Louisiana Department of Education
Unit: Hamlet
Encourage readers to determine if Hamlet's madness is actually divinest sense. Class members analyze the words of the play before studying related texts, including T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," scenes from...
Dream of a Nation
Writing a Narrative Essay
Imagine using narrative essays to encourage change. This multi-week unit plan does just that. After reading a series of articles from Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, class members examine the...
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Case Study: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic – Factors Beyond the Biological that Influence the Spread of Disease
A very timely instructional activity looks at the social and political factors that affect the spread of disease. Using the 1918 Influenza Pandemic as a case study, pupils research factors that influenced the spread of the disease,...
PBS
The Power of Personal Narrative
Personal narratives are powerful things. Whether told from the first-person or third-person point of view, whether in the form of an essay, a short story, novel, or video, whether fiction or fact, they capture readers and give them...
NPR
Chinese American Women Lesson Plan
The National Women's History Museum provides a plan designed to accompany their online CyberExhibit, Chinese American Women; a History of Resilience and Resistance. After examining a series of primary and secondary source documents,...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 3: The Archetypal Approach to Literary Criticism
As class members continue their study of approaches to literary criticism, readers examine the symbolism and archetypal patterns in John Knowles' A Separate Peace, and how these parallels are used to develop a theme in the story.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
The Writer’s Toolbox: What You Need to Master the Craft
Strengthen your high schoolers' writing with a series of steps for writing successfully. With sections on organizing an essay, choosing a topic, crafting a thesis statement, and revising a draft, the lesson encourages your class to...
Curated OER
Constructing Narrative from the Migrant Experience in Literature
Excerpts from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and from John Fante's Ask the Dust, as well as a variety of primary source documents provide the background for an examination of the migrant experience from 1920-1945.
Curated OER
Ancient Cultures News Broadcast
How does geography influence daily life? Guided by an essential question, class groups select and then research an ancient culture, and develop a news broadcast about the geographical setting and its impact on the culture. Teams select...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Model: Cause and Effect Essay Example 2
This nine-page essay provides a written example of a cause and effect essay. Clicking on the "Writer's Guide" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page enables the user to get tips, directions, and explanations on the essay.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Model: Progress Report Example
This five-page essay provides an example of a Progress Report. Clicking on the "Writer's Guide" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page enables the user to get tips, directions, and explanations on the essay.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Visual Essay [Pdf]
This PDF is a visual essay assignment in which students create a visual presentation of a choice of poems read previously. It must be planned, organized, and created in such a way that it reflects the meaning of the poem.
University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow: Critical Reviews
This site is designed to be used by psychology students at the university level, but it provides helpful instruction for anyone writing critical reviews of non-fiction. Instruction includes everything from how to be critical to...
Other
Sonic Storytelling: Writing Method for Radio Drama
This article is filled with tips for beginners on how to write radio drama sketches or adapt stories into radio plays. You'll see examples of sketches as well as tips on writing well. W.9-10.3, 3a, 3b Narratives, W.11-12.3, 3a, 3b...
Other
Introducing Plain Language
This site by Plain Language Online states that plain language "begins with the needs of the reader," which will determine why and how the writer writes. It goes on to elaborate on audience and purpose, idea organization, use of...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Popular Culture: Expository Writing
This lesson focuses on expository writing including definitions, terms, sample expository essays, sequencing events into chonological order, and links to information about how to write expository essays.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Equivalent Sentences
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is designed to teach students how to analyze sentences for equivalency. It also provides skills in paraphrasing. There is an assessment using Activotes and a lesson summary.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Conclusions
This lesson focuses on writing conclusions; it lists and defines the parts of a conclusion: thesis recap, blueprint recap, and clincher and provides a sample of an effective conclusion with the parts labeled. It also offers a slideshow...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revision Technique: Thesis and Support
This slideshow lesson focuses on assessing and revising the thesis, topic sentences, and supporting details in a paper. It uses the analogy of the body: the thesis and topic sentences are the bones and the supporting details are the...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Understanding the Question
This lesson focuses on how to understand a reading question; it details three main parts: look for content and process words, state the question in your own words, and restate the question as a statement. It explains each and provides...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences
This tutorial focuses on topic sentences using two slideshows. The first defines topic sentences, discusses purpose and placement, and provides a sample thesis statement followed by accompanying topic sentences samples. The second...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Analytical Papers: Organization
This slideshow tutorial focuses on organizing an analytical paper; it defines analysis and outlines the basic five- paragraph essay format. It discusses what goes into the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. It...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Annotating Text
This slideshow focuses on the reading strategy, annotating text. It defines the term and purpose, lists types of annotation, explains what to annotate, and suggests how readers develop their own method.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Interactive Forum
Read two poems and follow the prompts to interpret them using four approaches: reader response, inquiry, cultural studies, and critical pedagogy. Use the prompts to guide personal reflection, launch a lesson with students, or join an...