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Welcome back to AwaytoTeach - Remember, it's easy to start a new forum or upload a lesson or an original lesson. Most of those options can be found in the sidebar on the upper left hand side of your screen. I want to remind all users that don't have 5 points yet (that's only 3 postings!) - the computer will automatically delete your account after 4 weeks. AwaytoTeach is on a very small server and I need to keep our file size down - so it has always made sense to me to reserve the site for those who are the most active.
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An Introduction to Illuminated Texts - A Screencast
This is the first in what I hope to be a long series of screencasts to help teachers and their students with the creation of Illuminated Texts. This video introduces the concepts of Illuminated Texts - shows and describes two of them - and gives an explanation of The Illuminated Text Learning Center. If you've ever wanted to know just what an Illuminated Text is - or if you want to hear a little history behind their inception, this would be a good video to watch. The presentation last about 10 minutes. Read more »
The Kite Runner Project Ideas Post-Reading Activities
After reading The Kite Runner, I opened the classroom up for different forms of expression and demonstration of comprehension of the main principles in the novel. Students have grown close to Amir, Hassan, and Soraya over the corse of studying this novel. Because of our current situation in Afghanistan and gross misunderstanding and prejudice against Muslims and Afghans, The Kite Runner makes the people of Afghanistan, as well as the current conflict with Al Queda (not Afghanistan itself, which is hard for students to discern at first), real for the students. It gives a "face" to what they hear on the news.
Literary Terms
This is a handout that I developed for the first day of school for seniors. It is based on a shorter version I created for sophomores. The idea for the seniors was that they have been studying Literary terms for three years, so let's do a quick review and move in to bigger things. They are given the handout and asked to write the numbers 1through 4 in the margins. 4 means they can define the word and really know it, 3 means they pretty much know it and can manage a definition.
The Scarlet Letter in a Fishbowl
For this unit of study, students practice effective discussion techniques using the “fishbowl” strategy with a focus on characterization/symbolism in the Scarlet Letter. Students are given three weeks to read the text, along with instructions for what they should before reading and during reading. On the day the book is due read, students are given a short reading test to make sure that they read, and have to turn in an Anticipation Guide.
Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Period
I will use this lesson to introduce my students to the Anglo-Saxon period prior to reading Beowulf. I have attached a power point we will go over in class. It includes several links to great online sources. Also attached are my personal notes on the period and an animoto I plan to show to spark their interest in Beowulf before we begin reading.
Lord of the Flies Intro Lesson
What is poetry Lesson 4 Free Verse
What is Poetry Lesson 3
Introduction to The Crucible
This is an introductory lesson that reviews key concepts and provides background on The Crucible, why Miller wrote it, the Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism and Puritan belief. The students build their individual concept maps based on the introduction. The use of double entry journals from the beginning of the unit on The Crucible promotes close reading of the text. For me, it is often hard to get started; hopefully this lesson helps those of you get a jump on this text.
Catcher in the Rye Cover Art
This is a 73-slide powerpoint of covers for various editions (from around the world) of The Catcher in the Rye. It can be used to spur discussions about themes and/or symbols in the novel. A good follow-up activity would be to have students create their own covers, drawing on their understanding of characters, events, and/or themes.
The House of the Scorpion Critical Thinking
This lesson plan is actually a 39-entry reading workbook designed to be used as a launching pad for both new vocabulary and higher-order thinking that can be used to strengthen writing skills. Therefore, the purpose in reading The House of the Scorpions and using the accompanying workbook is to: 1) increase vocabulary, 2) increase summary writing skills, 3) increase higher-order thinking through predicting, comparing, and justifying, 4) increasing fluency through read alouds, and 5) strengthen writing skills.
Short Story in the Round
Short Story Unit -- After reviewing the short story plot structure and necessary terminology associated with fiction (protagonist, antagonist, characterization--direct, indirect, dynamic, flat, round, etc., conflict, setting, etc., teachers should split the class into groups of 3 and give each group a picture of a person(s)/living creature(s). Once groups have their visual, they must fill out a character inventory (see attached). Explain the importance of maintaining the tone and mood of the picture.
What is poetry Lesson 5
Exploring Culture Through Dialogue Poems
The title of the lesson is called “Exploring Dialog Poems” and is intended for 10th and 11th grade students enrolled in English. One of the primary purposes of this lesson is to assess students’ understanding of different perspectives on cultural themes. A dialog poem reflects a dialog between two people who represent different perspectives on a particular theme, issue, or topic. The teacher sets the stage by explaining to students that dialog poems are poems for two (or more) voices; first one voice speaks and then another.
What is poetry Lesson 2
