analyzing Orwell's carefully chosen words, details, repetitions, and characterizations in these first few pages, students can construct a strong understanding of some of the key features of this society that will give them a solid framework for comprehending the rest of the novel. Doing this kind of close reading work also reinforces to students that authors do not randomly select the details they include in a text; they choose words carefully to create a mood or construct a particular image of a character or place in a reader's mind. The overriding question that students should be able to answer at the end of this exercise is: What can we understand about Winston Smith and the society he lives in based on the descriptive details George Orwell includes in the first few pages of 1984? |
| Research Paper Adapted into a Speech | In this lesson, students will take a previously written research paper and adapt it into a speech. A PowerPoint is included to help students with the adaption of their speech as they focus on purpose/task and audience. Information is also provided on how to organize their speech and how to deliver their speech (gestures, eye contact, posture, voice inflection, etc.). In preparation for writing and presenting their own speech, students will use a graphic organizer to analyze three different speeches in regards to content and delivery. A speech outline/flowchart is provided to help students brainstorm and organize their own speech. A speech rubric is provided for the summative assessment, along with a visual aid rubric. |
| Annotation and Close Reading Passage Analysis: excerpt from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Part 3 of 3 | 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. |
| Exploring Immigration and America (Part 3) through the Art of Norman Rockwell | 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. |
| Teaching Student Annotation: Constructing Meaning Through Connections | Students learn about the usefulness of annotation in making diverse connections with a text that lead to deep analysis. They then make, revise, and publish annotations for a short piece of text. |
| A Collaboration of Sites and Sounds Using Wiki to Catalog Protest Songs | Protest songs serve as a means to combat social ills and cover a wide array of topics, including racism, sexism, poverty, imperialism, environmental degradation, war, and homophobia. This lesson makes a connection to popular culture by asking students to work in pairs to research and analyze contemporary and historic protest songs. After learning about wikis, each pair posts their analysis of the protest songs to a class wiki, adding graphics, photos, and hyperlinks as desired. The class then works together to organize the entries. Finally, students listen to all of the protest songs and add information and comments to each other's pages.
This lesson works well with a unit focusing on a piece of literature in which a character(s) actively fights for social, political, or economic justice. For example, this lesson can build on a discussion of the issues that Atticus Finch contends with in To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| Creating Suspense Lesson 2: Analyzing Literary Devices in "The Lottery" | 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.
|
| “Greek Mythology Version 2.0: To Be or Not to Be an Epic Hero?” | In this second lesson out of a three lesson unit, students will be able to continue analyzing the different characteristics that make a Greek Hero as they read books 1-10 of The Odyssey. On a more macro level, students will be able to analyze characteristics by looking at the ways in which characters are developed through the decisions they make and/or fail to make. The student handouts with all of the activities and links to the story are provided. |
| Creating Suspense Lesson 1: Analyzing Literary Devices in Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" | 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. |
| Greek Mythology: The Odyssey, Odysseus and What Makes an Epic Hero | 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. |
| Unit: Poems About Death Lesson 1 of 3-- "To an Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman | 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. |
| Close Reading: “My Watch: An Instructive Little Tale” by Mark Twain | 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. |
| Unit: Poems about Death Lesson 2 of 3 "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas | 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. |
| Ethos, Pathos, and Logos (Part 3): Writing Persuasively | In this lesson, students will identify and analyze rhetorical appeals in a speech and write a persuasive essay using multiple rhetorical appeals. |
| Exploring Immigration and America (Part 2) through Informational Text- Judge Learned Hand's Speech | This lesson is the second of a unit comprised of 3 lessons. In this second lesson, students will use Text Coding and small group discussion to analyze informational text, a speech given by Judge Learned Hand entitled "The Spirit of Liberty," in terms of content and persuasive techniques. This lesson will help students to read informational text closely, think critically and write in response to text. |
| I Declare War: Part II | 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. |
| I Declare War: Part III | 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. |
| Creating Brave New Voices amongst Students: Part III | 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. |
| Slaves Come to America | This lesson introduces students to the history of how Africans were transported from their native countries (including the conditions they had to endure) to the United States and then forced to work as slaves on southern plantations. It examines the daily life of a slave in North Carolina and includes other informational texts about slavery and the slave trade, as well as a PowerPoint presentation, and links to two short videos. The summative assessment requires students to write an explanatory essay showcasing what they have learned and using evidence from the print texts and videos for support. |
| Shall I Compare Thee to a Previously Written Sonnet? | 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 Past and the Future | The lesson introduces students to irony and how instances of irony in a piece of literature, "A Sound of Thunder" (1070L) by Ray Bradbury, advances the plot. Students are exposed to examples of irony from other works of literature to assist them with this particular form of figurative language. The summative assessment entails a written analysis of how the author incorporates instances of irony to further develop the plot. |
| Analyzing Vonnegut's View of the Future and his Commentary on the Present in “Harrison Bergeron” | 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. |
| Not Your Analogue Research Paper | In this lesson, students will research different genocides in history through internet based investigation. Through the selection of appropriate and fully developed facts and applicable multimedia images, they will synthesize and organize their information into a Padlet "Web Wall" that will showcase their research in digital form. The lesson will wrap up with students previewing the work of their peers, and will culminate in a Socratic Seminar discussion on genocide. This lesson can be used as a follow up to the completion of students reading Night by Elie Wiesel. |
| It’s Ironic…or is it? | The purpose of this lesson is to introduce to students the various types of irony. When examining an excerpt from "The Cask of Amontillado", students will be expected to identify and analyze how and why an author would chose to incorporate irony into their writing. |
| Analyzing a Modern Take (in Film) on Vonnegut’s View of the Future in “Harrison Bergeron” | 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. |
| Sold: Meeting the Victims of Trafficking - Lesson 1 | In this lesson, students will read and write about the social, economic, and political effects of human trafficking. Students will be expected to annotate various texts, work collaboratively in groups, and demonstrate their understanding of the texts read by citing evidence to support a written summary. |
| TAG your writing: Much Ado About Nothing | In this lesson, students will be provided with an opportunity to learn about an easy to follow process for writing effective short response questions, using support from the text. While this lesson teaches the process using an excerpt from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, it could also be adapted to fit with any short excerpt from a literary or information text. |
| Does Choice or Chance Determine our Destiny? A Four Day CIS Lesson with Frost and Shakespeare | 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. |
| Saints vs. Sinners | This lesson will explore the concept of Saints vs. Sinners in terms of the literature that has been studied throughout the ninth grade year. In this lesson students will identify protagonists (saints) and antagonists (sinners) and draw conclusions about the authors" handling of the material or any patterns that have become apparent upon closer examination. After their exploration, they will write an argument explaining their findings. Students will participate in peer review of each other"s writings to assist them with the revision process. In the closure for this lesson, students can share their writing with the class. |
| Behind the Cover: Investigating the Backstory of Frankenstein and other Classics | In this lesson, students will briefly examine the history and myths that led to the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by reading and discussing the article, "Frankenstein, Meet Your Forefathers" (link provided within the lesson). Students will then choose a text to research the backstory for how that written work came to be. A list of detailed research questions is provided, as well as optional book titles for students to research. Students will present their findings through creating a poster that illustrates the interesting points from their research. A number of engaging extension ideas, interdisiciplinary connections, and questions for further discussion are provided. |
| Analyzing the Rhetoric of JFK’s Inaugural Address | Students will identify rhetorical terms and methods, examine the rhetorical devices of JFK's inaugural address, and analyze and evaluate the effects of the rhetorical devices on the delivered speech. |
| An Introduction with Death: A Close Reading of the Prologue from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | In this lesson, students will conduct several close readings of an excerpt from the prologue of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. For the first close reading, students will focus on identifying the narrator and select academic vocabulary. In the second reading, students will analyze different examples of figurative language within the prologue. They will focus on how the word choices impact the tone of the novel and what effect it has on the reader. During the final close reading, students will explore the persona of the narrator. The summative assessment is a two-paragraph writing assignment which will require students to discuss how Zusak's use of figurative language enhances the story. Students will also examine how the structure of the text sets the tone for the rest of the novel. |
| Character Analysis of “Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen” | In this lesson, students will read the O. Henry short story "Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen." Through scaffold learning tasks, the students will analyze the two main characters and their interactions throughout the story. Students will practice using various strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in context. Students will also analyze the author's word choice, including his use of figurative language, and its impact on the tone of the story. These activities will build toward students' participation in a Socratic Seminar as the summative assessment for the lesson. The text of the story, reading comprehension questions, a teacher guide to assist with discussion, a vocabulary handout, and Socratic Seminar questions are all included within the lesson. |
| Elie’s Life through Many Mediums | In this lesson, students will analyze and interpret videos and speeches, both in multimedia and print formats, about and from Holocaust survivor, author, and professor Elie Wiesel. Students will use an MRIP Strategy (Mode, Relationship, Imagery, Purpose) as an analysis tool. Students will use the MRIP Strategy to help them develop a paragraph using an A-E-C format (Assertion-Evidence-Commentary) for each of the different accounts examined in the lesson. In the summative assessment, students will use their notes to write an argumentative essay that requires them to make a claim as to what central ideas are evidenced across the different accounts of Elie Wiesel examined throughout the lesson. |
| Emily Dickinson: Poet Extraordinaire of Language, Time, and Space Part 3 | In this lesson, students will work in small groups to analyze the multiple perspectives represented in Emily Dickinson's writing. They will generate research and investigate primary and secondary documents on movements that influenced Dickinson. Through this research they will create a reference kit - a collection of materials that are representative of the period. They will then analyze similar poetry from other like-minded writers before moving on to Emily Dickinson, using the movements they researched as "lenses" through which to view the poems. The culminating activity includes a thorough analysis of Dickinson's poem "I Dwell in Possibility" and a resulting essay. |
| Hunger and Fear: Comparing Literature and Non-Fiction | The purpose of this lesson is to help students learn how to compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction texts that explore similar topics. In this lesson, students will compare and contrast aspects of the popular novel The Hunger Games with an informative text on food shortages in Africa and an informative text on fear and the "flight or fight" response. |
| Poetry Reading and Interpretation Through Extensive Modeling | Through the use of extensive modeling with John Berryman's "Sole Watchman," students will understand the steps involved in the analysis and interpretation in poetry. The teacher will model how to summarize and analyze the poem, construct a thesis, and develop an essay. Students will review and discuss a sample essay complete with comments that highlight strong writing decisions. After reading and interpreting Berryman's "The Ball Poem," students will construct a 3-4 page essay on this poem. |
| What You Say: Language Context Matters | In this lesson students will 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 language, tone, and style. Students will be scaffolded through use of graphic organizers and a Socratic Seminar to culminate in an essay about tone. |
| Who is A.A.A.’s Hero? | In this lesson, students will use meta-cognitive skills, 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. In addition, students will be encouraged to use their curiosity to dig for information related to Africa"s Anti-Apartheid (A.A.A.) movement and the hero who saved them. |
