English I

Cause and effect writing: What it looks like and who reads it

Students examine the causes and effects presented in a brochure called “Ozone: The Good and the Bad.” They also examine the language of the brochure with regard to audience appropriateness. Students then write their own brochures examine their classmates' brochures for cause and effect and for audience appropriateness.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)

By Michelle Roberts.

Defining Risk: A Search for Theme in Fahrenheit 451

Students explore their understanding of the notion of risk in relation to their own experiences and in response to a variety of quotes. This exercise serves as a springboard to themes in the novel Fahrenheit 451.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

By Leatha Fields-Carey.

Essays of Definition: Lively Writing through Professional Models

This lesson examines a professional model of a definition paper and asks students to analyze and imitate the structures of using anecdotes and cause and effect to elaborate an essay of definition.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

By Margaret Ryan.

Heaven or Groundhog Day?

This unit is designed to appeal to adolescents with its non-print text base, the movie Groundhog Day. The pre-viewing activities prepare students for the allusions in the movie and include cultural literacy. The teacher can pick and choose from the activities to apply the concept of personal growth. The teacher may select from activities for science, workplace ethics, music, computer competency, and English language arts. The teacher may modify any of the attachments to suit the students' needs and interests.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts, Music Education, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)

By Julia Millush.

Identifying RAFT elements in writing prompts and assignments

Student will read writing prompts and practice identifying RAFT elements: role of writer, audience, writing format, and topic. This is the first lesson in a series of three based upon LEARN NC's 9th grade writing exemplars.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

By Kim Bowen.

Introduction to Animal Farm

This lesson introduces students to Orwell's Animal Farm. They will summarize and reflect on reading and connect the novel to life in a meaningful way.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

By Teachers Connect.

Using RAFT to determine how to write an informational essay

Students will use RAFT as a tool to determine how to write an informational essay. They will also design a graphic organizer for the assignment as well as compose a rough draft. This is the second lesson in a series of three based on the LEARN NC 9th grade writing exemplars.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

By Kim Bowen.

Lesson plans on the web

Analyzing the purpose and meaning of political cartoons

In this lesson, students evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Analyzing the stylistic choices of political cartoonists

In this lesson, students learn terminology that describes comics and political (or editorial) cartoons and discuss how the cartoonists' choices influence the messages that they communicate. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Audio listening practices: Exploring personal experiences with audio texts

In this lesson designed to develop students’ involvement with media literacy, students keep a daily diary that records how and when they listen to radio, music (e.g., songs on MP3 players, podcasting), and other streaming media or archived broadcasts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Avoiding sexist language by using gender-fair pronouns

This ReadWriteThink lesson plan engages students in a brief writing assignment that concretely illustrates how language and gender stereotyping interact causally. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Become a character: Adjectives, character traits, and perspective

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students “become” one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters, using lists of accurate, powerful adjectives. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Behind the masks: Exploring culture and self through art and poetry

Students research mask making from various cultures, draw sketches of the masks, and take notes that highlight the connections between the masks and the cultural practices of the people who created them. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts, Visual Arts Education, and Computer Technology Skills)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Blogtopia: Blogging about your own utopia

In this lesson, students study utopian literature, design a unique utopian society and publish an explanation of their ideal world on a blog. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Comic makeovers: Examining race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the media

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore representations of race, class, ethnicity, and gender by analyzing comics over a two-week period and then re-envisioning them with a “comic character makeover.” (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–9 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Copyright infringement or not? The debate over downloading music

In this lesson, students investigate the controversial topic of downloading music from the Internet as part of a persuasive debate unit. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Decoding “The Matrix”: Exploring dystopian characteristics through film

In this lesson, students are introduced to the definition and characteristics of a dystopian work by watching video clips from The Matrix and other dystopian films. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Discovering poetic form and structure using concrete poems

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are introduced to the genre of concrete poetry, and encouraged to explore the relationship between the structure and meaning of a poem. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Environmental issues in the polar regions

Students will learn about how environmental problems affect the polar regions. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provider: National Geographic

Exploring cross-age tutoring activities with Lewis and Clark

Students use the book How We Crossed the West by Rosalyn Schanzer, along with interactive activities and websites, to explore the events of the Lewis and Clark expedition. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Information Skills and English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE