This product by Bespoke ELA contains 20 short poems to analyze for the four, basic rhetorical relationships: juxtaposition, contrast, shift, and repetition. All literary devices can be categorized into these four basic relationships. A simile is a type of juxtaposition; antithesis is a type of repetition and contrast. But instead of focusing on these specific terms, these mini-lessons aim to teach students how to analyze poetry using the terms juxtaposition, contrast, shift, and repetition. For each poem, students will: 1. Make observations. 2. Identify and analyze the four rhetorical relationships. 3. Connect the rhetorical relationships to THEME. 4. Write their own original poems inspired by the model poem. 5. Write an explication of their own original poems. Students will be inspired by the poetry prompts included for each of the 20 short poems. It's amazing how much depth students can get out of such short poems. They will enjoy the challenge of unlocking the thematic meaning of these poems as well as the process of creating their own original poems. Students can respond to activities in their journals or Writer's Notebooks and then select a poem to explicate for a formal essay assignment, OR opt to have students complete a portfolio in which they include a series of their own original poems along with explications of them. These mini-lessons come with several flexible options to easily integrate into your curriculum. This bundle is suitable for grades 8-12.

Task: To analyze Shakespeare’s work in terms of Aristotle’s literary theories from Poetics Objectives: To develop criteria for analyzing literary elements To support analysis with textual evidence To use rhetorical skills for constructing and supporting oral and written arguments To construct an effective argument supported with logical reasoning and textual evidence To apply literary theories to other texts To close read a text for main ideas Common Core Standards: R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1, 2, 4, 10/ SL 1, 3, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions: Aristotle’s literary theories have helped to set the precedent for what determines “high quality” literature. Writers either follow his methods, or they rebel against them. While it is not known if Shakespeare read or studied Aristotle’s Poetics, it is a fascinating study to apply Aristotle’s theories to Shakespeare’s work in order to observe how Shakespeare innovated new concepts for drama. In this unit, students will: Complete the pre-reading strategy in order to define key terms found in Aristotle’s Poetics. Close read excerpts from Poetics and answer comprehension/discussion questions for each section. Note that students may answer the questions in terms of one, single Shakespearean tragedy but may reference any other plays they may have read. Map out the plot of at least one Shakespearean Tragedy and identify examples of key terms from Aristotle’s Poetics. Debate whether or not Shakespeare follows Aristotle’s literary theories. Synthesize their conclusions in a post-debate writeup. This unit contains SIX excerpts from Aristotle’s Poetics for students to close read. Each excerpt contains a few close reading/ discussion questions in order to both comprehend Aristotle’s main ideas as well as apply them to Shakespeare’s works. There are a few different ways to use these excerpts in your classes: 1. Have students read all six excerpts and discuss the questions included in each one. 2. Divide students into groups and assign each group 1-2 excerpts to close read. 3. Students can then present their findings to the class, and the whole class can discuss the application questions included. 4. Use the “Overview of Aristotle’s Poetics” handout included here and have students close read only a couple of the excerpts instead of all six. For the remaining activities, students can focus on a single Shakespearean tragedy of your choice, or allow students to use evidence from multiple plays as best fits your curriculum reading list, their reading experiences, and level of course difficulty. This is an excellent addition to any Shakespeare unit and will deepen the complexity of students' interaction with tragedy.

This guide to MLA Format contains an explanation of general guidelines along with excerpts from example essays and Works Cited. The final page contains an MLA Peer Revision Activity to guide students through editing for proper format. Find this product as part of the Mega Literary Analysis Essay Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This from Bespoke ELA contains a series of paintings and photographs that all relate in some way to Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The Power Point begins with four guiding questions that students will answer for each work of art in order to make connections between the visual image and the play. I hand-selected these images because they illuminate a thematic idea from the play and/or character traits of key players in Macbeth. These images are excellent resources to use as bell-ringer focus activities OR as springboards for discussion and the writing process. All images are labeled for REUSE.

This 57-page pack contains TEN literary analysis essays suitable for grades 9-12 on pieces of literature such as Beowulf, Macbeth, Grendel, Brave New World, among others. Some essays are shorter at 2-3 pages while others are lengthy at 5-10 pages. There are also 2-3 timed writings included. Most essays are in MLA format with a Works Cited page and parenthetical citations. There are enough literary analysis essays here to meet all of your mini-lesson needs throughout the writing process. Find this Sample Essay Pack as part of the Mega Literary Analysis Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!! A note on copyright: All essays were written and copyrighted by me, so I have exclusive rights to sell my work. I do not grant anyone the right to reproduce or sell my work without written permission.

These Beowulf question sets take students through a close reading of the major parts of the poem and account not only for plot but also comprehension and interpretation as well. These questions also provide excellent discussion topics for small groups or the whole class. They can also serve as study guides for an objective-based test on the epic poem. Answer keys included with extended analysis and textual evidence to take your class discussion to a deeper level! These questions can also be found in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE with 25 lessons and activities/ 108 pages including answer keys! You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store sold separately.

Find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and save! Writing commentary is without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the literary analysis essay. It is the ONE part for which there is no formula because it's the part of the essay that contains the writer's original thoughts, or commentary/ analysis, on the evidence of the essay. In this mini-lesson, I have provided students with two methods for crafting commentary that will help them not only write analysis but also take it to a deeper level. This mini-lesson also contains sample paragraphs to show the difference between PLOT SUMMARY vs. COMMENTARY, peer revision forms, notes, teacher approval forms, and much more! This is an essential mini-lesson for the writing process because the commentary is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the literary analysis essay.

This listing is for two mini-lessons found in our mega Literary Analysis Essay bundle-- sold separately! In these mini-lessons, students answer anticipatory questions about the literary analysis essay and then compare/ contrast their responses with introductory notes on this mode of writing. Students then use the rubric to grade three sample literary analysis essays to get acclimated with how their essays will be graded. I have included my scores for the three sample essays along with explanations for where I took points off-- according to the 10-point Literary Analysis Rubric included. These lessons are an excellent way to introduce your students to the purpose, function, and format of the literary analysis essay!

A central part of literary analysis involves analyzing the characters of a piece of literature. I have found that character analysis serves as an excellent means of increasing students' vocabulary. Here, I have compiled a list of adjectives (many of them SAT-level words) that can be used to describe a character. Students can select words from this list and use them to analyze and describe characters either in discussion or in writing. This list will help students to push beyond their current vocabulary by introducing them to new words that will not only help their analysis in class but simultaneously prepare them for the SAT! Words on this list have been categorized according to a common meaning, which will help students take risks in identifying potential new words and taking risks with new vocabulary. Note-- This is an excellent tool for English Language Learners as well!

In this mini-lesson, students learn about the parts of the body paragraph for writing an essay. Students read about the purpose of the body paragraph and then ratiocinate three student sample paragraphs. This is an excellent mini-lesson to introduce students to the body paragraph, OR use this mini-lesson to review with your students. Pair this lesson with our follow-up lessons on topic and concluding sentences, selecting and blending evidence, and writing commentary/ analysis. You can also find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Essay Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and Save!

This packet contains three different prompts for essays focused on analyzing character. The prompts are accompanied by a brainstorming guide along with an outline form for planning the essay. These are excellent tools for helping guide students through the process of using characterization as a lens for literary analysis. This product can be found as part of the MEGA CHARACTERIZATION BUNDLE, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This product contains FIVE grammar editing mini-lessons for the formal, academic essays. They focus on the most common grammatical errors in student writing. These include: COMMA ERRORS SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT RUN-ONS & FRAGMENTS Each mini-lesson includes grammar rules, examples, a short application exercise, and editing task. This is a MUST HAVE for your Writer's Toolbox. Find it as part of the Literary Analysis Essay Bundle and SAVE! Bundle sold separately.

This Macbeth test contains 50 multiple choice questions that assesses interpretation of key quotes from the play, character motivation, vocabulary in context, literary elements, motifs, and rhetorical appeals. As an optional supplement, there is a written response/ essay portion that you can use along with the multiple choice questions or as a stand alone assessment. This test will measure students' understanding of the play and also assess their close reading skills and ability to construct/ support an argument.

In this mini-lesson, students learn the three parts that make up an effective conclusion paragraph for a literary analysis essay. They will draft a conclusion paragraph, adding rhetorical punch to the final concluding statement, and then peer revise the conclusion for impact. This is an essential mini-lesson for the writing process. Find it in the Literary Analysis Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This product contains ten different revision activities on reproducible worksheets that are ready to print and use with any argument essay: literary analysis, explication, or even persuasive! These revision activities include self-revision as well as peer revision and target skills such as: grammar, commentary, textual evidence, organization, and much more! Find these TEN REVISION ACTIVITIES as part of our Mega Literary Analysis Essay Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

These quote logs contain separate charts to help students organize analysis of plot, characterization, theme, motif, symbol, poetic devices, tragic elements, and conflicts in any Shakespearean play. They are excellent charts for students to use throughout the writing process and also work well in small group or whole class discussions. ***Common Core Standards Attached to each chart along with a Common Core reflective writing activity***

Poor TACKY THE TURKEY has been caught and will be eaten on Thanksgiving if you don’t save him first! Help Free the Bird by answering trivia questions that reveal mystery words. The trivia questions pertain to knowledge of famous authors and texts as well as literary terms and parts of speech. The object of the game is to FREE THE BIRD by earning the most points. There are FIVE rounds of this game total. Each round consists of FIVE literary trivia questions that reveal a letter for the mystery word, phrase, title, or name. For each round of the game, an assigned group member will shout out “GOBBLE” when he/she has figured out the mystery word. The first team to get the mystery word earns THREE points; the second team earns TWO points, and the third team earns ONE point. The remaining teams earn ZERO points for that round. The team with the MOST POINTS by the end of the class period (or the end of the five rounds) will FREE THE BIRD and win a prize! Teachers can decide on the prize to be won. Suggestions include candy, a homework pass, bonus points, or just good ole “brownie points”! Note that some questions reference Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, and other titles that your students may or may not know, depending upon the grade you teach. However, the questions are stacked so that students can still figure out most answers without knowing all of the trivia questions.

This product contains a list of topics and related themes for Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Use this list of themes and topics as a springboard for discussions and essays. After students have completed a piece of literature, I have them compile a Topics/Themes list that they keep in their Writer's Notebooks. To do this, they first brainstorm a list of topics and then convert them into theme statements. Then, we share the list as a class. Afterwards, students then select a theme to use as the thematic claim in a literary analysis essay. I do this in lieu of giving my students essay prompts because it taps into their motivation by allowing them the freedom to choose their own essay topics based upon their own interpretations of the piece of literature. It's also an excellent strategy for enabling a more organic writing process. Use this document as a key, or differentiate this activity by giving students the list and allowing them to select a theme for an essay. The Topics/Themes list a versatile tool that is sure to enrich students' interaction with the play.

I was feeling inspired by the winter and started researching classic poems about the season. What I came to realize is that winter is a polarizing season-- people either love it or hate it-- and writers reflect this in their work. Winter is complex. While the snow and ice bring much beauty, that beauty represents death and destruction. And so, many writers have found winter (as well as spring) to be powerful tools in symbolizing both positive and negative thematic claims. In this unit, I have included TEN poems by classic authors that involve winter in some respect. Some poems use winter to symbolize absence, others age, and still others unity. Five of these poems have a more positive representation of winter while the remaining five have a more negative representation of winter-- however, this is debatable! And that is exactly what students are going to do! Students are to: 1. Annotate the poems using the TPCASTT chart included. 2. Categorize the poems as either having a positive view of winter or a negative view of winter. 3. Debate the view of winter in one or more poems. 4. Write an explication essay on a winter poem of their choice-- sample essays, assignment, and rubric included! 5. Create a group presentation in which they compare/contrast two winter poems of their choice-- assignment and rubric included! 6. Write their own original winter poem along with an explication paragraph in which they explain how they communicate their thematic claim through selected literary devices-- assignment, student sample, and rubric included! This unit is modifiable for students of all levels and can also be shortened into a few days or extended into a few weeks. Teachers can choose which poems and activities to complete with their classes and really delve into this season that brings unity amidst destruction. I have also included my annotation notes for ALL TEN POEMS!!! Use these to guide discussions or to modify lessons for your students. Please note that my annotations do not represent the only possible interpretations of these poems and that my classification of poems is highly debatable!! Common Core Standards are included on the assignment sheets throughout this packet! This is a great unit to target nearly 100% of the Common Core!!

Product Description One of the things I really enjoy is reading and writing screenplays. In this unit by Bespoke ELA, I have put together some of the key lessons that I've learned about script writing in a format that is user-friendly to secondary ELA students. Screenplay writing is a high-interest type of writing because all students love movies. For this project, students will create their own original screenplay concepts, write a character sketch and plot treatment, craft a ten-page screenplay sequence, create a trailer, and pitch their film ideas to the class. The entire spectrum of this project targets various skills from reading to writing to speaking to listening-- and students will HAVE A BLAST doing it! At the end of the unit, you can hold your very own "ELA ACADEMY AWARDS" ceremony and give out "Academy Awards Certificates" to the winning groups and students! The lessons included in this unit are as follows: 1. Screenplay Project Assignment 2. Famous Movie Match Game 3. What is a Screenplay?— Introduction Power Point 4. Types of Movies/ Genres—power point 5. Movie Brainstorming Activities 6. The Logline—Power Point 7. Crafting the Logline Worksheet 8. Screenplay Concept Teacher Approval Form 9. The Elements of Character—Power Point 10. Character Sketch Assignment & Example with Rubric 11. Intro. to Screenplay Format—3-Act Structure & Types of Drama—Power Point 12. Elements of a Film Treatment—Power Point 13. Film Treatment Assignment & Example with Rubric 14. Famous Script Analysis Activity 15. Intro. to Script Format—Power Point 16. Script Format Analysis—Analyzing Excerpt from Just Drive 17. A Guide to CeltX 18. Script Assignment & Rubric 19. Sequence Structure—The Anatomy of a Sequence 20. Sequence Structure Revision Activity 21. Subtext: Action & Dialogue 22. Screenplay Sequence Submission & Feedback Form 23. Assigning Roles—Movie Jobs 24. Movie Trailer Analysis 25. Film Planning Guide—Handout 26. Movie Trailer Assignment, Rubric, & Outline 27. What is a Screenplay Pitch? 28. The Art of the Pitch-- Screenplay Pitch Samples & Observations 29. Screenplay Pitch Assignment, Sample, & Rubric 30. Class Feedback Forms & Group Self-Assessment Form 31. ELA Academy Awards Certificates Scriptwriting is something I truly enjoy, and this project was a work of love. Students will read sample excerpts from screenplays (including one of MINE), and model their new ideas after them. Exposing students to screenplay writing will open their eyes to the filmmaking process and help them garner a whole new respect the moves they love.