Students watch various interpretations of Shakespeare's Macbeth in film. In groups, they examine the setting, characters, music and sequence. They compare and contrast the various films and discuss the differences. They write an essay on...

Here is a handout that outlines six great steps to structuring an argumentative essay, which can be continually referenced as you teach your class about persuasive writing.

Can three works of literature work together to establish and develop a common central idea? Put your thoughts into writing with a final assessment focused on a unit-long analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepard to His...

Challenging pupils' perspectives by having them walk in the shoes of the reader. An informative resource discusses how to identify an audience and anticipate their needs before writing an upcoming argumentative essay. 

Rid yourself of unsupported analytic writing forever with a mid-unit assessment focused on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." As ninth graders formulate an essay based on evidence from the first seven lessons in the unit, they...

As writers continue to revise their argument essays, the focus shifts to editing grammatical conventions, parallel structure, and varying syntax to add interest. After examining model sentences that demonstrate sentence variety, writers...

Teach your class the basics of narrative writing! The resource first describes the Common Core standard for narrative writing in-depth, and then moves into how to apply the standard. Show your class the example essay and quiz them...

Is the Fourth of July a celebration for all Americans? Scholars carry out a close read of What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Readers talk with partners about the speaker's point of view, the author's debate, reasoning, and...

Learners research the structure and function of the eye. In this anatomy lesson, students write a report about the eye and draw an illustration. They research a particular animal's eye then present their findings to the class without...

Parenting can befuddle new moms and dads, but psychology helps! Learners explain various theories of parenting and child development using a case-study model and materials from College Board. A second practice question asks scholars to...

And that's a wrap! Scholars create their concluding statement drafts by examining model text with exemplar conclusions. In pairs, they discuss how transitional words and phrases add to sentence structure and consider how their concluding...

In this literature activity, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

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...

Jacque's soliloquy from Act II, scene ii of As You Like It sets the stage for a close reading exercise that models how to approach difficult, dense text and enables readers to practice reading comprehension and analysis...

Students practice combining sentences. In this writing lesson, students view essays and discuss how it can be revised, using sentence combining. Students practice this skill in their own essays.

For this study guide worksheet, students analyze the plot, characters, and structural devices used in The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy.

Students examine class structure. In this diversity education lesson, students discuss stereotypes within their school as an introduction to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. After students have read the play and discussed social class...

Students examine knightly virtues and will measure Gawain's strength in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. For this poetry analysis lesson, students identify the bob-and-wheel poetic form and analyze symmetry in the poem. Students...

For this literature worksheet, learners respond to 5 short answer and essay questions about Ellison's Invisible Man. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 16 short answer and essay questions about Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer and essay questions about Hugo's Les Miserables. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the selection at the bottom of the page.

Students discover Sky City. In this Asian culture and traditions lesson, students watch "Asia: Culture and Tradition," and then discuss the practicality of building Sky City. Students visit a Discovery Education Web site to research Sky...

Learners create and present a theme-based exhibition. In this design lesson, students categorize objects to reflect a specific design theme and create their own theme-based collections. Learners research a museum collection to discover...