Curated OER
The Visual Thesaurus and the SAT
Demonstrate strategies for tackling unfamiliar vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT. Using Visual Thesaurus computer software, middle and high schoolers interpret contextual clues, solve sample sentence completion questions, and...
Curated OER
Word Roots 1 dict, vent, duct Advanced Level Synonym or Antonym Word Puzzle
Play a bit of a matching game with the words addicted, intervene, abdicate, circumvent, seductive, and conducive. Using the provided word list, select a synonym and an antonym for each vocabulary word. Quiz your class or use this as a...
Curated OER
Word Roots 3: cern, jur, leg Advanced-Definition-Match 3
Try to match the vocabulary word with the definition provided. Vocabulary words include: abjure, discriminate, allegation, perjury, unjustly, secrete, legacy, certify, recrimination, etc. All vocabulary words are based on Latin roots....
Curated OER
Word Roots 3 cern, jur, leg Advanced Level Synonym or Antonym Word Puzzle
Does your class know the meaning of abjure, perjury, certify, discriminate, illegitimate, and relegate? Find out by assigning this exercise, where learners choose both a synonym and an antonym from a word list to go along with each...
Curated OER
Word Roots 7: Spect, Sta, Vert Intermediate-Crossword
Given the clues, can you complete the crossword puzzle for words containing the Latin roots spect, sta, and vert? No word list is given, but using the answer sheet, you can provide your class with the list of words to choose from. This...
Curated OER
Word Roots 2: Fin, Sed, Fer Advanced Fill-in-the Blanks
Fill in the blanks of the listed sentences with the vocabulary words provided! All words come from the Latin roots fin, sed, and fer. Answers are given when scholars submit the worksheet online. Develop vocabulary in context.
Curated OER
Seeing Words in a New Way
What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...
Curated OER
Active and Passive Voice
Six quick slides show the difference between the active and passive voice and how to eliminate the passive voice in one's writing. Identify the subject and verb of the sentences shown, and rearrange them to change the voice. Encourage...
Curated OER
Communicative Choices & Linguistic Style
Start by watching a video entitled Do You Speak American? and respond to discussion questions about the various dialects showcased throughout the video to identify the regional linguistic styles throughout America. As a culminating...
Curated OER
Macbeth News Broadcast
Here is an authentic assessment task for Shakespeare's Macbeth. Young literature scholars prepare, perform, and record a news broadcast about the major events in the play. For example, groups may choose to report on the death of Lady...
Curated OER
Awesome Stories: Vincent van Gogh
Who was Vincent van Gogh? Most of the questions can be answered in two or three sentences; however, there is at least one essay prompt and one personal response question that require longer answers. Questions call for a good mix of...
Curated OER
Spelling Detective
Put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and become a spelling detective! Scholars hunt down the spelling errors in a short passage of a high-interest current events text. Here is a great way to develop editing and reading skills.
Curated OER
Spelling by Picture: School Subjects
For younger English grammar classes, this activity could be a review of vocabulary related to school; however, it could also be used with older English language learners. Guided by a simple graphic for each of eight words, pupils fill in...
Curated OER
Punctuation 2: Other than Commas
Thoroughly cover the nuances of apostrophes, quotation marks, dashes, hyphens, colons, and semi-colons. Intended for higher-level English classes, the examples given pertain to tricky rules and formal language. There are no animations or...
Curated OER
Commonly Misspelled Words
Display this list of commonly misspelled and frequently confused words for your learners. Though there is no interactive component, this handout is a great reference tool comparing many homophones such as sole and soul. One tip...
Curated OER
Pesky Punctuation 1: The Comma
From the purpose of punctuation to its proper uses, guide your learners with this presentation. Great visuals dissect sentences to show where a comma belongs and the different parts of a sentence. Help your class use commas only when...
Curated OER
Knowing Write from Wrong
Explore how the informality of electronic correspondence has affected communications in the workplace. Writers develop pages for a basic writing guide that contains rules and examples to help correct common writing errors. A great way to...
Curated OER
Reading: Personality-Type Questionnaire
While this activity is a personality questionnaire, it could be used for a variety of purposes. High school students might use this activity as a way to spur discussion about individual traits. The 20-question activity contains scenarios...
Curated OER
Modals: Passive Voice
Encourage verb tense awareness by focusing on the passive voice. It could be used with a variety of learners, however, a few of the questions should be modified for younger children. By completing this twenty-six question activity,...
Curated OER
Semicolons: Where Should They Go?
Do you know how to use a semicolon? Are you sure? Everybody can benefit from a review! This presentation goes through a detailed explanation of when and how to use them. There are examples and a quiz at the end. A handy resource to use...
Curated OER
Team Assignment - A Parking Dilemma
Class groups are challenged to solve the school’s parking problem. Each team must establish ground rules for their discussion, determine criteria that must be met, and brainstorm possible solutions. Next, they agree on one solution and...
Curated OER
Persuasive Speech in Julius Caesar
After reading Julius Caesar 1.2 and 1.3, break your class into pairs for this role-play. Each pair will receive one of four prompts (or more, if you create additional examples), in which one person tries to persuade the other to do...
Curated OER
Group Product-Pitch Presentation
Are you just about to teach persuasion in your class? If so, you should consider this short unit. In small groups, learners create a product, develop a magazine ad for the product, and pitch this product to the class using a visual...
Curated OER
Poetry Through Digital Storytelling
Bring digital storytelling to your language arts class! To begin, learners select their own topic, such as a poem that reflects a life experience they had or a historical figure who interests them. Then they work to create a storyboard...