The Reflective Reader

This 15-Unit AP Lang Vocabulary Lesson Plan asks students approach high-level vocabulary words (drawn from Sadlier-Oxford’s Level F Vocabulary Workshop) in two non-traditional ways: (1) Students interact with www.dictionary.com to look up definitions by themselves – exactly the skill they should have for “real life” reading. Students all too often lack the skills and/or stamina to use reference materials that will be central to their future learning, and this vocabulary unit allows them to shar

When my students write about fiction and nonfiction, I strive to get them to move beyond the boundaries of the book -- what is the author telling us about ourselves and the world around us? This document helps students build paragraphs around that idea. They must first identify an author's stylistic and rhetorical choices and then connect them with the author's overall purpose and meaning. Most writing instruction for paragraphs includes the three major ingredients in a well-constructed body

This 19-page unit plan will help you teach your students how to write in-depth, insightful rhetorical analysis essays. You can use all 19 pages as a packet for your unit on Rhetorical Analysis, or you can choose which handouts make the most sense for your students. This complete unit includes How rhetorical analysis differs from literary/style analysisThe three levels of rhetorical analysis. This will help your students understand how to uncover an author's purpose and how to connect it to the

This worksheet (appropriate for 11th/12th grade, honors, and AP Language and AP Literature) asks students to apply Aristotle's definition of tragedy and the idea of a tragic hero to characters in William Shakespeare's Othello. This worksheet is part of the unit lesson plan "Othello Reading Prompts," another FREE resource at Mhari Doyle's Store.

If you're teaching Mary Shelley's Frankenstein you need this 57-page reading guide for your students! This guide covers all three volumes of the novel with reading activities that will keep your students engaged and challenged throughout your unit. My reading guides are organized into three key sections: pre-reading background, reading focus, and post-reading activities. The pre-reading background (seen in the “Background” sections of each reading guide) introduces essential context, helping

This simulation project immerses students in the totalitarian regime envisioned by George Orwell. Students spend the day with limited rights, compete for points, and engage in spying - some are even the Thought Police! This is a great opportunity for students to truly understand the beauty and power of speech and freedom. It's a fun way to bring Orwell's dystopia to life! Includes: * Teacher Instructions * Student Handout with rules for simulation * Faculty/Staff Handout with rules for simulat

Teaching Hamlet and need a new approach for writing assignments? This synthesis prompt follows the format of Question 1 on the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam. Students will read a variety of sources - from 18th Century and contemporary authors - and construct a meaningful argument about Shakespeare's overall purpose. This prompt is perfect for AP Lang classes as well as upperclass English classes. Use the 9-Point Essay Rubrics for grading

A frequent question we writing teachers get is how to write a paragraph. Most writing instruction for paragraphs includes the three major ingredients in a well-constructed body paragraph: the topic sentence, support, and a concluding sentence. What these guides fail to show kids is what "support" looks like and how to go about crafting it. This guide gives them concrete, clear instruction how to write those supportive sentences. I've also included a sample paragraph based on Of Mice and Men.

Reading prompts help students navigate difficult texts by giving them a purpose for reading, questions that guide them through their reading assignments, and questions after reading to help them synthesize their thinking. This student guide (appropriate for 11th and 12th, honors, and AP Language and Ap Literature) for William Shakespeare's Othello covers all five acts and works in tandem with "Who is the Tragic Hero of Othello" worksheet (another FREE resource at Mhari Doyle's Store).

Reading prompts help students navigate difficult texts by giving them a purpose for reading, questions that guide them through their reading assignments, and questions after reading to help them synthesize their thinking. This student guide (appropriate for 11th and 12th, honors, and AP Language and Ap Literature) for George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four/1984 covers all three parts. Perfect stand-alone lesson with no prep needed!

It's tough to be objective when you're grading essays. These rubrics give you and your students a consistent framework. No more "guess what the teacher wants this time" for students! These essay rubrics take the mystery out of how to write top-level essays by describing exactly what's expected in sophisticated writing. Each level on the 9-point scale offers detailed descriptions of strengths and weaknesses. I use these in my sophomore honors and AP Lang classes. My students appreciate the consis

Congratulations! You’ve just made a huge step in demystifying reading for your students! As English and reading teachers, most of us are natural readers who intuitively pick up on the mysteries of good writing and engage in reading. We want to know what comes next. We love seeing our predictions come true or get wildly twisted. It’s natural to us. Not so for many of our students; even some of our brightest kids will inevitably ask us, “Why do we have to read this? It’s so boring!”   That’s wher