ELA Lesson Plans: Online sources

These works are warnings; feverish missives churned out by half-mad prophets and visionaries whose message is uniform and clear: If we do not change our ways, these wastelands and teeming urban slums will be our future

But in order to effect any such change, there has to be a spark—these writers have to force the reader to feel emotions powerful enough to disrupt our routines; to shatter thought patterns and leave us so shaken that we have no choice but to alter our lives.

In this unit students examine three dystopian short stories, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin, and one dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

recently turned her lens on another incredible natural phenomenon - storm clouds above the American Midwest.

If you’re not impressed by THAT feat of literary genius, I hope you’ll at least give me an “A+” for putting together this list of 101 websites for English teachers. I did it by polling several of LinkedIn’s most prominent ELA groups over the course of a few months. As always, I hope you find something that’s new (and useful) to you

Cheat sheets have a bad rap as a way for students to succeed on tests without actually knowing the information, but now it’s time for them to have a more positive place in education. Cheat sheets can offer a succinct way for students to study their lessons and provide an excellent boost to what you are already teaching them in class. Cheat sheets can provide helpful information for teachers too. Browse through this selection to find cheat sheets for a variety of subjects.

This is because so much of aging is independent of lifestyle, diet, stress level or anything else that might distinguish some people from others—in particular, a great deal of the rate of aging is determined by the chemistry associated with oxygen consumption. In a nutshell, breathing is bad for you...but it’s rather non-negotiable."

Literature Circles provide an intellectual, rigorous, and authentic pathway into and through literature.  Each role utilized provides students interaction with stories in ways that will bring thoughtful and meaningful engagement as well as literary scholarship and sophistication.  Every discussion or seminar provides students opportunities to collaborate and develop sophistication beyond a superficial, contrived response. 

A setting is the backdrop within which a narrative occurs, but it goes far beyond the physical characteristics of a place in which events happen. Settings occur on both the storyworld and individual story levels. Settings at both levels are similar, but are differentiated by scope and the level of detail.

Film producer Allison Vanore, who has two entries in this year's Garden State Film Festival, reflects on why screenwriting is important for students. "It teaches them how films are constructed, that they are stories carefully constructed to make you feel a specific way just like books, television," Vanore says. "It's important to understand the medium we ingest and put out. From a creative standpoint, it gives students another way to create and express themselves."

It's actually pretty hard for me to write this type of a post. I don't do well with being informational and I'm nervous letting you into my world when it comes to how I actually teach. Perhaps I'm afraid of being judged. Perhaps I will look too traditional or, at the opposite end, too far away from the research-based "best practices." I made a ton of mistakes last year. However, one thing that seemed to work was an increase in motivation to read. I'm not entirely sure why this was the case, but I think it had to do with autonomy, choice, getting help with skills, critical thinking and high-interest texts