LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

English I

Goal 4: The learner will create and use standards to critique communication.

Objective 4.02. Read and critique various genres by:

  • using preparation, engagement, and reflection strategies appropriate for the text.
  • identifying and using standards to evaluate aspects of the work or the work as a whole.
  • judging the impact of different stylistic and literary devices on the work.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

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.
"The Cask of Amontillado"
The short story "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe is an effective venue for teaching English I literary terms. The following lesson plan is designed to engage the reader in a deeper than superficial reading of the text. It is also designed to elicit discussion and written critical-thinking responses. This lesson assumes that the literary terms have already been introduced. However, if they have not, the teacher may use this lesson to introduce these terms in the context of the literature.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
By Guy Hill and Crystal Brown.

Resources on the web

So what do you think? Writing a review
In this lesson that can be used at the conclusion of any in–class reading assignment, students study sample reviews of movies, music, restaurants, and books in preparation for writing their own critical review of literature. Students evaluate professional... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Reading literature in translation: "Beowulf" as a case study
By comparing a number of translations of Beowulf with each other and with the basic poetic elements of Old English alliterative verse, this lesson asks students to reflect upon the nature of translation not as an act of accurate... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Poetry: Sound and sense
In this lesson, students read and evaluate language usage in poetry and write original poems based on the activity. Students will: Use the "question the author" strategy when reading poems to help understand the author's meaning, language,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Onomatopoeia: A figurative language mini-lesson
Students learn the literary device of onomatopoeia in this lesson that focuses on “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe. After students brainstorm a list of words and find examples of the technique in the poem, they reflect on how these words add to... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Magazine redux: An exercise in critical literacy
This lesson prompts students to act as critical readers as they consider how and why their approach and experiences differ when reading an online version versus a print version of a magazine. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)
Provided by: IRA/NCTE
Lights, camera, action...music: Critiquing films using sight and sound
Students view a scene from Good Morning, Vietnam in which the visuals and the music contradict each other. Web resources provide information about lighting, color, sound, and camera angle, thus allowing students to evaluate... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Ghosts and fear in language arts: Exploring the ways writers scare readers
This ReadWriteThink lesson invites students to investigate what it is that is so fascinating about scary stories. They do so by exploring their own scary stories and scary short stories and books. The lesson culminates in a Fright Fair, where students share... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Exploring the power of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words through diamante poetry
Students explore the ways that powerful and passionate words communicate the concepts of freedom, justice, discrimination, and the American Dream. Upon reading Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, students evaluate literary devices... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Draft letters: Improving student writing through critical thinking
In this lesson, students reflect on a single piece of writing that they have completed, thinking more deeply about their writing and how they work as writers. Students write reflective letters to the teacher, identifying their own thoughts on the piece... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 12 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Audio broadcasts and podcasts: Oral storytelling and dramatization
After exploring the historical information surrounding Welles’ famous broadcast, War of the Worlds, students create criteria for effective audio dramatizations and then compose their own production of a group-selected scene... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–11 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink