Not Your Analogue Research Paper
Resource ID#: 48950
Primary Type: Lesson Plan
This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org
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.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 9, 10
1
Intended Audience:
Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection,
LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Technology, research, Padlet, internet, writing, paper, Holocaust, Night, Elie Wiesel
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Problem-Solving Task, Assessment
, Project , Presentation/Slideshow, Video/Audio/Animation, Formative Assessment
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
LESSON CONTENT
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
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Formative Assessment
After conducting research about their chosen genocidal episode, students will organize
the research they gather into a subject/ question focused gathering grid that will show
how well they understand the causes and events of the incident. Students will use this tool
to create a Padlet Web Wall where they will display their work. However, prior to
creating the Padlet Web Wall, students will conference with the teacher to assure
accuracy and understanding of their topic.
To check for understanding, the teacher should look for:
o
o
o
Accuracy of information
Completion of information
Websites used to gather the information
When it is apparent that the student has an understanding of the information they are
going to publish on the Padlet, they may move to the computers and begin generating
their paragraphs and images for the Padlet Wall.

Feedback to Students
As students are on the computers conducting research, provide corrective feedback by:
o

asking clarifying questions such as:
 Who are the main ethnicities involved in the incident?
 If you were a leader in the opposition, what would be the motivation
behind your actions?
 What events led up to this incident?
 What happened next in history?
 How does this compare to what you read in the book Night?
o redirecting misunderstandings.
 Ask the students to clarify their summary of the incident to show that they
are comprehending the text.
 Help students to locate textual evidence to describe the incident and its
effects.
o assisting students in keeping track of their information.
 Where did you get this information?
 Does the website have an author?
o aiding students as they design their Padlet wall.
 Is your information organized the way you want it on the page?
 Is your page too cluttered?
Summative Assessment
Using the evidence recorded in the gathering grid, students will create an objective
informational Padlet Wall that is similar to a private webpage, dedicated to their writing
on a genocidal incident in history. They will explain the effects, causes, and motivations
behind the incident. Students will also record how these incidents differ from the
genocide committed by the Nazis in the book, Night. Student walls will be graded by a
rubric. See sample included: http://padlet.com/wall/vdxl8snxsy (Please note: This is a
very basic and general sample. No connections to the book Night have been included in
the event the instructor wishes to use this activity to build background knowledge.)



Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of
this lesson?
o Student will be able to write and organize an informative piece of text to describe
a complicated series of events with relevant adequate details.
o Student will be able to conduct a short research project to synthesize information
from multiple sources to show understanding of the subject under investigation.
o Students will be able to use technology to publish their information on the web.
o Students will be able to draw evidence from informational text to support
research.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
o Big idea question: How can genocide be prevented?
o What exactly happened during your chosen incident?
o How were people in the world not aware that it was taking place?
o How did it end?
o Where is the country located where this took place?
o What questions would you generate about the incident?
o If people in the world were aware of your incident, why did they not act?
o Who are the main ethnicities involved in the incident?
o If you were a leader in the opposition, what would be the motivation behind your
actions?
o What events led up to this incident? What happened next in history?
o How does this compare to what you read in the book Night?
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The students need to:
o
o
o
o
o

have read the book Night
have a basic understanding of the term genocide
be able to summarize information
understand how to navigate through the internet
have the basic ability to use search terms effectively (search engines and different
ways to phrase search terms)
o have the ability to determine reliability and accuracy of website content
o have a basic understanding of how to take information gathered and put it into a
concise, well-organized paragraph
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The Hook
Step 1: Before watching a short YouTube clip about genocide, instruct students to take
out a sheet of paper and fold it into thirds. Label each box 3, 2, 1. As they are watching
the clip, they will list three images that they see in the clip that interest them, two things
they found out, and one question they wish to ask.
Step 2: Show this YouTube PSA about genocide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8dgne-fy2o (Teacher may wish to show it twice for
students to digest.)
Step 3: Students turn to their shoulder partner and discuss their images, discoveries and
questions.
Step 4: Elicit responses from pairs about their images and discoveries and list them on the
board. For example, they will probably say, "Starving children," and "dead people," and
"guns." After they have given you several items to list, write the word genocide in big
letters on the top of the board.
Step 5: Ask students if they know what this term means. Provide a definition if needed
and write the definition on the board: Genocide: violent crimes committed against groups
with the intent to destroy the existence of the group.
If necessary, follow up with the following questions:
o
o
o
o
Is genocide morally right?
Why does it happen?
Would the Holocaust be considered genocide?
What are some other examples of genocide?
Step 6: Ask students their questions about the PSA. Write them on the board. Tell
students that for their next project, they will be investigating answers to these questions
they just asked.
Step 7: Distribute the Genocide Padlet Web Wall gathering grid, rubric, and write up.
(The write up contains boundaries for the assignment, a list of possible topics, and a few
exceptional resources.) Review the requirements and rubric. Clarify any questions
students might have.
Step 8: Tell students to choose a topic. (Or the teacher can assign the topic.)

Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher
guidance?
Guided Practice #1
Step 9: Model the procedure for gathering information. Go to the
website:http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocide.html
Step 10: Model how to record the information for your source in the source box using this
partial answer key. Read the first paragraph of the article on the website to the students.
Elicit responses from the students for a few bullet points for the first box answering the
question: Who was involved in the incident? When and where did it occur? (See partial
answer key for suggestions on information to include.)
Day 2: Guided Practice #2
Step 12: Model how to take the information from the gathering grid and put it into a
cohesive paragraph to answer the research question. Encourage students to draft their
paragraphs in Microsoft Word and simply copy and paste onto the Padlet wall.
Step 13: Guide students through the creation of a Padlet wall. Show students how to sign
up for an account and create their wall using the navigation buttons on the right side of
the page. Special emphasis should be placed on the organization of their ideas on the
page. Be sure to show students the sample page: http://padlet.com/wall/vdxl8snxsy

Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to
reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?
At the end of Guided Practice #1:
Step 11: Move to independent practice and allow students to conduct research. Finish for
homework. Tip: There is a list of acceptable websites to use to get students started on the
Padlet write up, but teachers might want to ask their school media specialist in advance of
conducting this lesson for further suggestions on print sources, databases, or other
suggestions to assist students with their research.
At the end of Guided Practice #2:
Step 14: Independent writing and page design. Direct students to take out their gathering
grid and get started constructing their page.
Student role during these activities:
o
o
o
o
o
Actively searching the internet for information
Paraphrasing the information they are gathering into bite sized chunks
Recording source information
Sifting through images for the wall
Generating the Padlet wall
Teacher role during these activities:
o

Circulate around the room and clarify ideas and help students to locate quality
information for the gathering grid
o Guide students toward appropriate maps and images
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in
the lesson?
After all the Padlet walls are finished, the teacher will conduct a rotation of students
through each wall to review each wall and event in history. They will finish with a
Socratic Seminar. See the steps below:
Day 3 (Closing events)
Step 15: Distribute the Padlet Wall "Visit" Handout. Explain that students will have three
minutes to "visit" the walls of their peers and record as much information on the visit
handout as possible. Their job is to visit the Padlet wall of their peers and investigate the
genocidal incident explained on the Wall. (Students may also use the responses on this
sheet in the Socratic Seminar.)
Step 16. Students should go to the computer and open their Padlet wall. Once they are at
their computer with their wall open, they will stand up and rotate two seats to their right
so that they are at a new Padlet Wall. Then the teacher will give them three minutes to
preview the wall of their peer and complete the visit chart that they will use for the
Socratic Seminar discussion. Teacher/students repeat this 3 times.
Step 17: Closing events: The students will rearrange their desks in a circle for a Socratic
Seminar discussion. The rules and procedures for this strategy are here:
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/socraticseminars-30600.html
A PowerPoint with the rules is here: PowerPoint. To grade students on their participation
in the Socratic Seminar, simply print up your roster for the class. When a student asks a
question or makes a comment, they get credit for the Socratic Seminar piece. Be sure to
explain to students prior to the Socratic Seminar that they MUST say something. Guide
them toward their Padlet Wall visit handout as a suggestion for Socratic Seminar
discussion pieces.
During the discussion, the teacher will use the following guiding questions:
o
o
o
o
o
What findings from your research and the research of your peers shocked you?
How did learning about these events make you feel?
What pieces of information are you going to take away from this project?
How might genocide be prevented in the future?
What role do you play in the prevention of genocide?
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:
o Scaffold the lesson by having each student research the same topic.
o Teacher could also use this activity to help students acquire background
knowledge on a particular subject. They could have students research different
aspects of the same topic and post their answers on one big Padlet wall for
o
o
o
o
students to explore. For example, if students were about to read the book Night,
the teacher could devise different questions about the Holocaust, Nazi Germany,
and the Jewish religion.
Allow struggling learners to work in pairs.
Break up research questions for easier, more focused research.
Guide writing by modeling how to take the information gathered and put it into a
paragraph.
Allow students to choose their technology or medium of choice. For example,
PowerPoint, brochure, poster, pamphlet.

Extensions:
o Assign a work cited page.
o Create more categories and questions for deeper inquiry into the topic and require
more paragraphs for the writing.

Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet
Connection, LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office

Further Recommendations:
Interact with the Padlet website prior to the project. This project could also be used as an
anticipatory set where students could conduct the research to gain background knowledge
on the topic in a novel, biography, or memoir.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
In the standard LAFS.910.W.1.2, subset "C" is not addressed in this lesson.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Daryl Cullipher
Name of Author/Source: Michael Lingenfelter
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Walton
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.910.W.1.2:
Description
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey
complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of
content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and
information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics
(e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and
sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples appropriate
to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone
while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows
from and supports the information or explanation
presented (e.g., articulating implications or the
significance of the topic).
LAFS.910.W.2.6:
LAFS.910.W.3.7:
LAFS.910.W.3.8:
LAFS.910.W.3.9:
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and
update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of
technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display
information flexibly and dynamically.
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to
answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate;
synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the
usefulness of each source in answering the research question;
integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow
of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g.,
“Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source
material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a
theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later
author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).
b. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary
nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning
is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;
identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
LAFS.910.SL.1.1:
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched
material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation
by referring to evidence from texts and other research on
the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned
exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and
decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes
on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals
and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to
questions that relate the current discussion to broader
themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the
discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and
conclusions.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize
points of agreement and disagreement, and, when
warranted, qualify or justify their own views and
understanding and make new connections in light of the
evidence and reasoning presented.
Other Resources Related to the Same Standards
Lesson Plan
Name
Literary Elements in The
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This lesson focuses on similes, metaphors, personification, irony,
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Close Reading: Monster or
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Through Connections:
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Protest songs serve as a means to combat social ills and cover a
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A Collaboration of Sites and and historic protest songs. After learning about wikis, each pair
Sounds Using Wiki to Catalog posts their analysis of the protest songs to a class wiki, adding
Protest Songs:
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Exploring Voice in Poetry:
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Happily Ever After?
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Exploring Character, Conflict,
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(link provided within the lesson). Students will then choose a
Behind the Cover:
text to research the backstory for how that written work came to
Investigating the Backstory of
be. A list of detailed research questions is provided, as well as
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optional book titles for students to research. Students will present
Classics:
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
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From the resource:
"From personal computers to the latest electronic gadgetry for the
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with just about anything that will make our high-tech lifestyles
more comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable. Students first
Paying Attention to
complete a survey to establish their beliefs about technology
Technology: Exploring a
before using a literary elements map to explore the role of a
Fictional Technology:
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
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Cleaning Up Your Act:
Developing Persuasive
Arguments Through Ethical
Inquiry: Two Prewriting
Strategies:
A Biography Study: Using
Role-Play to Explore the
Lives of Authors:
Teaching Plot Structure
through Short Stories:
Character Analysis of “Two
Thanksgiving Day
Gentlemen”:
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."
Cleaning Up Your Act Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) provides
students with a real world engineering problem in which they
must work as a team to design a procedure to select the best
material for cleaning up an oil spill. The main focus of this MEA
is to recognize the consequences of a catastrophic event, and
understand the environmental and economical impact based on
data analysis. Students will conduct individual and team
investigations in order to arrive at a scientifically sound solution
to the problem.
This lesson teaches students to use two prewriting strategies
related to ethical inquiry to strengthen the persuasive elements of
their writing. Students then write a persuasive letter using what
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All worksheets, handouts, rubrics, and answer keys are provided.
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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!
There's more to plot than identifying the series of events in a
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plot lines. This lesson also includes a writing assessment with
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Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen." Through scaffold learning tasks,
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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'
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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
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This lesson supports the implementation of the Florida Standards
in the 9-10 classroom. It includes the literary text as well as
Unit: Poems About Death
templates for organization and links to pertinent materials. The
Lesson 1 of 3-- "To an Athlete
purpose of this lesson is for students to read, understand, and
Dying Young" by A.E.
analyze poetry. Students will analyze the poem, "To an Athlete
Housman:
Dying Young" for use of figurative language, word choice,
imagery, tone, style, and theme.
This lesson supports the implementation of the Florida Standards
in the 9-10 classroom. It includes the literary text as well as
templates for organization and links to pertinent materials. The
Unit: Poems about Death
purpose of this lesson is for students to read, understand, and
Lesson 2 of 3 "Do Not Go
analyze poetry through the use of close reading and scaffolded
Gentle into That Good Night"
learning tasks. Students will learn the format of a villanelle and
by Dylan Thomas:
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.
In this lesson, students read a New York Times article about two
very different survivors of genocide - one Holocaust survivor and
another who survived the genocide in Rwanda - who speak
Putting a Face to the
together about their harrowing experiences. Then, small groups of
Numbers:
students use first-hand accounts and other primary sources to
research different instances of historical genocide. After
conducting research, each group creates a chapter in a "History of
Genocide" textbook.
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
Close Reading: “My Watch:
analyze figurative language used in the story and how it impacts
An Instructive Little Tale” by
meaning and tone. Graphic organizers to help students for the
Mark Twain:
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. A learning
scale to assess the summative assessment is provided.
This lesson supports the implementation of the Florida Standards
Analyzing Logos, Ethos,
in the 9-10 classroom. It includes a copy of the text, a student
Pathos in "The Meaning of
activity handout, and links for background information and
July Fourth for the Negro":
definitions of key terms. The purpose of this lesson is for students
to read, understand, and analyze a speech through close reading
and scaffolded learning tasks. At the conclusion of the lesson,
students will write an essay that prompts them to use textual
evidence to support their analysis of the claim Douglass makes in
his speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro."
This lesson includes a close-reading and text-marking activity
Language of Letters:
using two soldiers' letters, one from the Civil War and one from
Analyzing the Change in
the Afghanistan War. Students will discover by looking as word
Diction and Syntax from Civil choice and sentence structure how language styles have changed
War Times to the Present:
over time. After the reading lesson, students will write two
RAFTs in the style of the times to show their understanding.
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
Creating Suspense Lesson 1:
characterization. Students will also use various strategies to
Analyzing Literary Devices in
determine the meaning of selected vocabulary within the context
Poe’s “The Masque of the Red
of the story, as well as work to identify word choices that evoke a
Death”:
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. All student
handouts, teacher answer keys/guides, two PowerPoints, and a
writing rubric are included with the lesson.
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,
Research Paper Adapted into eye contact, posture, voice inflection, etc.). In preparation for
a Speech:
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.
In this lesson (part 2 in a unit), students will read and analyze
literary devices in Shirley Jackson"s "The Lottery." Students will
Creating Suspense Lesson 2: practice text-coding the story to note uses of characterization and
Analyzing Literary Devices in references to tradition. Students will complete a handout where
"The Lottery":
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.
All student handouts, teacher keys, a literary devices PowerPoint,
graphic organizers, and an essay rubric are included with the
lesson.
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
Ripples of the Great
1930s and would be a good activity to complete prior to reading
Depression: 1930s to today:
novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird. 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 expository writing and
public speaking.
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
Annotation and Close Reading
devices) develops the author's purpose, tone, and theme found in
Passage Analysis: excerpt
complex and challenging texts. Close-reading skills culminate in
from Fahrenheit 451 Part 2 of
paragraph writing (Lesson 2) and then a style analysis essay
3:
(Lesson 3) in which students analyze how an author creates
meaning through deliberate choices of devices of language.
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
Who is A.A.A.’s Hero?:
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.
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"
Saints vs. Sinners:
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.
In this lesson (part one of a three-part unit), students will use
I Declare War: Part I:
close reading strategies to analyze Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address and complete a written analysis of his speech.
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
I Declare War: Part II:
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.
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
I Declare War: Part III:
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.
In this lesson, students will conduct research, go through the
steps of the research paper process, and write a paper on the
history of Miami. The teacher will provide support on how
students should document their citations, will model summarizing
material and using notecards to record their research, as well help
students determine if a website provides credible information.
The History of Miami
Students will explore primary and secondary sources, will
Research Paper:
practice summarizing information they have read from their
source materials and record that information on notecards. As the
summative assessment, students will take their research and draft
an informative paper using the material they have gathered.
Students will receive peer and teacher feedback before turning in
the final draft of their paper with a works cited page.
In this lesson, students will explore books 13-23 of The Odyssey
through text coding and analysis of both character development
Greek Mythology: The
and theme. For the summative assessment, students will write an
Odyssey, Odysseus and What
essay analyzing characterization and theme in the text and
Makes an Epic Hero:
drawing conclusions, supported by textual evidence, about the
nature of heroes. Student handouts for all activities are provided.
In this lesson, students will work in small groups to analyze the
Emily Dickinson: Poet
multiple perspectives represented in Emily Dickinson's writing.
Extraordinaire of Language,
They will generate research and investigate primary and
Time, and Space Part 3:
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.
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
Annotation and Close Reading
style (use of literary devices) develops the author's purpose, tone,
Passage Analysis: Fahrenheit
and theme found in complex and challenging texts. Close-reading
451 by Ray Bradbury excerpt
skills culminate in a literary analysis essay in which students
Part 3 of 3:
analyze how an author creates meaning through deliberate
choices of language devices.
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"),
Shall I Compare Thee to a
comparing Shakespeare's themes and approach to Petrarch's
Previously Written Sonnet?:
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.
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
“Greek Mythology Version
macro level, students will be able to analyze characteristics by
2.0: To Be or Not to Be an
looking at the ways in which characters are developed through
Epic Hero?”:
the decisions they make and/or fail to make. The student
handouts with all of the activities and links to the story are
provided.
In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of individual
rights and freedoms as opposed to the good of society using
currently relevant topics. Students will participate in small-group
and teacher-led discussions, research, collaboration, and debate to
Essential Liberty v.
gain understanding and to present their findings and conclusions,
Temporary Safety:
supported by evidence, about the issues and implications of their
assigned topics. Supporting materials will enable the teacher to
guide students to consider, explore, and respond to the guiding
question of whether it"s appropriate in a democratic society to
give up essential liberties for temporary safety.
Exploring Immigration and
This lesson is the second of a unit comprised of 3 lessons. In this
America (Part 2) through
second lesson, students will use Text Coding and small group
Informational Text- Judge
discussion to analyze informational text, a speech given by Judge
Learned Hand's Speech:
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.
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.
Exploring Immigration and
They will need to write a strong thesis statement and support their
America (Part 3) through the
ideas with textual evidence. Extensions to this unit would be for
Art of Norman Rockwell:
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.
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
This lesson is one of three included in a unit that addresses
(Part 1): Rhetorical Appeals rhetorical appeals. In lesson one, students will examine ethos,
used in Commercials:
pathos and logos used in advertisements.
In this lesson, students will be provided with an opportunity to
learn about an easy to follow process for writing effective short
TAG your writing: Much Ado response questions, using support from the text. While this lesson
About Nothing:
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.
In this 4 day lesson, students will be completing a comprehension
instructional sequence (CIS). Using Robert Frost's "The Road not
Does Choice or Chance
Taken" and Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man," students
Determine our Destiny? A
will read, code text, decode difficult vocabulary, and engage in
Four Day CIS Lesson with
deep academic discussion regarding both authors' views on fate.
Frost and Shakespeare:
At the end of the lesson, students will complete an extended
writing assignment using the knowledge built from the previous 3
days.
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
Analyzing a Modern Take (in "Harrison Bergeron", using a Venn diagram to record their
Film) on Vonnegut’s View of observations. Students will use their diagram to compose a one to
the Future in “Harrison
two page objective summary of their findings, drawing parallels
Bergeron”:
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.
The lesson introduces students to irony and how instances of
The Past and the Future:
irony in a piece of literature, "A Sound of Thunder" (1070L) by
Ray Bradbury, advances the plot. Students are exposed to
Ambush by Tim O'Brien:
Excerpt from The Things
They Carried:
I Feel Inside Out:
The Seven Ages of Man:
Sold: Meeting the Victims of
Trafficking - Lesson 1:
Don't Bite Your Thumb at
Me, Sir! Using Storyboards to
bring Act One of Romeo and
Juliet to Life:
Analyzing Vonnegut's View
of the Future and his
Commentary on the Present in
“Harrison Bergeron”:
Ethos, Pathos, & Logos (Part
2): Statement Analysis:
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.
This lesson provides secondary students with opportunities to
analyze a character's motivation in an excerpt from a work of
literary nonfiction.
The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with an
opportunity to analyze a character, in particular, one who suffers
from a mental illness. The selected text is Terry Truman"s Inside
Out (710L) in which the main character, Zach, suffers from
schizophrenia. However, other suggested titles are provided and
would suffice for this lesson. Specifically, students will be
required to identify what the main character thinks, says, and
does in order to support a multi-paragraph character analysis that
incorporates textual evidence.
This lesson provides students with an opportunity to read,
analyze and interpret William Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of
Man." Students are then asked to compare and contrast the
different ages of man identified in the monologue and those that
they developed as a class prior to reading the text.
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.
The text of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is not only
challenging, but presents students with opportunities to explore a
wide variety of timeless themes. As students typically struggle
with the language of Shakespeare, it is important that we pause
from time to time and allow students to process the new
knowledge. The story boards are a great way to assess students'
understanding of the plot, characters, and setting before the final
test.
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.
This is the second lesson of a three lesson unit on rhetoric and
persuasion techniques. It is technology intensive.
This lesson uses a Socratic Seminar to deepen students'
understanding of the text Night by Elie Wiesel. Students will use
textual evidence during the discussion and in writing an objective
summation of the memoir.
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce to students the various
types of irony. When examining an excerpt from "The Cask of
It’s Ironic…or is it?:
Amontillado", students will be expected to identify and analyze
how and why an author would chose to incorporate irony into
their writing.
"Our Role in a Small World" encompasses students' use of media
Sold: Our Role in a Small
presentations to enhance understanding of the realities most
World - Lesson 2:
people face in our world as well as allowing students to convey
complex ideas that link economic downfalls to Sold (820L).
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".
Analyzing Elements of
Students will write an extended paragraph explaining how one
Fiction: The Gift of the Magidevice contributes to the theme. This lesson is the second in a
-Lesson 2 of 3:
series of three based on "The Gift of the Magi". The previous
lesson provides instruction in using context clues to determine
word meaning.
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
Slaves Come to America:
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.
The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninthgrade 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
From Aesop to Steinbeck-with writing theme statements and including primary
Lesson 1: Writing Theme
supporting details with a series of three texts from Aesop's
Statements and Including
Fables.* Lesson two presents students with a longer and more
Supporting Details:
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
Analyzing Night by Elie
Wiesel Using a Socratic
Seminar:
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 #1 in a series
of 3.
In this introduction to Homer's The Odyssey, students will work
Wreck it Ralph-- Epic Hero? with peers and technology to determine if the main character of
A Fun Multimedia
Wreck it Ralph is an epic hero. Through this multimedia study,
Introduction to Homer's
students will evaluate the characteristics of an epic hero through a
Odyssey:
webquest, film, and final paper. In the end, students will be
prepared to apply this knowledge to Homer's epic poem.
In this four day lesson, students collaborate and connect to
writing by learning how to constructively review the work of
It Works: Peer Review for the
their peers. Using a structured reciprocal teaching method,
Collaborative Classroom:
students will read, revise, outline logic, and evaluate the work of
their peers while working collaboratively in teams.
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
Comparing Irony: The Gift of and in analyzing the significance of literary devices in a short
the Magi--Lesson 3 of 3:
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 identify and analyze rhetorical appeals
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
in a speech and write a persuasive essay using multiple rhetorical
(Part 3): Writing Persuasively:
appeals.
The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninthgrade 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
From Aesop to Steinbeck,
three texts from Aesop's Fables. *Lesson two presents students
Lesson 2: TIQA Writing,
with a longer and more challenging children's story titled
Supporting, and Proving
One. Students will draft their own theme statements and
Theme Statements:
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 #2 in a series
of 3.
Students will analyze protagonist, antagonist, conflict, resolution,
and hubris in three classic myths: "Odysseus and Polyphemus,"
Hubris: A Recurring Theme in "Athena and Arachne," and "Echo and Narcissus." They will
Greek Mythology:
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.
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
Creating Brave New Voices
paragraph exploring how a theme is developed. This lesson
amongst Students: Part III:
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.
The overarching goal of this series of three lessons is for ninthgrade 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.
From Aesop to Steinbeck-Lesson 3: TIQA TIQA
*Finally, lesson three culminates with students using their
Writing, Supporting, and
assigned fiction novel Of Mice and Men, and writing a TIQA
Proving Theme Statements:
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 #3 in a series
of 3.
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.
The term "anthropogenic" describes something that is caused by
Energy Resources and
human activity. Today we will focus on how our "throw-away"
Anthropogenic Effects on the consumer lifestyle has detrimentally affected the environment,
Environment:
and we will look at possible solutions to preventing more harm to
the environment and society.
The purpose of this lesson is to help students learn how to
compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction texts that explore
Hunger and Fear: Comparing similar topics. In this lesson, students will compare and contrast
Literature and Non-Fiction:
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.
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
Previewing Texts and Themes in small and whole group discussions, and answer specific, textwith Wordles:
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.
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
Elie’s Life through Many
to help them develop a paragraph using an A-E-C format
Mediums:
(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.
In this lesson students will analyze three texts (Amy Tan's
"Mother Tongue," Richard Rodriguez's "Se Habla Espanol," and
What You Say: Language
Zora Neale Hurston's "How it Feels to be Colored Me") looking
Context Matters:
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.
Students often have difficulty envisioning and making sense of a
story that is set in a markedly different time or circumstance than
Close Reading Exemplar:
their own. This two-day activity introduces students to the
1984:
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?
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
An Introduction with Death:
within the prologue. They will focus on how the word choices
A Close Reading of the
impact the tone of the novel and what effect it has on the reader.
Prologue from The Book
During the final close reading, students will explore the persona
Thief by Markus Zusak:
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.
In this close reading lesson, students will read William Faulkner's
Culture, Character, Color, and
"A Rose for Emily" one chunk at a time to examine elements of
Doom: Close Reading
plot, culture, setting, and point of view that contribute to the
Faulkner's "A Rose for
mystery and suspense that lead to its dark, even terrifying,
Emily":
ending.
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
Privacy: A Matter of National
agent Edward Snowden. This close reading activity will require
Security?:
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.
One rotten apple spoils the
In this lesson, students will conduct several close readings of the
bunch! An Argument Analysis news article "Parents: Disney Policy Targeting Faux Disabled
of Disney's Guest Assistance Punishes Truly Disabled Kids" by Jason Garcia. For the first
Card Program:
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.
This close reading lesson focuses on an excerpt from Markus
Zusak's novel The Book Thief. Students will close read the text
"What good are the words?" A multiple times to discover Zusak's powerful writing style, as well
Close Reading of an excerpt as the power of words through the eyes of Liesel, the novel's
from The Book Thief:
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.
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
CIS: Psychopathic Criminals evidence, whether psychopaths are truly responsible for their
and Brain Research:
criminal acts. Students return to the article looking for
information three times. Students present their claim and textbased evidence in a short writing assignment that is re-visited and
shaped throughout 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.
"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
The Surveillance Society – Is be up close and personal with delineating, evaluating, and
Privacy just an Illusion?:
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.
In this lesson, students will read, paraphrase, and summarize an
Someone is Always Watching
article that explores the benefits as well as the pitfalls of the
You:
unblinking, all-seeing basilisk gaze of extraordinary technology.
Swagger: Shakespeare versus This lesson provides students the opportunity to explore how the
Jay Z:
word ‘swagger’ has transformed over centuries through the
Looking Over the
Mountaintop: Central Ideas:
Looking Over the
Mountaintop: Figures of
Speech and Rhetorical
Devices:
You've Just Won "The
Lottery"!:
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 textdependent 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.
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 textdependent 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.
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.
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.
Looking Over the
Mountaintop: Tone and
Perspective:
CIS: Genetically Engineered
Food Labeling Taken on by
Congress in Right-To-Know
Act:
CIS: Tensions Swelling as
Beach Erodes:
CIS: How Environment and
Technology Can Improve
Health Care:
CIS: Ban on Bottled Water,
Apparently a First, Puts a
Small Town on a Big Stage:
CIS: Life Beyond Earth:
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.
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.
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 textbased evidence in a short writing assignment that is revisited and
shaped throughout the lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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
An Abridged Hero: The
examine the poem "Invictus" and the lyrics and music video for
Archetypal Hero’s Journey in
"Run Boy Run" for elements of the Hero's Journey. Students will
Novella, Poem, and Music
work collaboratively to decide whether or not all aspects of the
Video Form:
hero's journey are demonstrated efficiently in this variety of
sources. Student worksheets, answer keys, and a writing rubric
are included with the lesson.
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
An Argumentative Essay in
argument proving that the appearance of the hero's journey in
Support of the Abridged
shorter texts is just as developed and apparent as its appearance in
Hero’s Journey:
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.
"To The Limit" MEA has students identify several factors that
can affect a population’s growth. Students will examine photos to
list limiting factors and discuss their impact on populations. As a
To The Limit:
group they will develop a solution to minimize the impact of
pollution on fish population.
Unit/Lesson Sequence
Name
Description
Dramatizing life stories provides students with an engaging way
to become more critical readers and researchers. In this lesson,
A Biography Study: Using
students select American authors to research, create timelines and
Role Play to Explore Authors' biopoems, and then collaborate in teams to design and perform a
Lives:
panel 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.
This lesson asks students to explore the motivation behind
characters' actions in To Kill a Mockingbird. Students first
engage in a free-write activity. They then do research and
Creating Psychological
creative thinking to design a poster and plan a presentation
Profiles of Characters in To representing a psychological profile for a selected character,
Kill a Mockingbird:
while determining what specific factors (such as family, career,
environment, and so forth) have the greatest influence on the
characters' decision making throughout the novel. The groups
present their findings to the class by assuming the persona of
their character and explaining the psychological factors
influencing their behavior in the novel.
Students use art and poetry to explore and understand the major
historical, societal, and literary characteristics of the Romantic
An Exploration of
period in eight high-interest, collaborative lessons. After
Romanticism Through Art and
reviewing paintings from the Romantic Period and using William
Poetry :
Wordsworth's poetry, students write an essay showing their
understanding of Romanticism.
Students select a theme-related essay topic from Night, by Elie
Wiesel, or The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, and develop an
Challenging the Human Spirit:
essay that relates the theme to modern day personal experiences.
The essay follows a preset rubric.
The Running Dream is the story of Jessica, a 16-year-old star
runner who loses her leg in a bus accident. She learns to look
beyond the disability and discover the real person inside as she
becomes friends with Rosa, who has cerebral palsy. In this unit,
The Running Dream: We
students examine the issues and challenges of coping with a
Both Win!:
disability and its effect on relationships and self-esteem as they
analyze how complex characters develop over the course of the
story, and write informative/explanatory texts to examine and
convey complex ideas.
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
Things That Are: Making
life, including finding her way in the community, keeping on top
Choices:
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.
Project
Name
Understanding Julius Caesar
Through Diaries:
Description
Understanding Julius Caesar Through Diaries allows students to
read and understand Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by getting
involved in an on-going project that promotes engagement
throughout the play. Instead of simply reading the work, students
become actively involved with plot and characterization. At the
beginning of the unit, each student chooses a character that they
want to be throughout the duration of the play. At the end of each
act students complete diary entries for this character, so in
addition to documenting the major action in the play, they also
report it from the viewpoint of one specific character.
Tutorial
Name
Description
This web resource is a step-by-step guide to using Literature
Circles in the classroom. While a specific lesson plan is not
Using Literature Circles :
included, it is a clear guide for anyone wishing to incorporate this
discussion strategy in the classroom.
In this tutorial from the BBC, you will learn how to organize and
express your ideas. The tutorial includes a short video, multilevel tutorial options, worksheets and answer keys, a game, and
Skillswise Speaking:
interactive quizzes to help you share your opinions in formal and
Communication Guidelines:
informal situations and participate in a debate responding to
others' views. After watching the video, simply scroll over the
tabs to the right of the video to select your next activity.
This activity provide you with lessons, videos, quizzes,
worksheets, and an optional, self-directed Research Portfolio
assignment. It guides you through the processes of developing a
research topic, strategizing, searching, evaluating, citing, and
Informational Literacy: A 6advanced searching for relevant source information. Simply click
Phase Approach to Finding
Next at the bottom of the Welcome Page to begin the
Quality and Relevant Sources:
presentation. If you want to only use portions of the tutorial, use
the tabs at the top of each presentation slide to select a topic.
Further, by resting your cursor over each topic, you can select a
subcategory of the topic to be more specific in your search.
This tutorial explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid
plagiarizing when writing. Activities featured provide detailed
examples of proper paraphrasing, quoting, and citing. This
tutorial also includes and incorporates videos and pictures for
reinforcement and engagement. It is suggested that after taking
Plagiarism Tutorial:
the quiz, you review the presentation to self-score and correct
your answers. Simply click the Plagairism Tutorial flash version,
highlighted in red, to begin. From there you can continue through
the tutorial by selecting "Next" at the bottom left of each slide,
once you are ready to move on.
This tutorial explains what plagiarism is and provides guidelines
Plagiarism: What It Is and
on how to avoid it when writing. Audio lessons, interactive
How to Avoid It:
activities and a final quiz are featured in this tutorial to support
your appropriate composition of written tasks.
In this animated video from TEDed, you will learn the process of
The Power of a Great
writing a thesis and introduction in a clear and insightful manner.
Introduction:
Looking at Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Charles
Dickens' Great Expectations, you will identify the fundamentals
of writing a great introduction by examining these masterpieces.
OWL Purdue: MLA Works
Cited:
MLA Format and
Documentation:
Recognizing and Avoiding
Plagiarism:
Learn how to create a Works Cited page with this step-by-step
guide. A short video walks you through all of the formatting and
style choices you need to make for your next sourcebased paper. It specifically explains what information must be
included for the following sources: books, articles, maps,
newspapers, websites, and more.
In this tutorial you will learn how to use MLA format and
documentation in your academic papers. You will be able to work
at your own pace. Also, throughout the tutorial you will receive
plenty of examples to model in your paper.
This tutorial from Cornell University includes the what, why,
how, and when of documenting sources in a research paper. You
will learn what plagiarism is, when and how to document
sources, the difference between primary and secondary sources,
and definitions of the following words: documentation, citation,
and reference. Afterward, you will have a chance to identify
correct and incorrect examples of proper documentation.
Teaching Idea
Name
Description
This activity uses music as a tool for analyzing mood and theme
in a literary passage. The students read a selected passage from a
literary text and choose popular music to accompany it. The
Literary Soundtrack:
purpose is to engage students' interest in literature using popular
music and to teach them the ways word choices have an effect on
the mood of a passage.
Students will read selected poems and listen to jazz that have
A Renaissance of Jazz and
their roots in the Harlem Renaissance. The students will then
Poetry:
discuss the similarities and differences of themes in the works of
different poets and composers.
Students will trace the lives of individuals as they journeyed from
occupied Europe to the mountains of North Carolina. Through
Stories from North Carolina the use of pictures and maps, students will create a poster
Survivors of the Holocaust:
illustrating the individual's journey from occupied Europe. In
addition, students will create a journal that describes what life
may have been like at that time.
In this teaching idea, students will role-play a character from the
To Kill a Mockingbird Role- novel To Kill a Mockingbird in order to help students get to know
Play: A Maycomb Pig Pickin': and understand major, as well as minor, characters in the text.
This role-play activity works especially well just after Chapter
21.
Students will create and perform an updated, modern version of
Oedipus the King: Readers'
the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles in order to have a better
Theater:
understanding of the plot, characters, and to connect the story to
today's society.
This resource helps students learn about the Dust Bowl, and can
be a companion lesson for any piece of literature set during this
time, including The Grapes of Wrath. Students will explore many
Eroded Land, Eroded Lives:
resources, including primary sources, to learn about the
Agriculture and The Dust
(unintentional) abuse of soil that caused the Dust Bowl to be so
Bowl:
devastating and extensive. They will also see photographs by
Dorothea Lange and others depicting the wasted land and
subsequent wasted dreams of thousands.
Students use several USA Today editorials to help them
understand the national concern about whether students' writing
Debate: Is it Possible to
skills are being sacrificed to meet the criteria for standardized
Elevate Education through
tests. After reading the articles, students then evaluate the major
Writing Instruction?:
points of the articles, brainstorm ideas for a position paper, and
then write their opinion on the topic.
This is a resource looking at life on the Mississippi River during
the time period of Mark Twain. Students will learn to evaluate the
Mark Twain's Hannibal:
reliability of primary sources while scaffolding their knowledge
of the time period.
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
Are People Free?: Using a
discussions analyzing all sides of their initial response, form a
Discussion Web to Engage in consensus, and present it to the class. Students then read
Meaningful Collaboration:
"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 use an online chart to match the character traits of a
character in a book they are reading with specific actions the
character takes. Students then work in pairs to "become" one of
Become a Character:
the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other
Adjectives, Character Traits,
characters, using Internet reference tools to compile lists of
and Perspective:
accurate, powerful adjectives supported with details from the
reading. Students read each other's lists of adjectives and try to
identify who is being described.
Dark Materials: Reflecting on Are today's young adult novels darker in theme than in years
Dystopian Themes in Young past? What's behind the current wave of dystopia in young adult
Adult Literature:
literature? In this teaching idea, students reflect on some of the
reasons dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories appeal to young
readers by engaging in one of six different activities.
This lesson is intended to introduce students to the art of
Convince Me!: An
argumentative writing by familiarizing them with basic terms;
Introduction to Argumentative allowing students to practice establishing the relationship
Writing:
between claims, reasons, and evidence; and analyzing an author's
use of argument in a text.
Students will use teaching strategies as they read and discuss
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's memoir Night. Everyone in the
Student Centered
classroom takes a turn assuming the "teacher" role in a reciprocal
Comprehension Strategies:
teaching activity, as the class works with four comprehension
Night by Elie Wiesel:
strategies: predicting, question generating, summarizing, and
clarifying.
This mini-lesson explores verb choice in formal writing using a
variety of online resources. Students draw conclusions about verb
Choosing the Best Verb: An
usage while working with their peers, using graphic organizers,
Active and Passive Voice
checking for active and passive voice, and making necessary
Minilesson:
revisions. A lot of great web resources are provided in this
teaching idea!
From the resource:
"When students write argumentative or persuasive essays, they
often ignore the viewpoints of their opponents, the potential
readers of their essays. In this mini-lesson, students respond to a
hypothetical situation by writing about their position on the
subject. After sharing their thoughts with the class, students
consider the opposite point of view and write about arguments for
Finding Common Ground:
that position. They then compare their position with that of their
Using Logical, Audiencepotential audience, looking for areas of overlap. They then revise
Specific Arguments:
their arguments, with the audience's point of view and areas of
commonality in mind. Examining the opposing view allows
students to better decide how to counter their opponent logically,
perhaps finding common ground from which their arguments
might grow. Thus, the activity becomes a lesson not only in
choosing arguments but also in anticipating audience reaction and
adapting to it."
How do places and experiences affect writers’ lives and works? Is
where a writer comes from relevant to reading their work? In this
Literary Pilgrimages:
lesson, students consider the power of place in their own lives,
Exploring the Role of Place in
research the life of a writer, and develop travel brochures and
Writers’ Lives and Works:
annotated maps representing the significance of geography in a
writer’s life.
Formative Assessment
Name
Analyzing the theory of plate
tectonics performance task
assessment:
Description
This is a performance task assessment that allows for assessment
of student knowledge of the plate tectonic theory. This task
requires students to write a RAFT.
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