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 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 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 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 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 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.

This is a Smart Board COmpatible PDF that introduces students to Romeo and Juliet. It introduces the idea of star crossed lovers and makes comparisons that the students will be familiar with. It also introduces Shakespeare, and tragedies.

This is a quiz that tests student knowledge of the Middle Ages. It goes along with the Holt 6th Course Elements of Literature Middle Ages introductory section, but could be adapted to go with any introduction to the time period. It contains 20 short answer questions as well as a key.

This is a study guide that directly correlates with language standard 8.1 .It covers verbals, active/passive voice, as well as different verb moods. I use it as a webquest with my students but it could also be use as a note taking guide or homework assignment.

This is a handout that is great for use at the beginning of the year when laying out expectations for your students. It provides insight into what annotation is, why it matters, and, of course, HOW to do it. Updated 8/5/16

This contains a power point that introduces general drama terminology using video clips, a handout to give to students, as well as a matching activity for practice. A quiz over these terms can be downloaded here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Drama-Terms-Quiz-4474998

This is step by step instructions as to how to properly set up an MLA formatted paper. I wrote it in essay form, so that it also serves as a sample paper.

This is a SmartBoard compatible PDF file that provides a brief introduction to different types of poetry. Each type is introduced with the key components, along with an example of each. This introduction is designed to lead into the Writing a Variety of Poetry activity, available here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-a-Variety-of-Poetry-889919

This is a short answer quiz for chapters 1-4 with an answer key included. The sample file shows the first few questions.

After reading "The Governess" by Neil Simon and "The Ninny" by Anton Checkov, students will create their own adaptation of the story. This contains their instructions for the activity as well as a rubric.

This is a 20 question quiz and answer key for after introducing drama terms. This goes along with my drama term powerpoint, hand out, and practice activity that can be downloaded here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Drama-Introduction-4474943

This is a Smartboard compatible PDF file that introduces pseudonyms. It discusses what a pseudonym is, famous authors who used them, and includes a writing activity to create your own!