English III

Women of the South in a changing society

This lesson examines the lives of women in Southern Appalachia and other areas of the south during the Civil War and focuses particular attention on analyzing the historical stereotypes of women of the 19th-century.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

By Cindy Mcpeters and Aletha Aldridge.

Role plays from research on Native Americans

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 5.3

Introduction Dramatic role plays make history come alive. Research has a purpose! Students select a North Carolina American Indian to research. (I find students feel more connected if they do the selecting. Drawing names from a deck of 3x5 cards adds...

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 11 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Linda Tabor.

Family story with research

Using the book, When The Legends Die and a Native American story-telling unit, students gather a family story of their own.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

By Eric Broer.

Eroded land, eroded lives: Agriculture and The Grapes of Wrath (lesson 1 of 10)

This description is of only the first lesson in the unit, to be taught before students read the novel; thus, its primary purpose is to put this novel in historical context. Toward that end, students will learn about the (unintentional) abuse of soil that allowed the Dust Bowl to be so devastating and extensive. They will also see photographs by Dorothea Lange and others depicting the wasted land and subsequent wasted dreams of thousands.

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

By Annie Henry.

Cotton mills from differing perspectives: Critically analyzing primary documents

In this lesson, students will read two primary source documents: a 1909 pamphlet exposing the use of child labor in the cotton mills of North Carolina, and a weekly newsletter published by the mill companies. Students will also listen to oral history excerpts from mill workers to gain a third perspective. In a critical analysis, students will identify the audiences for both documents, speculate on the motivations of their authors, and examine the historical importance of each document.

Format: lesson plan

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Resources on the web

Webquest: The journeys and journals of John Lederer

In this eleventh grade language arts lesson, students study maps in relation to primary source texts to glean insights into the discovery of Western North Carolina. Students explore map features and how they increase understanding of the documents. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

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

That's not fair! Examining civil liberties with the U.S. Supreme Court

In this lesson, high school students work in collaborative groups to explore the issue of civil liberties by conducting Internet research on related court cases of their choosing. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Scripting the past: Exploring women's history through film

Students employ the screenwriter's craft to gain a fresh perspective on historical research. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Reader response in Hypertext: Making personal connections to literature

In this lesson, students choose four quotations that inspire personal responses to a novel they have read and create a multi-genre project to express these feelings. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 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

Myth and truth: The Gettysburg Address

In this lesson, students explore myths surrounding the Gettysburg Address. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Mark Twain and American humor

Students examine structure and characterization in the short story and consider the significance of humor through a study of Mark Twain's “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 English Language Arts)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

Making connections to myth and folktale: The many ways to “Rainy Mountain”

In this assignment, students write a three-voice narrative based on N. Scott Momaday’s structure in The Way to Rainy Mountain. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 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

Life on the Great Plains

Students examine the concept of geographic region by exploring the history of the Great Plains. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities

International trade in a global village

In this Xpeditions lesson, students research the spread of AIDS and report on how this problem has been affected by changes in global transportation and trade. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 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

A Harlem Renaissance retrospective: Connecting art, music, dance, and poetry

Students conduct Internet research, work with an interactive Venn diagram tool, and create a museum exhibit that highlights the work of selected artists, musicians, and poets of the Harlem Renaissance. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

The Great Depression and the 1990s

Students will use the American Memory Project's American Life Histories and other government resources to explore the origins of the welfare state and will then evaluate the need for such programs in the present. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: Library of Congress/American Memory Project