John Eldridge

This lesson includes a step by step guide to explicating (dissecting and analyzing) any poem. I use a Robert Frost poem (with powerpoint) to show students the intricacies of analyzing a poem to infer meaning. You can use this lesson with any type of poetry or poem. I like to allow students to pick their own poem to explicate and have them create a written analysis or power point.

Students will learn all four points of view: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Limited, and 3rd Omniscient in this unit, which includes a journal prompt and example, notes, power point, and assessment project (poster). The possibilities are endless with the tools in this unit.

Cold Sassy Tree is a wonderful novel that explores humanity, race, class, and adolescence in early 1900's Georgia. I teach this novel back to back, or in lieu of teaching "To Kill a Mockingbird" as they both contain similar themes. This packet includes chapter discussion questions, novel themes to discuss, and a final project handout for students to apply what they have learned from the novel. Enjoy! :)

Exposing students to the four basic sentence types is essential in creating good writers. This, along with my "Clauses Review" study guide gives students a resource to use to learn simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentence structures.

Want your students to have more tools in their arsenal of writing? Teach them how to manipulate clauses with this study guide. Every effective type of clause (with examples) is on this handout. Bonus Tip: Have students use a different clause each day in their journal writing. You will see a dramatic difference in their writing. Example: Write from the point of view of your pet for a day using at least three adjective clauses in your writing. The kids will surprise you with their results!