Almost Hogwarts

Complete study guide packet for All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. This study guide challenges students to connect plot and characters to larger ideas and literary terms. I found that it was a great way to not only review, but to also spark discussion on the larger themes and ideas present in the novel. Meets Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature 1-6, 10. Only first two pages included in preview--all 14 pages included in download.

This is a complete 46 page unit guide for Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It includes vocabulary, quizzes with answers, discussion questions, student activities, and final projects and writing prompts. I've uploaded it as a word document so that it can be modified for your classroom needs.

This is a handout that I give to my students before the AP English Language and Composition exam. It contains tips and hints on how to do well on the multiple choice and all three free response questions. This handout helps to guide my students in asking good questions about how to prepare for the test and helps to review the concepts that I cover over the entire school year.

For this composition grade, students take on the point of view of the character of Polyphemus in the story "The Cyclops." He calls on his father, Poseidon, to punish Odysseus for blinding him, but he himself also committed many atrocities. Students will justify his actions to his father in a creative letter. They write in first person and also use references from the story to back up their point of view (i.e. give an explanation for why the Cyclopses generally do not work together). I've inc

I use this project with my AP English Language and Honors American Literature classes of 11th graders. Students identify a problem in society that they can work to solve. They research the problem and possible solutions, then work as a group to develop a community/ school based project that addresses the problem. This went awesomely in my class this year! I had kids pick all sorts of interesting problems to research: animal welfare, homelessness, sleep depravation, among many others. They r

Complete study guide packet for Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. This study guide challenges students to connect plot and characters to larger ideas and literary terms. I found that it was a great way to not only review, but to also spark discussion on the larger themes and ideas present in the novel. Meets Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature 1-6, 10.

I used this project in my 10th grade World Literature class after our study of Night by Elie Weisel. Students had studied the causes of the Holocaust, and for this project, research modern day genocides and human rights violations that have occurred since 1945. They are instructed to find the causes of the event, people who tried to stop it, and the results of the event. They create an outline, works cited, visual, and oral presentation. Each small group researches a different event. My stu

This is an essay that my AP English Language and Composition class wrote this year. The prompt asks students to analyze the rhetorical devices that Patrick Henry uses to create his argument. The assignment could be adapted for any American literature class as well. By annotating the text together and discussing the speech in class, by standard level students were also successful with this essay. The text of the speech, a graphic organizer, instructions for annotating, and a rubric for gradin

This is a syllabus that I used for my AP English Language and Composition class. I've uploaded as a word document so that it can be customized for your class!

I use this assignment with my 9th grade students after reading the Odyssey. We discuss the qualities of an epic hero (included in assignment) and then look for examples from the text to determine whether or not Odysseus shows the characteristics of an epic hero. The students then use the included graphic organizer to plan their essay. This is a good assignment to help students analyze a character and to use the text to support their point of view. I've also included a rubric for grading.

This is a unit I've used with my 11th grade American Literature class to teach the novel Stargirl and to connect it to the ideas of transcendentalism. The novel is an easy read and the students usually love to discuss the ideas of nonconformity and individuality that it explores. It is a great gateway to explore the more difficult texts written by Emerson and Thoreau. This guide includes everything you need to teach this novel and the essays to the class: -Vocabulary -Study guide questions

This is the powerpoint that I use the first day in my Newspaper I, introduction to journalism class. It outlines why the school newspaper is important, and begins to introduce the students to how to develop an idea into a story. Notes on how to do an interview are also included. The presentation ends with an assignment to interview a classmate and find an angle to write a feature story on the person. The powerpoint gets my students excited about the class, and the writing activity is a good

This is a powerpoint that I use in my Newspaper I, introduction to journalism class. It defines terms students need to know (lead, inverted pyramid, paraphrase, feature, etc.) and details the basic structure of a newspaper story. I usually use this on day 2 or 3 of the course, after I've introduced the course and interviewing strategies. I've uploaded it as an editable file so you can update it for your own classes.

Complete study guide packet for Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) by Sophocles. This study guide challenges students to connect plot and characters to larger ideas and literary terms. I found that it was a great way to not only review, but to also spark discussion on the larger themes and ideas present in the novel. Meets Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature 1-6, 10.

I use this group project to review major grammatical concepts with my 11th grade students, and it would work well with any high-school level English/ Language Arts class. Because students now learn many grammar terms/ ideas in middle school, this project gives them the opportunity to the review the concepts and then to teach them to others, reinforcing the skill. I break the class class into groups of 3-5 students, and have provided you with group topics, including phrases, clauses, parts of s

This graphic organizer and writing assignment helps students to compare the film O'Brother Where Art Thou? to The Odyssey. I've actually used it as a final assessment before. The students love the film, and I've included teacher notes with times in the film to stop and discuss. After they fill out a chart comparing and contrasting the film to the epic poem, they are then instructed to write an essay connecting the two. I've included a prewriting organizer for students to plan out their essay

This literature circle activity is fantastic to use with high schoolers and advanced middle school students. I was looking for a way to organize literature circles that would be both challenging and engaging, and developed this adaptation of traditional literature circles to serve as a more rigorous activity for my Honors English III students. The students can use this as a culminating activity after reading novels of their choice (or the teacher's) in small groups. The literature circle will

Complete study guide packet for Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This study guide challenges students to connect plot and characters to larger ideas and literary terms. I found that it was a great way to not only review, but to also spark discussion on the larger themes and ideas present in the novel. Meets Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature 1-6, 10. Only first three pages included in preview--all 14 pages included in download.

This is an activity that I use on the first day of my American Literature class (11th grade) to get the students talking about and analyzing text right away. They look at some quotes from famous American writers, talk in groups about what they mean, and then use a graphic organizer to make a personal connection to the quote. This works as a great icebreaker!

As a final project for my ninth grade poetry unit, students research and choose a poet to study in depth. Students spend time using a graphic organizer to choose a poet, then find, read, and explicate poems from that poet. Students then write their own poetry that mimics the poets style and then create a portfolio of all their work. The project culminates in a poetry "coffee house" day where students read one of their poet's poems and one of their own poems to the class. I usually decorate t