Pupils participate in an oral story telling activity designed to show how story embellishments occur. They read "Beowulf" and identify incongruities that suggest additions and embellishments over the years.

How is Louisiana connected to the Holocaust? After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, eighth graders complete a research report about a survivor of the Holocaust who currently resides in Louisiana. Though the idea is a good way to...

If you're completely lost on what grammar you should cover for Common Core skill L.9-10.1, look here! You will find some ideas and examples on what to include, making sure your learners can master the skill. The multiple choice quiz is...

Careful proofreading is an important step in the writing process.  After guided practice using a provided worksheet that details common grammar concepts, young writers refer to the worksheet as they proofread their own work....

Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are directed to complete two projects as a part of their study of Mark Twain’s novel.  Individuals craft an organized notebook containing all their work during the study, and they...

Car For sale! In this GED prep lesson, writers develop a classified advertisement to sell a car. After a discussion of precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language, sellers draft their ad for review, revision and...

A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...

Students create a short report using all the steps in the writing process including a bibliography. They explore different pictures that relate to their topic and download an image for the internet into their report. A helpful rubric is...

High schoolers use songs to analyze their sense of identity and self-worth. In groups, they discuss and explore their own character development and discover how far they have come in recent years. They also identify the positive and...

A great way to gain proficiency when learning a new language is to prepare an oral presentation.  In this foreign language lesson, pairs collaborate to develop a Time Capsule which they present to their class using their target...

Foreign language learners decipher the meanings of classified ads in the target language. They investigate a large collage created by the teacher of foreign language advertisements and discuss the content with classmates.  Then...

Therefore! However! Furthermore! Explore the power of transition words and phrases. Signal your readers by suggesting the relationship between different thoughts or points. Help them demonstrate an understanding of word relationships. 

The term curricula vitae might sound more sophisticated than the term resumes, but that doesn't mean it's the preferred document to send to potential employers. As explained in a handout on curricula vitae (CV) versus resumes, part of a...

Students write a five paragraph expository theme. They explain in their theme how the story they read qualifies as science fiction. Students write using all the conventions of English correctly.

Students explore the definition and derivation of the popular saying "dumb down." Using worksheets and lecture materials, students provide meanings for the phrase when used in varying contexts. They also consider the derivation of each...

Students explore the definition and derivation of the popular word "cred." Using worksheets and lecture materials, students provide meanings for the word when used in varying contexts and when used as a phrase. They also consider the...

Learners utilize Internet sites to improve word recognition, increase vocabulary and comprehension of the English language. They complete a worksheet stating facts from selected Internet sites. They write a composition about the web...

Students view the Olympic Games events in real-time via satellite feed, Olympic Games sites on the Internet, or CNN. They report results as soon as they happen and quickly edit their news flashes for correct spelling, grammar, and usage.

Students write, format, enter, save, revise, edit a full block style letter with open punctuation for printing. They produce a personalized letterhead using a computer and access information from the Internet using a variety of search...

Young scholars investigate words associated with Anti-Semitism and hate. They view and discuss a video about teaching tolerance focusing on language usage.

Students explore the use of commas in sentences. In this usage lesson, students review a study sheet about commas. Students then complete a worksheet, inserting commas correctly in the sentences.

A pair of complex sentences, drawn from a New York Times article about a police writing class, are punctuated differently with commas and semicolons. There's only one question, but it's a good one to press your grammarians to increase...

Don't let your pupils bite off more than they can chew! Comprehending idiomatic speech can be very perplexing to language learners. Readers must use context clues, common sense, and knowledge of the connotative and denotative meanings to...

The documentary, The Legendary King of San Miguel Island, introduces the fascinating tale of Herb Lester, his family, and their life on San Miguel Island. Viewers have an opportunity to expand their study of the island and of...