English I

Resources on the web

The year I was born: An autobiographical research project

In this lesson, students conduct interviews and online research to find details on what was going on internationally, nationally, locally, in sports, music, arts, commercial, TV, and publishing during the year that they were born. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Unlocking the underlying symbolism and themes of a dramatic work

This lesson plan invites students to explore the items relevant to a character from Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun to unlock the drama’s underlying symbolism and themes. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Teaching plot structure through short stories

After viewing a PowerPoint presentation on plot structure, students use an online graphic organizer to identify the significant events that shape the structure of several short stories. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Survival of the fittest?

This lesson, from Xpeditions, introduces students to crocodilian species. Crocodilians, including crocodiles and alligators, are ancient animals that survived the period of mass extinction at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary about 65 million years ago. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic

Short story fair: Responding to short stories in multiple media and genres

In this lesson, students read short stories from a collection in small groups and then prepare responses in multiple media and genres that are shared in a culminating Short Story Fair. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Seuss and Silverstein: Posing questions, presenting points

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, classic stories provide the ideal springboard for struggling readers to discuss relevant social issues. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

The peace journey: Using process drama in the classroom

In this lesson, students respond to an imaginary advertisement, role-play, and work in small groups to develop a visual map as they explore the notion of peace. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Paying attention to technology: Exploring a fictional technology

This lesson asks students to complete a short survey to establish their beliefs about technology and then compare their opinions to the ideas in a novel that depicts technology (such as 1984, Brave New... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11–12 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Outside in: Finding a character's heart through art

In this lesson, students explore the idea of alienation by examining Edward Hopper's art and Raymond Carver's fiction. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Name that chapter! Discussing summary and interpretation using chapter titles

In this lesson, students name chapters in novels that they are reading, creating a cumulative list for the novel as they proceed. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Literary scrapbooks online: An electronic reader-response project

This lesson leads students to reflect on and respond to literature by creating an online scrapbook. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Judging a book by its cover: The art and imagery of The Great Gatsby

Students develop their understanding of visual literacy in this lesson that examines the cover art and a painting mentioned in the novel The Great Gatsby. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

John Brown and the Underground Railroad

Students analyze John Brown's attitudes and actions against slavery and then compare Brown's views with those of other people who were active in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic

Identifying and understanding the fallacies used in advertising

Students examine the fallacies that they encounter daily through exposure to advertising. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Id, ego, and superego in Dr. Seuss's “Cat in the Hat”

In this lesson, students explore plot, theme, characterization, and psychoanalytical criticism using The Cat in the Hat. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Graffiti wall: Discussing and responding to literature using graphics

In collaborative groups, students create graphics that illustrate elements of fiction in student-selected novels. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Focus on first lines: Increasing comprehension through prediction strategies

In this lesson, students examine opening sentences in literary works and make predictions about the content of the texts they will read later. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Finding Common Ground: Using Logical, Audience-Specific Arguments

In this lesson that focuses on the art of persuasion and argumentation, students use a hypothetical situation to predict and articulate the audience’s predicted resistance to their arguments. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying": Crossing the River

Students consider the symbolism of the river crossing in As I Lay Dying and how Faulkner's use of multiple narrative perspectives relates to the author's thematic concerns. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Exploring literature through letter writing groups

Working in groups, students will explore a work of literature by exchanging a series of open-ended letters. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE