Devin Plaas

This PDF of powerpoint slides contains an introduction to what the American Dream is, how it is defined, and how it has changed over time. It also introduces the idea of The American Dream as a theme and briefly discusses The Great Gatsby. It also includes brainstorming and summarizing questions throughout. This is the perfect way to give an introduction to The American Dream before starting a literature unit. You can find a follow up quiz/comprehension assessment here: https://www.teacherspay

This activity is designed for after reading Romeo and Juliet. It corresponds with the film Gnomeo and Juliet. It requires students to be actively following along with the film as they look for similarities between the film and the play. The adorable gnomes can be found here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gnomes-and-Toadstools-FREE-Clip-Art-578336

This is a handout to go along with the study of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabelle Lee." It asks students to respond to several questions utilizing textual evidence from the poem.

This editable test includes matching, true/false, short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions. It is designed for use at the end of your Beowulf unit and includes questions that focus on Anglo-Saxon life as well as Kennings.

This is a common core aligned unit that uses fairy tales to explore multiple cultures. It includes daily plans, standards, objectives, and activities for 2 weeks worth of classes. It is designed for 9-10th grade but could easily be adapted for any age group. It is heavily writing focused. The font is avaliable on dafont.com If you have any questions or comments, please let me know! ***1/4/17 This product has been updated to include several more stories and details. Be sure to redownload!

This is a fun and easy activity to use after viewing the School House Rock video, "Mr. Morton." It includes the lyrics, and 5 questions as a quick comprehension check.

This is a creative writing activity for the novel Bridge to Terabitha. It is aligned with Common Core standards.

This is a Smart Board compatible PDF file for teaching about Epic poems. It includes background and history as well as examples of epic poems. It also includes an assignment to create your own poem, which can be used to meet Common Core writing standards. The font is available on dafont.com and the background can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chevron-Stationery-Backgrounds

This activity was designed to be used following the use of my American Dream powerpoint. You can find that lesson here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-American-Dream-2171884 It can be used a TOTD, an in class comprehension, or a quick quiz to gauge understanding. The fonts can be found at dafont.com and the images were from google search.

This is a poetry analysis activity for the Emily Dickinson poems: The Soul Selects her own Society, The Soul unto itself, Fame is a fickle food, They shut me up in Prose, There is a solitude of space, I Heard a Fly buzz-when I died-, and I'm Nobody, Who are you? These align with the SAAVAS 11th grade My Perspectives Textbook selections. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUtr6dkU8cw

This is a webquest designed for the 8th grade but could be adapted for any grade. It provides an introduction to the life and poetry of Emily Dickenson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It includes both individual and paired learning activities. It requires reading, research, and writing.

This is a SmartBoard compatible PDF that introduces students to banned books. It provides information about the most commonly banned books and statistics about why books are banned. It also includes quotes from famous authors about book banning and censorship. All of the statistics came from the ALA website. The fonts were found on dafont.com

This is a creative writing unit that is based on Lewis Caroll's "Alice in Wonderland." It includes a pre-writing activity, pre-test, several writing activities, as well as a final text over the whole novel. It culminates in a final activity of having students create their own "Wonderland" in which they host their own "mad tea party." If you have any questions or feel like you are missing details, please let me know! ****Updated to correct overlap of activities! I'm so sorry for this!

This is a "recipe" for a scary story. Students choose an element from each category to jump start their own scary story. They will then fill in the details to fully develop the story. This could be used with grades and ages of all level- simply choose how long/detailed you want the story to be!

This an introduction to Lewis Carroll and "Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass." It touches on the history of Carroll, the controversy surrounding him, and his literary success.

This is a full lesson plan for the short story "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes. This lesson plan is aligned with Common Core Standards for each activity. It also includes lesson objectives to share with the students that align with the Common Core Standards. This lesson is very focused on reading and utilizes a “Before-During-After” reading design. The center worksheets are now available here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thank-You-Mam-Common-Core-Center-Activities-889992

This is ready to roll workbook to use while reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This has an assignment to go with each chapter; these vary between short answer questions, writing tasks, to multiple choices quizzes. It culminates in a two page creative writing assignment. It comes as a printable pdf with link to an editable digital download.

This handout goes along with Laura Randozzo's fabulous Prezi on the Hero's Journey. You can find this prezi here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Heros-Journey-FREE-Lecture-Notesheet-for-Joseph-Campbells-Hero-Journey-467634

This is a creative writing assignment in which students create their own memoir. It is aligned with Common Core State Standards. It includes a graphic organizer for prewriting, handout with the assignment, as well as a rubric. The fonts can be found on dafont.com

This is an introductory SmartBoard compatible PDF that provides background information about the Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes. This was designed to be used when teaching "Thank You, M'am," but could be used when studying anything by Hughes.