drvan
218 Followers
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
About the store
I have over 20 years teaching experience in high schools, adult ed, university and private tutoring. I have also taught at learning centres for middle school and high school-aged students.
My background is in English Language Arts and Art History, incorporating cultural studies and literary theory. Like many English teachers, I teach short stories, novels, Shakespeare, poetry, grammar, essay writing, media studies, and career preparation and planning.
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The Princess Bride: Film Study Using Short Story Terminology (Great End of Year)
GREAT END-OF-YEAR REVIEW ACTIVITY. This movie reviews short story terminology with sound educational value and provides a fun way to re-engage learners at the end of the school year, the start of the new year, or directly before or after holidays. (And let's face it: The Princess Bride, is one of the best and most beloved films of all time.) GREAT STARTER TO A SHORT STORY UNIT (terms review) This seven-page pdf document contains three different activities for a film study of The Princess Br
7th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
Jabberwocky: A Lesson in Sound Poetry
A fun way to explore diction and sound in poetry. Students first create their own version of the "Jabberwocky" poem using a Mad-Libs format, before having read the original. In the process, they also review grammar basics (parts of speech: noun, plural, adjective, verb) and poetic sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia). The students' poems, when compared and contrasted to Lewis Carroll's original poem, leads into a class discussion of how and why a poet selects the words s/he does and the
7th - 12th
English Language Arts, Grammar, Poetry
How to Integrate Quotations in Your Writing (Handouts & Worksheet)
Integration of Quotations: Students often just drop full sentence quotations into their writing. Many have difficulty using fully integrated quotations in their writing because they have not been taught in a formal way with models. This handout goes to change that. I have included various guidelines and examples and have laid them out in a two page handout for students as a quick-reference for how to use integrated quotations effectively. (NOTE: This handout, while formatted by me, contains
9th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
Writing-Essays
"Gentlemen, Your Verdict" Pre- & Post-Reading Activities & Writing Prompts
This product contains activities for Michael Bruce's short story, "Gentleman, Your Verdict."
Specifically:
Three anticipatory set activities for setting students thinking about the themes in the story. (1) Engaging class discussion where most everyone will have and opinion they will want to share; (2) Group activity; (3) Four journaling or class debate topics.
I have also included a famous morality thought-experiment, used in many psychology classes. This provides teacher background to mora
8th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
Five Paragraph Essay Planner (Graphic Organizer) Using the P.E.E.L. method
This resource comes in two versions: a three-page or five-page GRAPHIC ORGANIZER for the standard Five-Paragraph Essay. (Both the three and the five-page versions are included here, of course.) Also included is a helpful one-page handout for students to get started on HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTION (which includes two examples of essay introductions on two different topics). I have found that after teaching the P.E.E. or P.E.E.L. method of literary analysis essay writing, student-writ
9th - 12th
English Language Arts, Writing, Writing-Essays
Practice Writing Extended Metaphors (Similes & Metaphors) (Creative Writing)
This is a six-page product that gives students various ways to access (and then create) Extended Metaphors (and Similes). It starts with a quick and easy, one-page worksheet to kickstart students in their creative writing. There are seventeen metaphor stems which students have to fill out (e.g., Freedom is _____________.) After completing the worksheet, students share with a partner, but also choose their favourite three as the basis for writing extended metaphors (e.g., Freedom is a summer'
7th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Poetry
Poetic Devices Quiz (3-Pack with Answer Keys) (Literary Terms)
This is a 6-page pdf download. There are three different, twenty-question quizzes on poetic devices: alliteration, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, and simile. Answer keys are included. The format of all three quizzes/tests are as shown in the thumbnail images: students are given a short sentence and must identify which of the nine poetic devices (listed above) is exemplified, each of the three quizzes has twenty unique questions, yielding a ba
9th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry
Generic Movie Analysis Using Short Story Terms & More — Great for Substitutes!
It is important, I believe, to keep students accountable when purposefully watching a film in class. These worksheets are meant to do just that. These worksheets are generic enough to be used for any film, but also has students apply what they know from short story terminology onto a movie's storytelling structure. They promote active viewing, as students need to think about how the elements of fiction. While each page is unique, they can be used all together for a film-response booklet, or i
8th - 12th
Drama, English Language Arts, Short Stories
"The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson (poetry analysis worksheet)
This attractively, uncluttered seven-page document is a quick and easy way to get your students looking for SOUND DEVICES, IMAGERY and more in a short, seemingly simple, but jam-packed poem. Students are presented with Tennyson's "The Eagle" (a six-line poem), and asked to locate the sound devices and other literary devices. Each line has at least two devices so there are lots for them to explore and discuss. Further, students will learn (or review) what PERSONIFICATION is, and there are four
7th - 12th
Close Reading, English Language Arts, Poetry
Loneliness in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (Graphic Organizer w/ full Answer Key)
Loneliness is a fundamental motif in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. This activity allows students to take a better look at how all the characters (with perhaps the exception of George and Lennie) all suffer from extreme loneliness, each for different reasons, and expresses this loneliness in their own way. This documents is five pages: one-page graphic organizer; four-page comprehensive Answer Key. Students are given a graphic organizer with the characters of Candy, Curley, Curley's wife, Croo
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
Close Reading, English Language Arts, Literature
Grammar Diagnostic Quiz / Test / Activity
Presented here, and easily found online in more or less the same format, are 17 sentences / questions (for 38 marks) where students must circle the correct word usage. Common word confusion such as: its / its there / their / they're accept / except principle / principal to / too / two buy / by / bye and others. Kindly take a moment to rate this product if you like it. :-) If you enjoy this product, you may also enjoy the following Grammar Activities: Watery Oasis Grammar ActivityHair Horror St
7th - 10th
English Language Arts, Grammar, Writing
"The Painted Door" - Visual Mood Poster Assignment (Sinclair Ross)
This is a post-reading companion assignment to Sinclair Ross' short story, "The Painted Door." The focus is an examination of MOOD/ATMOSPHERE as students are asked to portray the mood of the story using VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS. 1. Included is a one-page handout, explaining the visual poster assignment in detail. 2. Also included is a class starter activity (pre- and during- reading) which has students examine the author's word choice and how such choices convey a mood to the reader. 3. A rubri
9th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Reading, Short Stories
Current Events Oral Presentation: Worksheets, Rubric, & Student Self-Assessment
This project-assignment is perfect for any high school Socials or English classes, where students need to seek out, select, read, reflect, and present a news story that is important to them, sharing it with the class and leading a brief class discussion. In doing so, students take ownership over their own learning. I have also found this a great way for students develop civics by engaging in current events at a local, provincial/state, federal level, and even an international level.
This proj
8th - 12th, Adult Education
Civics, English Language Arts, Social Studies
Analyzing Poetry Worksheet (Good for any poem!)
If you have no other plan for a poem, this worksheet is for you! If you want to provide a structured approach for your students to delve into and better understand (interpret and analyze) a poem, go no further! If you want to provide your students with thoughtful, thought-provoking ways to uncovering the meaning of poetry for themselves, you've come to the right place! :-D Contained herein is a three-page worksheet which has been set up to both be probative when it comes to encountering a poe
8th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Poetry
Cast Away - Engaging Movie Supplement - Short Story Worksheets & Viewing Quiz
GREAT START OR YEAR-END ACTIVITY. Cast Away is a great movie to ease students into back-to-school, and review short story terminology from last year with sound educational value for teachers! Also a GREAT STARTER OR ENDING TO A SHORT STORY UNIT (literary terms review) SHORT STORY / LITERARY TERMS COVERED IN THIS DOCUMENT: - Protagonist - Exposition - Setting (Time, Place, Weather Conditions, Social Circumstances) - Inciting Incident - Conflict - Person vs. Nature/Environment - Person vs. Self
8th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
Grammar Proofreading Activity (2 Versions) — "Out of this World"
This "real world text" 2-in-1 Grammar Activity has students proofread an expository paragraph and locate and correct grammatical errors. To facilitate differentiated learning for your students, there are two versions of these passage, requiring two levels of skill. In the first version, the passage is broken up into ten sections and students are tasked with locating a grammatical error in one of the underlined portions of each section. Each multiple-choice question offers three areas where
8th - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
English Language Arts, Grammar, Writing
Short Story Analyst: 3 Interpretative Exercises for any Short Story or Novel
Perfect for any short story or an entire Short Story unit (or Independent Novel Study). This is a eight-page .pdf document, designed to have students get the most out of reading, thinking and writing about short stories or novels. There are three different and extensive exercises presented in this document. In my classroom, I have students respond to only one of the three exercise sections for any given short story. Each section can be easily repeated, but it gives you the option of having at
8th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
In the Heat of the Night: Stereotypes, Racism & Prejudice - Graphic Organizer
This is a four-page pdf document worksheet. I use this worksheet when I start teaching my novel study for In the Heat of the Night, though it is completely applicable to any unit involving social justice, racism, discrimination, et cetera. (For example, I also use it when I teach Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and John Wyndam's The Chrysalids.) I use this handout to ensure students have a working knowledge of the key terms: stereotype, racism, and prejudice. Along with the worksheet i
6th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Other (Social Studies)
Also included in: In the Heat of the Night: 3-in-1 Bundle
Note-Taking Template
*If you download this resource, kindly take a moment to offer a quick and brief rating of it. It is much appreciated* I use this note-taking template for research assignments/projects, when watching videos, certain in-class lectures, or when I assign various pages of a (Social Studies) text. Students use the prescribed structure to better learn how to take notes, organize their thoughts and idea, as well as their overall studying skills. While I created it (based off of the RAP method for not
6th - 9th
English Language Arts, Reading Strategies, Social Studies
Waknuk Religious Tenets Worksheets (The Chrysalids by John Wyndham)
Watch Thou for the Mutant! This lesson explores the use (or misuse) of religion of The Chrysalids, opening up students’ understanding to how prejudice and hate creeps into a society’s belief system. A close-reading of Nicholson’s Repentances will facilitate class discussion as compared to Christianity’s/Judaism's Ten Commandments and other religious/spiritual aphorisms from around the world. The cornerstones of this lesson are the in-class discussion and the worksheet where students respond to
9th - 12th
Close Reading, English Language Arts, Literature
Also included in: The Ultimate Chrysalids Bundle (Ten Resources In One)
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About the store
Experience
I have over 20 years teaching experience in high schools, adult ed, university and private tutoring. I have also taught at learning centres for middle school and high school-aged students.
My background is in English Language Arts and Art History, incorporating cultural studies and literary theory. Like many English teachers, I teach short stories, novels, Shakespeare, poetry, grammar, essay writing, media studies, and career preparation and planning.
Teaching style
My philosophy of education centres on interdisciplinary studies and the development of critical reasoning skills. I believe that as modern life becomes increasingly complex and interconnected the need to teach how all subject areas interact is ever more important. As such, I habitually infuse my lessons with visual and popular culture, demonstrating how the material is relevant to students’ lives and thereby making it more accessible. Similarly, I contextualize the source material to its socio-political milieu to facilitate learning while students uncover how a text’s meaning changes over time.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Outstanding Teaching Practicum Award
My own education history
B.Ed., B.A., and M.Ed in School Counselling.
Additional biographical information
I'm a nineteenth-century boy, stuck in a twenty-first-century body.
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