1 Discovering Poetic Form and Structure Using Concrete Poems Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: Concrete poems, poems that relate the placement of the words on the page to the meaning of the poem, provide an enjoyable literary experience that focuses students' attention on how a poet does more than simply put words together but can place them meaningfully on the page by paying attention to the subtle (or not so... 2 Tennessee Williams : Exploring The American Dream Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson on Tennessee Williams, students examine the "American Dream" through lyric form, mythology and drama. Students read one or more of Williams plays, and in small groups develop and perform interpretations of selected scenes.... 3 Paying Attention to Technology: Exploring a Fictional Technology Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: From personal computers to the latest electronic gadgetry for the kitchen, garage, or home entertainment center, Americans seem to have fallen in love with just about anything that will make our high-tech lifestyles more comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable. This lesson asks students to complete a short survey to establish their beliefs about technology then to compare... 4 Discovering Traditional Sonnet Forms Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–10 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students read and analyze sonnets to discover their traditional forms. In groups students chart the characteristics of the poems then review the details for similarities, deducing traditional sonnet forms that the poems have in common.... 5 Weaving the Old into the New: Pairing The Odyssey with Contemporary Works Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–10 Professional Commentary: This lesson is based on The Odyssey and the young-adult novel Running Out of Summer—a contemporary epic by Peter Morgan that follows the protagonist’s journey from Atlanta to Santa Monica to attend school. Students select one character from each as the basis for a comparison-contrast graphic organizer.... 6 Monsters and Myths : Scripts and Sculpts Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: Monsters and Myths: Scripts and Sculpts is a comprehensive interdisciplinary unit pairing English Language Arts and the fine arts. Created by classroom teachers, this unit provides opportunities to develop students' use of critical thinking skills by comparing and contrasting mythic tales, reviewing different versions of the same story, and responding to literature in a variety of... 7 Identity, Oppression, and Protest: To Kill a Mocking Bird and the Blues Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–10 Professional Commentary: African American history during the Jim Crow era includes encounters with poverty, racism, disrespect, and protest. Harper Lee develops all four of these themes in her famous 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.... 8 Exploring Satire with Shrek Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–10 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students use the familiar characteristics of fairy tales to analyze the movie Shrek, which satirizes fairy tale traditions, as an introduction to the satirical techniques of exaggeration, incongruity, reversal, and parody. Students brainstorm fairy tale characteristics and identify the satirical techniques used to present them in the movie.... 9 Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 9–10 Professional Commentary: Created by a high school English teacher, this language arts project integrates literature study, creative writing, and technology. Based on Kindred, a story about slavery in the United States written by Octavia Butler, the unit uses literature to examine the impact of historical events and social norms on personal lives.... 10 Poems, Poems, Everywhere Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: This resource uses poetry as a stimulus for the writing process. This instructional unit, maintained by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, encourages students to read and write a variety of poetry.... |