English II

Using extended similes to elaborate and add style

Students will analyze a series of extended similes, develop criteria for strong and weak extended similes, and begin using extended similes as a tool for elaboration in their own writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Jennifer Smyth.

Thematic and organizational patterns in McLaurin's "The Rite Time of Night"

Students will learn to identify and color-code thematic and organizational patterns found in the narrative and then use two-column note-taking to highlight how these patterns helped McLaurin give his story focus and organization. As a suggested follow-up activity, students are given ideas for writing their own narratives, using similar techniques as McLaurin.

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

By Vickie Smith.

Making patterns make sense

Students will analyze organizational patterns in analytical writing by reading, Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. Students will then apply these patterns to their own writing by creating children's books about success.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Heather Bower.

Making a video critique of an information source

After finishing their social issues research paper for their English class (or any other type of research paper), students will write and present orally a critique of one information source used in their research papers. Students will work in pairs to videotape each other, and they must also design appropriate backdrops for their oral presentations. Students will watch and evaluate all critiques.

This interdisciplinary assignment combines information skills and language arts skills, and requires collaboration between the media specialist and the English teacher.

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

By Bonnie Snyder.

Helping students understand text structures: Informational problem/solution

This exercise teaches students to understand the organizational structure of problem/solution essays by having them write "what it says" and "what it does" statements about a text. Asking students to write these statements about a text will enable students to read the text closely and will ensure that they understand the structure of a problem/solution text.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Margaret Ryan.

Focus in writing

This brief lesson will help students recognize when a paragraph loses focus and will help them understand the concept of focus.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Peter Bobbe.

Examining effective openers and closures in writings

Students will listen to a reading of Dr. Seuss' and Jack Prelutsky's Hooray for Difendoofer Day! Students will then work cooperatively to edit one another's rough drafts of analytical essay, focusing on openers and closures.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Heather Bower and Michele Hicks.

Do you really believe in magic?

Students are introduced to the genre (or mode) of Magical Realism in World Literature by reading Gabriel Garcia-Marquez's short story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." This lesson plan is modified for an English Language Learner (ELL) at the Intermediate Low (IL) proficiency level.

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

By Ann Gerber and Tericia Summers.

Diction in Maya Angelou's poem "Remembering"

The class will annotate and discuss Angelou's poem. Then they will select specific words and complete a webbing that asks them to explore the connotations of the word as well as consider the author's purpose in using it.

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

By Vickie Smith.

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.

Analyzing significant events in Jim the Boy

This activity, to be completed after reading Tony Earley's Jim the Boy, helps students identify examples and details and then analyze them effectively. The class will brainstorm examples of life-changing events in Jim's life. The teacher will select one of the events, find the pages in the novel where it is discussed, and show the students how to annotate the text by marking details and commenting on them. Using a "T" chart, the class will then select three of the details to analyze.

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

By Vickie Smith.

Analyzing author style using sentence combining

This activity should be completed before reading the essay “Beach People, Mountain People” by Suzanne Britt. Students will combine three sets of kernel sentences based on the first paragraph of Britt's writing. They will then compare their sentences to Britt's. The class will discuss what sentence combining strategy or strategies they used and observe how Britt varies her sentences.

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

By Vickie Smith.

Resources on the web

Weaving the multigenre web

In this lesson, students read novels, analyze the literary elements, and create a multigenre project to present information to their peers. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using technology to analyze and illustrate symbolism in Night.

This step-by-step lesson introduces students to Elie Wiesel's use of symbolism in his autobiographical novel, Night. After learning about symbolism and discussing its use in the book, students create photomontages using online... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Using student-centered comprehension strategies with Elie Wiesel's "Night"

Working in small groups, students use reciprocal teaching strategies as they read and discuss Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

So what do you think? Writing a review

After examining samples of movie, music, restaurant, and book reviews, students devise guidelines for writing interesting and informative reviews. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Holocaust and resistance

Students reflect on the Holocaust from the point of view of those who actively resisted Nazi persecution. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Happily ever after? Exploring character, conflict, and plot in dramatic tragedy

Students pick a turning point of a tragedy and show how the action of the play would have been significantly altered had a different decision been made or a different action taken. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Ghosts and fear in language arts: Exploring the ways writers scare readers

Students investigate what it is that is so fascinating about scary stories. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Geography and history in songs

Students look at some historical paintings on the Internet and describe the things the paintings reveal about the places depicted in the paintings. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Geographic