English IV

The Trial of Hamlet

In this lesson students have the chance to research courtroom procedure to try Hamlet for the murder of Polonius. Then, with some students in the roles of characters from the play, the class will conduct the trial of Shakespeare's most famous anti-hero.

Format: lesson plan (grade 12 English Language Arts)

By Ross White.

Lesson plans on the web

A Biography Study: Using Role-Play to Explore Authors' Lives

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students select American authors to research. They create timelines and biopoems about their authors and then collaborate in teams to design and present a panel presentation where they role-play their authors. The final project requires each student to synthesize information about his or her author in an essay that will be posted online at the U.S. Literary Map Project website. Extension activities include writing a formal research paper and reading other works by the selected authors.

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

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)

Provider: 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 World, and Fahrenheit 451. (Learn more)

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

Provider: 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 and Theatre Arts Education)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities