Ms Williams

This is a great project for AP Language. Students are able to choose their own nonfiction novel of choice, from an approved list which I have included in the plan, and create a synthesis prompt. The prompt the students create will look EXACTLY like the one on the AP Exam. This means they are required to have sources! All of the specific guidelines are included. This is a 6 week out of class assignment, with specific "check" points to make sure students are on task. This is a GREAT assignment,

This is an EXTREMELY detailed look at everything that goes into rhetorical analysis! I have inserted "blank" slides where I generally end a lesson for the day. There is a plethora of information-everything from what is rhetoric?, to ethos, pathos, logos, to the rhetorical triangle, to Joliffe's Rhetorical Analysis Framework, etc. This is great way to introduce rhetoric, as well as a handy tool to use at any point in the year for a refresher.

This is a GREAT introductory lesson on oxymorons, paradoxes, and idioms! This slide show has lots of examples, and it includes a fun group activity at the end! The PowerPoint also has a video clip. :-) The lesson also begins with a "warm-up"/"bell ringer" reviewing the sentence types and parts of speech.

This is a fun activity that allows high school students to get creative. The PowerPoint includes brief background information on Plato, and also provides information on The Allegory of the Cave. (This is a great introduction to The Allegory of the Cave). This PowerPoint includes a PROJECT where students get to choose a current movie or book and build a diorama, labeling the parts that would be considered inside and outside of the cave. It really gets the students thinking critically, and they ar

This is a fun activity that allows freshmen to create anchor charts and compete with each other WHILE reviewing all the necessary components of the English I EOC! The students are divided into teams (no more than 4 people on a team), and then they draw numbers. Each number correlates with which EOC requirement they will be working with. (literary essay, expository essay, sentence types, etc.) This can also be modified for English II. The students had a blast competing to see who could create th

INCLUDES VIDEO CLIPS! :-) THERE ARE ALSO OTHER CLIP LINKS AND OPTIONS IN THE SPEAKER NOTES FOR YOU TO CHOOSE THE BEST FIT! This is an introductory unit to the basics of drama! The PowerPoint includes notes on plot elements, monologue, soliloquy and aside. It also includes clips from various movies and t.v. shows that the students are familiar with that showcase various elements of drama. The PowerPoint also includes different character types i.e.: stock, static, foil, etc. This is a great piece

This is a really fun, simple activity to reinforce the concept of inferencing. The students are given a set of simple instructions and then shown a set of pictures, one at a time. The objective is for the students to INFER how each character got to the situation they're in and what they may be thinking based on their facial expressions, clothing, weather, etc. This activity is really fun, and the students were actually asking to see more pictures! :-)

This is a step by step project for vignettes. It uses Sandra Cisneros "House on Mango Street," as a blueprint, and then students create their own vignettes modeled after her writing style. ALL requirements of the vignettes are CLEARLY outlined and stated in the handout. This includes length requirements, font, and all basic formatting. There are also "check points" that you can modify for when students turn in their 1st, 2nd, and final draft.

REALLY fun activity to get students involved in professional correspondence. This PowerPoint goes over e-mails. How to send an e-mail, the importance of using the subject line, the significance of cc and the sneaky bcc, and it gives students the opportunity to "send" an e-mail to a potential employer and get a "response." <--No computer necessay. I have taught this lesson to freshmen as well as seniors, and it's always hit.

This is a great lesson to end your unit on The Great Gatsby, The Harlem Renaissance, The Roaring Twenties, etc and get your students REALLY involved. This immersion lesson outlines 8 VERY specific project topics that students can choose from that directly relate to the Modernism Era-specifically the 1920's. The students will choose one project to construct AND they are also required to dress up like and embody a prominent figure from the 1920's. Each year I transform my room into a "Gatsby" th

This is a GREAT activity for informational text. In groups, students will teach the class how to do a specific dance of their choice (Gangnam Style, Ballroom Dancing, The Worm, etc.) however they can not TELL the class which dance it is. The students must simply follow the instructions they are given. This activity gets the students up out of their seats, and it also teaches them how IMPORTANT it is to give CLEAR directions and to LISTEN closely! It's also fun to see how each student interpre

This activity is a fun and engaging way to get students up out of their seats and interested in Rhetorical Strategies. Students will go on 5 "speed dates" where they will answer questions about themselves (which are ALL included in the PowerPoint) and discuss the questions with each other. After discussing, students have to write THEIR OWN responses on notebook paper, but they must include a rhetorical device. For example, one of the questions asks the students to describe what they look for in

It is very difficult to get my students interested in Shakespeare, but this activity made them really excited to read Othello! Instead of providing the usual background knowlege, I had the students work in groups that focused on specific THEMES found in Othello such as jealousy, racism, identity, etc. It was almost like a scavenger hunt. As the students were working, they were able to see how each of the themes are still present in today's society-which makes the play more reliable. ALL of t

This is a quick, fun, follow-up activity to Hamlet's famous soliloquy. Students will briefly review what the speech is about as a class. In small groups, students will create a satirical or serious piece following the premise of the original soliloquy. (To text or not to text..) Students are also required to include specific literary devices. I have included the literary devices, and topic suggestions, as well as ALL the specifics of this activity. I allow my students 20 minutes to work on this

This is a short story in class writing assignment. It has been modified for English I and Pre-AP English I. It can also be used for 8th graders. The activity includes creating a short story incorporating all of the plot elements and various REQUIRED literary elements. All of the instructions are specifically outlined in the lesson.

This is a GREAT peer editing tool that you can use in ANY AP class or any English Language Arts class. Each student has a specific, designated task they are responsible for while editing their peers' paper. Also, the students will work in GROUPS! This is great, instead of the students just trading papers and editing. This is a GREAT lesson for students to practice identifying thesis statements, facts, support, etc.

**This timeline covers 1600-1915 (The Enlightenment through Realism) and please note that names and dates of time periods are subject to resource. :-) This is a wonderfully detailed outline of American Literature as it spans from the 1600s-1915. It covers social and political happenings of each time period, which often influences literature. I have successfully used this in AP Language classes, humanities, adult learner classes, and college courses. Also a wonderful home school piece to have on

This PowerPoint is a great tool to introduce the Romantic Period, discuss Dark Romanticism, Transcendentalism and The Scarlet Letter!

This is VERY basic. It includes an example of a two-voice poem from the point of view of a student and a parent. It also includes a blank template for students to practice their own two-voice poems. Two-voice poems should come from the stand point of two opposing forces looking at the same concept. Examples: Younger Brother and An Older Sister A Employee and Their Boss Two characters in a novel you're studying A Student and A Teacher, etc. More Complex Examples: An immigrant who dreams o

Great mini lesson on the over-arching fundamentals of informational text. The PowerPoint also includes a review of inductive and deductive reasoning, with an in class small group activity!