VHS Lessons

I have been teaching MAUS and the Holocaust for the past five years at least. During our unit, we discuss what is important when telling a historical story, when listening to the story of others, and when trying to understand the human experience. With everything else going on in the world, I wanted to share my unit assessment for this for free and will keep it listed as free for as long as I operate this online store. In this project, I allow students to research an event or topic that revolv

Hello! This presentation is meant to be paired with the other AP/ACT/SAT Vocabulary activities found in my store. There you can find other vocabulary resources, such as weekly and monthly quizzes, cumulative exam, study tool, etc.  I usually give my kids the 8 weekly words at the beginning of each week–not including weeks with odd scheduling or a Monday holiday. (I find that the 20 weeks gets me through most of the year when omitting those odd weeks.) These are the slides I use for those introdu

This lesson includes two primary texts (a speech from RBG to newly naturalized citizens and the Oath of Naturalization that those citizens must take), close read questions for each of those texts, and possible essay questions developed from them (with a rubric included). This lesson could take anywhere from one hour to a week, depending on how you run your discussions and whether you choose to include the essay assignment. You can use some or all of the activities in conjunction together. The l

Whenever I start to teach writing, I like for students to first consider how they write. This quick and easy power point has students think about what they do when they sit down to write: what approach do they take? what blocks do they run into? what strengths do they have? This approach that I began using about seven years ago puts students on a scale--not just one style against the other. It examines what they may struggle with or do well based on their approach and then tips for future writi

Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite novels. However, there are SO many characters to keep track of--many of whom are introduced and then not mentioned again for another 50 pages or so. It can be a lot for the students to keep track of. I use this chart in class to help students navigate, analyze, and prioritize all the different characters.

These reminders are ones I use with my own students--reminders about timed writing, multiple choice, and taking care of themselves. It also includes a sheet I've made for students to fill out and have with them before they go in the door--quick checks of things that they want to remember day of. This is particularly good for students with test anxiety. These tools can easily be adjusted for different AP Classes. I have used this set up for the past five years teaching AP English. They have a sk

This online quiz is meant to accompany the introductory notes for this unit (you can find a copy of those notes for sale on my main store page). It is a quick quiz--6 short answer questions, 7 points total--and is meant to just check to make sure students understood the notes before starting the novel. The online format using Google Forms makes it perfect for remote learning! I have been using a Chrome extension called Form Timer to add time limits to all of my Google Form quizzes.

This resource is great to use after students have turned in a final draft for an essay. It asks them to reflect on their process and final product and what they may want to build upon or change for next time. I use it to help my students think about revisions, as I let them revise one paper to improve their grade later on. The digital format lets students fill it out online for distance learning. I use it in my concurrent enrollment courses, but it could easily be adjusted and used in any 6-12

A few years ago when I was teaching this book in my World Lit class, one of my students offered to make me a pronunciation and vocabulary guide for the novel. Her family is from Kerala, where the book takes place, and she wanted to make sure that readers who aren't from that area would be able to understand. She has agreed to let me share this resource for free here so that others can use it. It's incredibly helpful and easy to follow.

Americanah is one of my favorite books to both read and teach. It's beautifully written and a coming of age story that everyone can find something to relate to. Because the story takes place over a decade, it can be difficult for students to keep track of the many side characters. This chart is to help students keep track of characters, character traits, and where they first meet the characters.