Curated OER
Dialect Awareness in Literature and Life
Eighth graders realize the impact of dialect in literature as well as their own speaking and writing by reading selections from Frances O'Roark Dowell's novel, Dovey Cove.
Curated OER
Dialect Dictionaries
Pupils list non-standard English words they use in their community dialect. They create dictionary definitions for 15 of the words they come up with including: pronunciation, part of speech, definition and example of usage. They create...
Virginia Department of Education
Determining Purpose and Audience
Build the writing skills of your junior high wordsmiths with activities that introduce many essential skills of writing. As a class, they develop working definitions of formal vs. informal writing, explore different categories of...
Curated OER
Accent and Dialect
In this accent and dialect worksheet, students read four sentences that are written so the student will have an accent. Students answer four questions about the accent they had during reading. Students write eight sentences that are in...
Curated OER
Effective Back-to-School Nights
Here is an engaging and creative project to do with your ESL learners in preparation for back to school night. A digital camera is used to photograph each pupil, and everyone completes a short writing assignment that goes along with...
Curated OER
The Raven
After a close reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" individuals copy the rhythm and rhyme scheme and rewrite the final stanzas of the poem.
Curated OER
Candide: Problematic Situation
"Would a rational and well-regulated world include human suffering?" "If the plight of human suffering is the 'best of all possible worlds' do humans have freewill?" Class members develop their position on an issue raised by Candide,...
K12 Reader
Robert Burns’ Poetry: A Red, Red Rose
Regional dialect can make a lovely poem even more beautiful. After translating the Scots words in "A Red, Red Rose" into modern English, class members identify the two similes Robert Burns uses in his poem.
Curated OER
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Venn Diagram
“When a person knows and can’t make the others understand, what does he do?” Why (s)he collects evidence and writes an essay! Prepare your readers for a compare/contrast or reflective essay on The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by giving them...
Curated OER
Writing a Mystery Story
Young scholars examine the elements of mystery stories and read Rage in Harlem. In reciprocal teaching groups, they discuss the author's development of the story, and complete dialectical journals.
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
Tom Sawyer
This lesson kicks off with a PowerPoint presentation on Mark Twain. Learners examine the dialect, slang, viewpoint and setting. Then use e-mail to address three topics utilizing comprehension, synthesis, and evaluation skills.
Japan Society
National Identity and Literature from Okinawa
A lesson plan originally designed around the short story "Mr. Saito of Heaven Building" by Yamanokuchi Baku, this resource provides historical background, discussion questions, and brief writing assignments that help your class explore...
Curated OER
Dialect Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Students examine the life and works of Paul Laurance Dunbar. In groups, they read various poems of his and use a database to examine the covers of his books. They also discuss the criticism he faced during his life and how he dealt...
Curated OER
Poetry Passport
Passport photos are notoriously unflattering but here's an activity that encourages youngsters to create a poetic picture of themselves using each category on the passport as a prompt for a poem.
Kansas Poets
Persona Poem
Young poets are asked to craft a poem in the voice of a first person narrator, a dramatic monologue of sorts, that reveals not only a dramatic situation but something of the narrator's character as well.
Curated OER
A Courtin' We Will Go
Students investigate dialect in poetry as an indication of a people's culture in literature. They write a poem about dating in this era.
Curated OER
Language Arts: Survival Diaries
Students are able to compose a dialectical journal entry which analyzes information presented in a text. They are able to compose a creative journal entry which develops characters, presents events in logical order, and includes sensory...
Curated OER
A Voyage of Endurance
Students apply the three different types of journal writing by composing one of each type on the subject of Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica. They also
write a dialectical journal summarizing the facts of the expedition and...
Curated OER
Skippyjon Jones Lesson Plan
Learners meet an imaginative Siamese kitten pretends to be a Chihuahua when he is in time-out. In this Skippyjon Jones lesson plan, students develop an understanding of different cultures. They understand different dialects and...
Curated OER
ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES: CAN'T WE ALL GET ALONG?
Students reflect and explore their feelings and reactions to a segregation experiment through poetry. They discuss acceptable behavior during the experiment and the next day write journal entries reflecting their experiences.
Curated OER
New Jersey
In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read a passage about the early history of the state of New Jersey and answer true and false questions. Students write 10 answers.
Curated OER
Phonetics
Exploring the physiological and regional impacts on articulation, in spoken as well as sign language, this slideshow presents students with various views of how words are produced. Many practical and humorous examples help with both the...
Curated OER
Across Five Aprils/Civil War
Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...