Let's Learn Lit

What is it?The First Day of School Student Resume is an ideal ice breaker for those day one jitters! Middle and high school will have the opportunity to give you a glimpse into their goals, extracurricular activities, and interests in a two-page resume format. Why is it needed?As a secondary teacher, you probably have around 100 students. You don’t have time to ask get-to-know-you questions individually, especially not on the first day! This student resume will save you valuable time and help yo

What is it?This Personal Narrative Essay Outline is a time-saving tool for differentiated instruction. Instead of the typical letters-and-numbers outline, students can use this graphic organizer to outline their papers. They will quickly, easily, and visually identify missing details from their personal narratives, saving you time in the classroom. Why is it needed?As a secondary teacher, you probably have around 100 students. You don’t have time to thoroughly inspect a traditional essay outlin

This activity helps students build skills in acquiring vocabulary through context clues. The students read a short passage and then answer questions designed to help them discern the meanings of italicized words from the passage.

This activity has two parts: students first underline personification in given sentences, and then they create their own examples. This is a good lesson for test review or during a unit on figurative language.

What is it? This Canterbury Tales Introduction with Handout is a 10-slide, time-saving tool that prepares students for reading. Why is it needed? We all know that we need to take the time to set up students for success in reading by previewing unfamiliar literary elements and background information, particularly when the text was written four centuries ago! However, we don’t always have time to prepare a great lesson. Sometimes, we fall into the trap of cracking open the text without any pre

Teaching students to write an effective thesis statement is one of the most difficult challenges any English teacher will ever face. This step-by-step thesis handout guides students through what thesis statements should look like for a research paper. Examples of both effective and ineffective thesis statements are given.

What is it? This Persuasive Letter Outline is a time-saving tool for differentiated instruction. Instead of the typical letters-and-numbers outline, students can use this graphic organizer to outline their papers. They will quickly, easily, and visually identify missing details from their persuasive letters, saving you time in the classroom. Why is it needed? As a secondary teacher, you probably have around 100 students. You don’t have time to thoroughly inspect a traditional essay outline!

This editable To Kill a Mockingbird Test with Key has three parts: 25 multiple choice questions on the plot of the novel, 10 character matching questions, and three choices for an essay. Why is it needed?We all know that we need to take the time to assess student’s concrete and conceptual knowledge of the concepts we discuss in class. However, we don’t always have time to prepare a great test. We’ve all found ourselves in the terrible situation of writing test questions minutes or hours before

What is it?We all need first day of school activities! The Back to School Puzzle Pack is an ideal ice breaker for those week one jitters! Elementary and middle school students will have the opportunity to settle into your routine in a fun, non-threatening manner. These school-themed puzzles are a perfect way to welcome your students to the first days of school. Why is it needed?On the first day of school, you know the importance of getting your students engaged as quickly as possible. First day

This PowerPoint presentation gives students the historical background they need to understand Elie Wiesel's "Night." Each slide highlights the main events in the years 1933-1945 during WWII and the Holocaust.

What is it? This Fahrenheit 451 Literary Devices and Figurative Language Activity is a time-saving tool that engages students in identifying and analyzing alliteration, symbolism, metaphor, simile, irony, and foreshadowing. Sentences and phrases from the novel are given, and students must correctly identify the type of figurative language and then explain why the sentence or phrase exemplifies that concept. Why is it needed? Fahrenheit 451 is a dense, deep text that requires thoughtful anal

What is it? These Pardoner’s Tale Analysis Questions will guide your students through one of the selections from The Canterbury Tales. This activity includes 21 questions that require close reading and understanding of the text. Why is it needed? The Pardoner’s Tale is a dense, deep text that requires thoughtful analysis and discussion to fully understand. Chaucer’s language can be difficult for modern students to dissect, and without thought-provoking questions, many nuances of the text may

This guided 18-slide PowerPoint takes students through the steps of writing an introduction for any essay. The presentation defines each part of the introduction (attention getter, background, tri-part thesis), and gives an example. The presentation directs students to write their own pieces of the introduction as the presentation moves along. Also included are easy-to-remember acronyms that will help students learn how to write an introduction for an essay.

This presentation takes students through five recurring themes/motifs in the book "Night" by Elie Weisel: father/son relationships, night, bearing witness, silence, and loss of faith.

This PowerPoint presentation takes students through 5 archetypes: journey/quest, forbidden lovers, unlikely hero, the villain, and epic heroes. This power point can be used with any reading of classic literature that involves an archetype (The Odyssey, Romeo & Juliet, etc.). Examples from popular movies are used to reinforce definitions. The concept of archetype is defined, and each type of archetype features examples and a list of characteristics.

What is it? This Daily Reading Log is a time-saving tool that helps students and teachers keep track of independent reading. Why is it needed? It can be difficult for students to keep track of what they have read. A log promotes active reading because it immediately sets a purpose for reading. A reading log is perfect for students who have difficulty recalling details from text and also as an accountability tool. How is it used? This graphic organizer is perfect for SSR (silent sustained r

I created this graphic organizer for my 9th grade class's study of The Odyssey. This is an archetype graphic organizer for damsel in distress, the wise leader, epic hero, and others. Students learn the definitions of these archetypes, write examples from the literature they're studying, and also write examples from pop culture. This document includes the answers, but it is in Word format so (if needed) you can erase them to make a student activity.

This is a great vocabulary in context activity for The Alchemist. It could be adopted for any text, however. This is also wonderful state test prep, as most states have vocabulary in context listed in their ELA standards.

This presentation discusses 7 elements of fantasy stories (types of heroes, villains, plot devices, etc.). Examples from pop culture are given to enhance students' understanding. Fantasy is compared to magical realism at the end of the presentation.

This fully editable To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide with Key includes 50 questions that cover the entire novel. This can be used as an independent exercise to keep students active in their reading, or it can be used as the basis of class discussion. Why is it needed? To Kill a Mockingbird is a profound play that must be closely read and analyzed to truly arrive at a correct understanding. Framing thought-provoking questions for such an important novel is no easy task. This study guide takes