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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Connotative vs. Denotative Meanings

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Besides the dictionary definition, words also carry the added weight of meanings that are inferred or implied, meanings conferred on words, or connotations. To gain an understanding the importance of connotation, class members engage in...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Fear, and Conquering Fear

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
The Lord of the Flies and The Kite Runner are the core texts in a unit that asks learners to examine various texts that show how fear can be a destructive force or it can be an agent of change. Individuals they design a project that...
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Lesson Plan
Institute for the Professional Development of Adult Educators

Using Context Clues with Signal Words

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
When you come across an unfamiliar word in a text, do you skip it and move on? Practice using context clues to identify words you don't know with a thorough set of language arts lessons. The resource reinforces close reading and critical...
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Unit Plan
4
4
Louisiana Department of Education

The Scarlet Letter

For Teachers 11th Standards
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Our “Civilized” Society

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
The Scarlet Letter is the anchor text in a four-week unit that examines Hawthorne's novel through the lens of the intolerances found in a supposed civilized society. In addition to their reading, class members watch clips from TV shows,...
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Lesson Plan
Brigham Young University

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Word Squares

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Encourage your class to use a variety of strategies to learn and retain vocabulary words. The plan suggests that near the beginning of your reading of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead pupils should find words in the text that are...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Prefixes, Suffixes and Root Words to Improve College Level Vocabulary

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Grow vocabulary skills with an understanding of affixes and word roots. Included here are a few activities and plenty of materials you can use to support your learners as the focus on building vocabulary.
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Assessment
3
3
Curated OER

Performance-Based Assessment Practice Test (Grade 11 ELA/Literacy)

For Students 11th Standards
Support your eleventh graders with a practice assessment for the Common Core tests. The practice test features a series of literary and informational passages and related multiple choice and essay questions. An online version is also...
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Assessment
2
2
Curated OER

End-of-Year Practice Test (Grade 11 ELA/Literacy)

For Teachers 11th Standards
Set up a solid foundation for learners going into Common Core testing by taking some time to complete this practice test. Class members answer questions about both literary and informational texts, with an emphasis on textual evidence....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Concept Formation Lesson Plan: Understanding "Protest"

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
After analyzing both examples and non-examples of a variety of protests conducted by ethnic groups in Seattle and the state of Washington during the twentieth century, your class members will work to identify the key ideas and components...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

A High-Interest Novel Helps Struggling Readers Confront Bullying in Schools

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Bully, bullied, or bystander? Paul Langan's The Bully is the anchor text in a unit that examines bullying and violence. After a close reading of the text, readers imagine themselves as the characters and consider how they would react in...
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Lesson Plan
4
4
Curated OER

Constructing Narrative from the Migrant Experience in Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Excerpts from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and from John Fante's Ask the Dust, as well as a variety of primary source documents provide the background for an examination of the migrant experience from 1920-1945.
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

Vocabulary Activity

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Talk about a menu! Who would have thought SAT prep could be so delicious? Treat your class to a full course of SAT words with a timed activity that asks groups to create clues for dishes on their bill of fare. Distained veggies anyone?...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

1984 by George Orwell

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Readers of Nineteen Eighty-Four engage in a close reading exercise that directs their focus to the key details Orwell provides in the opening paragraphs to introduce his dystopian society. The included worksheeet is divided into three...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Vocabulary Comic Strips

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Who says comic strips aren’t educational? Prove these naysayers wrong by asking your class members to create a comic strip for a selected vocabulary word. Using online technological tools that provide access to an array of options for...
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Lesson Plan
Shakespeare Uncovered

Merely Players

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
“. . . one man in his time plays many parts,/His acts being seven ages.” Jaques famous speech from Act II, scene vii of As you Like It sets the stage for an examination of the roles people play. Class members not only consider the roles...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words In The News

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A complete resource from BBC World Service provides informational text for English or ESL classes to teach vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills. Learners participate in small group work, whole class discussions, and role-plays to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Shooting an Elephant"

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Study selected vocabulary terms in George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant." A chart includes five selections, and learners must record the connotative and denotative meaning for each. A great look at using the context to define vocabulary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Power of Puns

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Read and analyze a variety of Shakespearean and contemporary puns using Visual Thesaurus computer software. Middle and high schoolers analyze a pun as a class; in small groups they analyze a Shakespearean pun using contextual clues and...
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PPT
Curated OER

Figures of Speech Slide Show

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
This slide show on figures of speech includes definitions, images, and examples from real texts for several common terms: metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, irony, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, and imagery. The presentation is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shades of Meaning

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Examine and distinguish between words that have similar definitions but different connotations. Middle schoolers define connotation and denotation and participate in a "shades of meaning" contest in small groups. Groups use the Visual...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that includes asking...
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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Vocabulary Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Vocabulary instruction works best when taught within a larger context. A vocabulary activity builds connections by using synonyms to help learn the meaning of new words. This helps connect the words to prior knowledge and give them context.
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Worksheet
One Stop English

Brexit

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Brexit. Eurosceptics. Titanorak. Frankenstorm. Check out a neat worksheet and the attached article. It's all about buzzwords and how they are birthed. Whoda thunkit.