Anti-Defamation League
Intent vs. Impact: Why Does it Matter?
Contrary to the popular saying, words can hurt. Words matter! Tweens and teens can reflect on how words impact others even if the intent wasn't how the words were perceived. After examining an Instagram post where Lizzo apologized for...
K20 LEARN
Is Pizza Epic? Word Choice
Remember when everything was Fantastic! Fabulous! Awesome! Iconic! A series of activities encourages young writers to move beyond these overused descriptors and instead choose a more precise language.
Curated OER
Shades of Meaning
Students use words with similar meanings to analyze implied meanings. In this word connotation lesson, the teacher introduces the activity by asking students whether a new product should be advertised as "newfangled" or "cutting-edge." ...
Curated OER
Unlocking New Words
Students are introduced to the various types of suffixes and prefixes. In groups, they identify the root words and determine the proper suffix or prefix to add to the root. They complete a worksheet and review their answers to end the...
Curated OER
Using Analogies to Improve Vocabulary
Ninth graders analyze the relationships for pairs of words in analogical statements to infer word meanings. In this word meanings lesson, 9th graders complete an analogy pre-assessment, study a chart for using analogies to improve...
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. In this descriptive writing lesson, students read the example letter and analyze the corrections in the letter. Students read the example thank you notes and focus on the...
Curated OER
"Words, words, words"
Learners discuss words that represent the "big ideas" in Othello and that recur throughout the play. They will be assigned words to track throughout the text, recording which character says the word and in what context.
Prestwick House
"Because I could not stop for Death" -- Visualizing Meaning and Tone
Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" provides high schoolers with an opportunity to practice their critical thinking skills. They examine the images, diction, rhythm, and rhyme scheme the poet uses and consider how...
Curated OER
Stylistic Devices
Learners review connotation and denotation and stylistic devices in poetry. They read the lyrics to a song as it is being played and then discuss the meaning of the song. As a class, students read poems, share their thoughts, and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
Pain and suffering do not have to be inevitable in a study of Crime and Punishment. A carefully scaffolded lesson introduces readers to the divided natures of the characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's complex novel. Groups use the provided...
Curated OER
Bloody Business
Students research word frequencies in Macbeth and create a frozen picture inspired by a word. For this Macbeth lesson, students view Blood Will Have Blood and discuss the dual meaning of the word "blood." Students identify five major...
Curated OER
Vocabulary 6 - SAT Preparation
High schoolers discover how to spell, define, and employ in speaking and writing 20 vocabulary words which are likely to show up on the SAT test. Included are links to online printable puzzles and online flashcards.
Curated OER
Analogies In Action
Students practice skills to determine the relationship of words. In groups of two, classmates complete a chart to match vocabulary words into specific groups such as synonyms, antonyms, or familial relationship. To reinforce word...
Curated OER
Using Analogies to Improve Vocabulary
Ninth graders create and analyze analogies and infer word meanings from these relationships. Words can be taken from selection(s) or topics currently being read in class. These exercises strengthen student reading comprehension.
Curated OER
What Do You Call Older People?
Pupils brainstorm a list of words they use to refer to the elderly. As a class, they discuss the importance of word connotations and explain those used to refer to the older population. They complete a handout and share their thoughts...
Curated OER
Incorporate an Aspect of Environmentalism into an Essay Writing Curriculum
Students listen to a brief explanation of the meaning of denotation and connotation and engage in discussion of the word conservation incorporating both denotations and connotations of the word. They outline the consequences of our...
Curated OER
Back to School: Style Analysis
Jump back into expository writing and analysis at the start of a new school year! Start with a review of an authors' stylistic choices in diction, syntax, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. Writers choose a text to...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Geometry in Architecture #1
Discover how to analyze architecture from a geometric standpoint. The fourth installment of an 11-part unit on architecture first provides a presentation on axis, balance, basic form, formal, pattern, proportion, symmetry, and tripartite...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Byzantine Architecture
View Byzantine architecture from the comfort of your classroom. A PowerPoint presentation introduces important vocabulary terms and examples of Byzantine architecture in the ninth lesson of the 11-part series. A Jeopardy game reviews...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: What's In a Name?
Students use family names to gather and analyze data. In this counting lesson, students use graph paper to help organize their data and then, in a staircase fashion, organize the names from longest to shortest so they can answer...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies - Sentence Starters and Vocabulary
Young scholars prepare for the reading of iam Golding's novel, The Lord of the Flies, by exploring the theme through a discussion and sentence starter activity.
Curated OER
It's Raining Idioms!
Sixth graders analyze idioms and find examples from literature. They choose one idiom and finds pictures or draws pictures to show what it would mean if taken literally and what is it generally thought to mean.
Curated OER
Review of Literary Devices
Sixth graders review literary devices. They use both fiction and nonfiction texts to review metaphor, simile, alliteration, imagery, symbolism and personification. This lesson has a scripted guide for the teacher to follow.
Curated OER
Review of Personification and Alliteration
Students review personification and alliteration. In this literary devices lesson, students use personification and alliteration in a sentence. Students draw a picture reflecting personification.