English II

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.

Analyzing Significant Events in Jim the Boy

This activity, to be completed after reading Tony Early'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Improving Student Essay Writing

English II teachers are constantly searching for strategies to improve students' analytical responses to literature. This lesson is designed for all types of learners, offering various activities for all learning styles. Individual, small group, and whole class activities on essay writing culminate with the student writing his or her own formal response to literature.

This generic writing activity may be used with any literary unit and at any point in your students' development of the writing process.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Shawn Parker.

Looking Back - An Art/English/History Interdisciplinary unit

This is an interdisciplinary unit that incorporates research of historical events of the past century. By students learning to recognize that society impacts the themes within art and literature, students then take this knowledge base and interview an individual to develop a biographical narrative, a collage, and oral presentation.

The lesson can be modified to take two weeks or longer. Some of the activites are designed for long-term assignments.

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

By Julie Osmon.

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 Information Skills and English Language Arts)

By Bonnie Snyder.

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.

Replica of a Period Newspaper/World Literature

Students will research a specific time in history in order to create the front page of a newspaper relevant to the selected time period.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Kim Dechant.

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 notetaking 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.

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.

What is poetry?

This lesson introduces students to the poetic process. They will be able to connect poetry to life in a meaningful way become more careful readers of poetry.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Teachers Connect.

Lesson plans on the web

Analyzing symbolism, plot, and theme in Death and the Miser

In this lesson, students apply analytical skills to an exploration of the early Renaissance painting Death and the Miser by Hieronymous Bosch. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Critical reading: Two stories, two authors, same plot?

This lesson encourages students to read and respond critically to two different pieces of literature with the same title. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 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

Dramatizing History in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"

Students examine some of Arthur Miller's historical sources and read a summary of the historical events in Salem. (Learn more)

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

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities