This pack contains 11 different forms to use in conjunction with a Personal Narrative Unit. It includes mini-lessons on personal narrative skills such as: Show Not Tell Avoiding Cliches and Common Descriptions Writing Attention-Grabbing Hooks Crafting Memorable Conclusions Writer's Voice It also includes a self-revision form and three peer revision activities. This pack will help students write personal narrative essays that leave a lasting impression in the reader's mind.

This series of mini-lessons can also be found in our Mega Literary Analysis Essay Bundle, sold separately. The introduction paragraph is arguably one of the most important paragraphs in any essay. It makes the first impression and establishes the focused purpose for the essay. These mini-lessons show students how to go from the attention-grabber (or lead) to the focused thesis statement in an effective way using student examples. No unit on the literary analysis essay is complete without these mini-lessons that will help students set the purpose and direction for a piece of writing on interpreting a work of art.

This mini-lesson series can be found as part of the Literary Analysis Essay Mega Bundle-- sold separately. Bundle and SAVE! In this mini-lesson series, students will brainstorm options for textual evidence to support their thesis statements for the literary analysis essay. They will also learn about selecting the evidence that best supports or shows the argument in action. Afterwards, students decide whether or not to organize their evidence in chronological order or by power. This is an excellent mini-lesson to use during the writing process before students have written a completed rough draft!

This activity challenges students to consider Beowulf as a work of propaganda. Students are to document examples of propaganda and bias in the poem by looking for specific propaganda devices and tone words in action. After gathering evidence, students synthesize their findings in a piece of writing to use as reference during a class discussion on how Beowulf exists as a piece of propaganda. Answer key included! This activity is also included in my MEGA Beowulf Bundle (25 lessons and activities with answer keys!). You can find the entire bundle in our store, sold separately. BUNDLE AND SAVE!

Characterization is a literary element that can be used as a lens to analyze all other literary elements and devices. This bundle contains 13 mini-lessons centered on analyzing characterization that are ready to print and use with any text. These mini-lessons include acting skits, writing poetry, creating timelines, drawing comic strips, and much, much more! They are great activities for facilitating the writing process. This bundle also has great ideas to use for emergency lesson plans in grades 6-12. Find this bundle as part of the Bespoke ELA MEGA CHARACTERIZATION BUNDLE, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

These graphic organizers are a nice supplementary item for a Beowulf unit. They give basic definitions of epic conventions, epic hero traits, archetypes, and major characters from the poem and allow space for students to write in textual evidence plus explanations for these items as they find them in the text. These are excellent tools to keep students organized when analyzing key concepts in the poem-- great for students of all levels! Thorough answer keys included with textual evidence and explanations! Graphic Organizer #1: Epic Conventions Graphic Organizer #2: Traits of the Epic Hero Graphic Organizer #3: Main Characters Graphic Organizer #4: Archetypes These items are included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE (25 lessons and activities with answer keys!). You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store, sold separately.

In this assignment, students become a modern-day Chaucer and create a stereotype poem based upon a contemporary figure in society. They must write a poem that describes this modern-day pilgrim, including imagery and rhetorical devices, that reveals a clear tone either approving or disapproving of the figure. After creating the poem, students are asked to write a paragraph explanation of their stereotype poem that includes the effect of their rhetorical devices. This is an excellent way to make Chaucer's work relevant to today's society and even an effective writing task for students to complete BEFORE reading Canterbury Tales. Students will LOVE sharing their stereotype poems with the entire class! This assignment includes a student sample of a stereotype poem about politicians as well as a rubric to grade the final product.

While my students read a piece of literature, I give them "Reading Checks" to hold them accountable for the reading. These questions are not designed to be "tricky" or difficult. They exist only as a means to check whether or not students read the assigned pages; therefore, they are 100% plot questions. I use these questions to make sure students are on the same page (literally) and are ready to move beyond plot into analysis during class activities. As a side note, reading check grades are an excellent way to communicate to parents why a student may be struggling in your class because they will reflect whether or not a student is doing the assigned reading. In this document, I have attached reading checks for a novel study on Fahrenheit 451-- there are 5 reading checks in all (two for Part One, one for Part Two, and two for Part Three). Answer keys are included for EACH reading check!

Task Teacher Page To analyze writing style by comparing and contrasting two different styles of poetry Objectives • To use close reading annotation skills to assist poetry analysis •To identify and analyze literary elements and techniques in poetry in order to arrive at a thematic interpretation • To craft valid, logical arguments supported by strong, relevant textual evidence • To work collaboratively in a group in order to produce a high-quality product • To classify poems by style • To understand the differences in style of the Imagists and Romantics • To revise poems in the style of the Imagists and the Romantics • To construct a well-formed, logical,and thorough style analysis essay of two poems • To compare/contrast styles of poetry Common core objectives L1-6, 9, 11/ W1-2, 4-6, 10-11/ SL1, 4, 6/ L1-6 Poems included Romantics “Romance” by Edgar Allan Poe “The World is Too Much with us” by Wordsworth “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron Imagists “In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound “Oread” by H.D. "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams Procedure This lesson includes three poem pairings. The poems are not necessarily thematically related. Each pair of poems contains one Romantic poem and one Imagist poem. They are juxtaposed so that students can compare their styles side-by-side. Students are to read and annotate each pair of poems, one set at a time, and then complete the follow-up discussion questions and writing task. Students will compare and contrast the style of Romantic poets and Imagist poets and then write their own original poems in the style of either the Romantics or the Imagists. They will then write a style analysis essay in which they compare and contrast the traits of the Romantics vs. the Imagists. ------------------------------------------------- This lesson makes a great addition to any poetry unit in the secondary ELA classroom!

This product is a POWER POINT that contains 30 MENTOR SENTENCES from famous classic writers to model key literary terms, rhetorical devices, and syntactical structures for students. For each sentence, students are to: 1. Copy the sentence. 2. Make observations about the sentence. 3. Imitate the sentence. 4. Learn about literary devices. 5. Answer questions about how the devices are used for rhetorical and literary effect. 6. Revise an essay with a new sentence modeled after that of the famous writer. 7. Reflect back on the new added sentence. 8. Share with a partner. These MENTOR SENTENCE activities will take students through the process of not only using literary and rhetorical devices in action but will integrate them into writing workshop as mini-lessons for making their writing more powerful. This POWER POINT is fully editable and is suitable for Advanced Placement and modifiable for other levels of HIGH SCHOOL English. ========================== Devices included in this set include: Parallel Structure Antithesis Anaphora Asyndeton Parataxis Polysyndeton Paradox Irony Chiasmus Balanced Sentence Epistrophe Rule of Three Tricolon Analogy Personification Metaphor Simile Metonymy Synecdoche Loose Sentence Hypotaxis Apostrophe Allusion Alliteration Consonance Assonance Rhetorical Question Litotes The Dash Hyperbole Understatement Semi-colon Colon Repetition Contrast Periodic Sentence Simple Sentence Amplification Antimetabole Anadiplosis Balanced Sentence Zeugma Epithet Epanalepsis PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ZIP FILE CONTAINS THREE VERSIONS OF THIS PRODUCT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO EMBED FONTS INTO POWER POINT WITH MAC, SO I HAVE INCLUDED A .PDF VERSION AND AN UNEDITABLE .PNG VERSION (ON POWER POINT) THAT YOU CAN USE TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL FONTS AS DESIGNED. THIS FILE ALSO INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL POWER POINT THAT IS EDITABLE BUT WILL OPEN WITH DEFAULT FONTS FOR POWER POINT UNLESS YOU OWN THE SAME FONTS AS IN THE PRESENTATION.

This packet contains the following items to use with your students when preparing for an essay on the epic poem Beowulf: Beowulf Agree/ Disagree Activity a. This student handout contains five thematic statements that are relevant to the Beowulf story. Students either agree or disagree with each statement and then briefly explain their reasoning. This handout taps into students' prior knowledge on life themes relevant to the poem in order to establish a framework for thematic ideas they will observe in the story. I typically use this activity as an Anticipation Guide at the beginning of the Beowulf unit; however, it can also be used as an essay brainstorming guide or a classroom debate guide. These statements really get students interested in the story as they begin to think about why they believe what they believe and discuss/disagree with their peers. Beowulf Debatable Statements Activity a. This essay brainstorming activity contains 16 debatable thematic statements that relate to the Beowulf story to help students generate ideas for a Beowulf essay. Students are to think about how each statement applies to the Beowulf story (apart from their own personal opinions) and then briefly explain how each statement is true or false in the story. Students can complete this activity on their own or in small groups, and it is a terrific means of organizing whole class discussion and debate prior to beginning the writing process. After discussing the themes presented, students can then select one theme as the focal point for a theme analysis essay on the epic poem. Beowulf Essay Brainstorming Activity— Topics/ Themes Chart Beowulf Essay Thesis Statements Literary Criticism: “Subversive Female Power in Beowulf” Beowulf Essay Prompts + Outline Form and Rubric ALL of these items are included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE (25 lessons and activities/ 108 pages with keys)! The entire bundle can be found in our store, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This mini-lesson teaches students how to craft the topic and concluding sentences of body paragraphs-- specifically for the literary analysis essay-- by using key words and phrases that connect to the thesis statement. You can find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Mega Bundle. Bundle and save!

In this PowerPoint presentation, there are examples of literary elements such as theme, motif, plot structure, characterization, etc. from Beowulf as well as examples of literary techniques such as metaphor, irony, hyperbole, etc. Most examples contain direct quotations from the text, and I use this presentation as a means for discussing examples my students have brainstormed themselves. This is an effective summative activity to use as a review before an exam or as a brainstorming guide before beginning the writing process.

This product contains a close reading activity for the "Declaration of Independence." This close reading activity will target comprehension and analytical skills while exposing students to historical non-fiction. Skills assessed in this close reading include: Context Clues Non-fiction Structure & Purpose Rhetorical Devices & Effect Textual Evidence Have your students try it individually and then with a group to compare answers. For teachers in the states still taking the PARCC exam, it is important that students practice reading the diction and style of American "foundational texts" and authors because they are included on the "Simulated Research" portion of the exam. The "Declaration of Independence" can be a challenging read and is accompanied by 18 multiple-choice close reading questions that use Common Core/ PARCC question stems. Answer key included.

This multiple-choice/ matching test includes two pieces of "new material" that connect to the epic poem Beowulf ("The Seafarer" and "Ulysses" by Tennyson), a few historical questions about the Anglo-Saxon Period, a matching section of epithets to characters, a matching section of Anglo-Saxon traits to examples from the epic poem, a series of interpretation/ analysis questions, and a written response/ essay question. This test does NOT test rote memory-- it is a challenging skills application test that is 40 questions long and will truly assess your students' understanding of skills rather than plot. The two pieces of "new material" can be used as taught pieces as well. This test is a great way to align your assessments of Beowulf with the Common Core standards because it involves transferring skills rather than just memorization. Answer key is included!

This document contains a characterization essay assignment, the rubric, a group brainstorm/prewriting activity, a sample essay, and an essay revision activity. In all, there are 5 documents attached to this essay assignment that take students through the entire writing process. The essay task asks students to analyze the character Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451 according to his physiological, sociological, and psychological traits. Characters, like people, are three-dimensional beings. They are made up of physiology, sociology, and psychology. A character’s physiology entails the physical appearance of that character. A character’s sociology entails a character’s life experiences, involving friends, family, schooling, upbringing, job, education, etc. A character’s psychology entails the character’s behavior. In essence, a character’s physiology + sociology = psychology. This means that a character’s behavior is determined by the character’s physical appearance PLUS the character’s life experiences. So, in this essay, students will use these traits as the outline for the essay and will be challenged to analyze how Montag's behavior changes throughout the novel. Attached to the essay assignment is a rubric that separates each writing skill into its own category, making it easy to give students feedback without having to write many comments. The rubric also shows students which skills they need to improve, and in this way, gives the student individualized feedback. The rubric is very comprehensive and approachable. Overall, this is an excellent writing assignment to assess Common Core Standards using F451.

This file contains five separate reading quizzes (one per Act) that consist of 10 interpretation/plot questions each. Students are asked to provide the act, scene, and line numbers for where they find the answers in the text. So, this means that these quizzes are designed to be "open book," but you can also make them closed book as well. They also make excellent group activities, discussion guides, as well as homework assignments. Each quiz includes an answer key with explanations!

This is a rubric for a Literary Analysis that breaks down the points into 10 specific skills, including introduction/ conclusion paragraphs, thesis, topic sentences, textual evidence, analysis, style, organization, grammar, MLA, and following directions. I have assigned point values to each of the skills (which you can change according to your students' needs). This rubric is very comprehensive and provides explicit feedback for revision purposes without your having to write substantial notes throughout the essay-- all you need to do is circle away. This is an excellent rubric that you can adapt for your classroom purposes. Side note: As a rule in my classroom, I approach writing as an ongoing process. That means that after students turn in the "final draft," I allow my students to revise/ rewrite and resubmit the essay for a maximum of half the points back to 100. That means, if their initial score was a 70, for example, they can revise/rewrite and resubmit for a MAXIMUM score of an 85. I know this sounds very tedious; however, I give out explicit directions for resubmission, and any deviation from those directions disqualifies the essay for resubmission. Mainly, I require that students turn in the original essay with original rubric and the new, revised copy with all new changes highlighted. This way, I can simply check to see if they revised/ rewrote sections that needed further attention. In this way, my grading philosophy entails that I grade for quality on the first submission and effort on the second revision. It is in this way that I can communicate to my students that writing is a skill and an art that takes practice and that I do not expect perfection (because who's perfect?); instead, I expect effort, and I expect growth. Give it a try and see what happens!

This Halloween Activity Bundle contains FIVE activities to engage your students during the Halloween season. The activities include: Halloween Journal Creating a Villain Character Sketch & Writing Activity Halloween Story Prompts to Make Your Skin Crawl "Boo" Bingo with Literary Terms "The Haunted Palace" by Edgar Allan Poe Analysis These activities are not only fun but also target Common Core Standards. Students will enjoy them and simultaneously review key skills for English Language Arts. These activities can also work with 9th & 10th grade as well-- depending upon the level of your students.

Jack the Ripper. One of the most notorious serial killers of all time. And he was never caught. There are over 100 theories about his identity. If you're looking for a high-interest nonfiction topic to get your students interested in analyzing nonfiction, this is it! This activity has two parts. The first parts takes students through an exercise of identifying tone in a news article written about Jack the Ripper. There are four articles in this part of this lesson that all come from The London Times, late 1800s. (please note that all texts are in the public domain) Each article is followed by a series of three multiple-choice questions written using Common Core question stems. These questions will help students understand the overall message of each article and encourage them to read critically. Students are then to record examples of tone from the articles and label the tone accordingly. Identifying tone will help with part two of this activity series in which students begin to analyze sources for bias. In part two of this activity, students will assess a series of stories about Jack the Ripper all written on the exact same day, all about the exact same grisly discovery of two more female victims. By reading multiple sources on the same event, students will be able to compare/ contrast how each source represents the "truth." After assessing sources for bias, students will evaluate which source is more reliable and present their findings to the class. I have also included FIVE extension activities to use with your students after completing this activity in order to keep your students engaged with nonfiction. ***Please note that there are a couple of paragraphs in this collection that are quite graphic and may be inappropriate for some students. Please censor the articles as you see fit.*** Jack the Ripper is a topic that will keep your students intrigued from the very get-go!