General English Language Arts Resources
Communications Quizzes. (Sara McDonell)
Designed for an Adult Learning Program, but could be used as review from middle elementary up through high school.
Poetry. Annotated Bibliography of Resources. (A. Bakes, Class of 2014)
How do you make poetry meaningful, engaging and effective for you and the students? These activities and resources can be adapted for any grade level.
Fairy Tales. Annotated Bibliography of Resources. (J. Chater, Class of 2014)
Teaching fairytales allows students to identify various problematic issues such as….
• Gender stereotypes/bias.
• Lack of diversity in populations represented. (Cultural, socio-economic)
• Accuracy of the populations represented (cultural/social accuracies)
• The way physical image is represented in both male and female characters. (Male: tall, muscular versus female slender, very small waist, luscious hair, fair skin, etc.)
• Other “common-thread” elements of both male and female characters (male: bravery, deep voice, strong, fighting the bad guy, saving the girl, working, being the provider versus female: delicacy, damsel in distress, motherly, tidy, willingness to obey and never challenge.)
Designed for an Adult Learning Program, but could be used as review from middle elementary up through high school.
Poetry. Annotated Bibliography of Resources. (A. Bakes, Class of 2014)
How do you make poetry meaningful, engaging and effective for you and the students? These activities and resources can be adapted for any grade level.
Fairy Tales. Annotated Bibliography of Resources. (J. Chater, Class of 2014)
Teaching fairytales allows students to identify various problematic issues such as….
• Gender stereotypes/bias.
• Lack of diversity in populations represented. (Cultural, socio-economic)
• Accuracy of the populations represented (cultural/social accuracies)
• The way physical image is represented in both male and female characters. (Male: tall, muscular versus female slender, very small waist, luscious hair, fair skin, etc.)
• Other “common-thread” elements of both male and female characters (male: bravery, deep voice, strong, fighting the bad guy, saving the girl, working, being the provider versus female: delicacy, damsel in distress, motherly, tidy, willingness to obey and never challenge.)
english language arts primary
Sketch to Stretch. Lesson plan. Submitted by Sara Arsenault, MSVU class of 2015.
This lesson is targeted for Grade Primary. It focuses on getting students creating visualizations of texts.
This lesson is targeted for Grade Primary. It focuses on getting students creating visualizations of texts.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 1
What makes me special? By Sam MacDonald, Class of 2016.
A language arts lesson for grade primary/one where students write a class book about what makes them special!
A language arts lesson for grade primary/one where students write a class book about what makes them special!
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Author Interview. By Courtney Williams, Class of 2016.
Students will critically analyze a book by creating hypothetical interview questions for the author.
Students will critically analyze a book by creating hypothetical interview questions for the author.
Green Giant Visualization and Note Taking By Courtney Williams, Class of 2016.
Students will use visualization and note taking skills to create a picture described in a text.
Snowball Descriptive Writing. Submitted by Courtney Williams.
Students will make sentences more descriptive through collaboration.
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English language arts 9
Grade 9 English Lesson. submitted by Ken Pilkey.
Poetry Lesson. Submitted by Emma Ferguson, class of 2016.
English Language Arts 10
Hamlet: Through Thematic Lenses. Unit Plan. (J. Davison, J. Tibbetts, A. Bakes, and R. Wheadon, Class of 2014)
Hamlet remains one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays; it has become a rich source for cultural references and motifs.This unit introduces students to Shakespearean language and focuses on developing understanding of thematic connections throughout the play. By searching for specific clusters of themes within each act -- whether death, decay, exile, or madness -- this unit allows students to narrow their focus and find a lens that resonates with them. We’ve built this unit based on the principles of reader-response: how each student responds to the play is to be valued and, by focusing on broad themes, we hoped to build in space for students to come to their own conclusions and to make their own connections.
Please note: This unit is designed for a fairly advanced and mature English 10 class. It would also work with some adaptations for English 11 or 12.
Hamlet remains one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays; it has become a rich source for cultural references and motifs.This unit introduces students to Shakespearean language and focuses on developing understanding of thematic connections throughout the play. By searching for specific clusters of themes within each act -- whether death, decay, exile, or madness -- this unit allows students to narrow their focus and find a lens that resonates with them. We’ve built this unit based on the principles of reader-response: how each student responds to the play is to be valued and, by focusing on broad themes, we hoped to build in space for students to come to their own conclusions and to make their own connections.
Please note: This unit is designed for a fairly advanced and mature English 10 class. It would also work with some adaptations for English 11 or 12.
Matched: A Study of Dystopia. Unit Plan. (J. Chater, Class of 2014)
The purpose of this unit is to have the students experience the dystopian genre and what it consists of as a category of literature. This includes dystopian fiction as a commentary on social issues, character analysis, and an inquiry and exploration of bigger ideas. The unit attempts to allow the students to think and reflect about what we, as individuals, have control over in our own lives. Throughout all the lessons, we discuss common characteristics of a dystopian, including propaganda as a means of controlling society, citizens conforming to uniform expectations, citizens having fear of the outside world, and restriction of freedom and independence. This unit also captures the essence of the dystopian protagonist by having students recognize her skepticism of the controlling society and showing her perspective on the negative aspects of the dystopian world. The unit is divided into eight weeks and begins with an introduction to dystopian fiction as a form of literature. By incorporating creative activities, a formal debate, several writing prompts, and cross-curricular assignments, students will explore every aspect of the genre collaboratively in a classroom community.
Lesson Plans:
Assignments and Rubrics:
The purpose of this unit is to have the students experience the dystopian genre and what it consists of as a category of literature. This includes dystopian fiction as a commentary on social issues, character analysis, and an inquiry and exploration of bigger ideas. The unit attempts to allow the students to think and reflect about what we, as individuals, have control over in our own lives. Throughout all the lessons, we discuss common characteristics of a dystopian, including propaganda as a means of controlling society, citizens conforming to uniform expectations, citizens having fear of the outside world, and restriction of freedom and independence. This unit also captures the essence of the dystopian protagonist by having students recognize her skepticism of the controlling society and showing her perspective on the negative aspects of the dystopian world. The unit is divided into eight weeks and begins with an introduction to dystopian fiction as a form of literature. By incorporating creative activities, a formal debate, several writing prompts, and cross-curricular assignments, students will explore every aspect of the genre collaboratively in a classroom community.
Lesson Plans:
- Intro to Dystopian Literature
- Intro to "Matched" & Reading Logs
- Deciding What's Important
- Propaganda
- Debate
- Let's Make a Microcard
- Cursive
- Puzzle
- Artifact
- ELA 10 Advanced Lesson Plans
Assignments and Rubrics:
- Memoir Activity Rubric
- Propaganda Rubric
- Journal Prompts - 1 & 2
- Journal Questions
- Final Assignment - Plan & Rubric
English Language Arts 11
The Chrysalids: Life on the Fringes (Academic, Advanced). Novel Study. (R. Wheadon, Class of 2014)
This unit, centred around John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, focuses on developing analytic and creative reading skills, as well as reader-response skills. Students will be encouraged to use The Chrysalids as an anchor for an exploration of prejudice, normalizing, social injustice, dystopia, intolerance, science, and technology. By drawing connections between texts and the real world, students will develop an understanding of how texts reflect on our world (this is particularly true for science fiction and speculative fiction) and will be encouraged to think more deeply about social justice.
Socratic Circles Handout (for The Chrysalids novel study)
This unit, centred around John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, focuses on developing analytic and creative reading skills, as well as reader-response skills. Students will be encouraged to use The Chrysalids as an anchor for an exploration of prejudice, normalizing, social injustice, dystopia, intolerance, science, and technology. By drawing connections between texts and the real world, students will develop an understanding of how texts reflect on our world (this is particularly true for science fiction and speculative fiction) and will be encouraged to think more deeply about social justice.
Socratic Circles Handout (for The Chrysalids novel study)
Gender. Submitted by Tim Dobson, class of 2016.
Getting students to understand stereotypes and negative representations of women and how women are objectified in the media. Also getting them to think about stereotypes surrounding men and how men and violence are often grouped together in the media.
Getting students to understand stereotypes and negative representations of women and how women are objectified in the media. Also getting them to think about stereotypes surrounding men and how men and violence are often grouped together in the media.
Novel Lesson. Submitted by Emma Ferguson, class of 2016.
This is a novel study done on the book “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien.
English Language Arts 12
Media: Advertising Techniques and Persuasion (PSAs). Project/Lesson. (R. Wheadon, Class of 2014)
Advertisements are, obviously, very prevalent in our world — whether on billboards, on television, the radio, the internet, sneakers, t-shirts... This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, so far as individuals are aware of the techniques advertisers employs in order to make sales, and how these techniques manipulate the audience. Understanding the mechanisms that advertisers use will make consumers more thoughtful; it ought to be an empowering shift in thinking.
Please note: Designed especially for an Options & Opportunities class -- that is, meeting provincial curriculum outcomes for an academic level of study but designed to be extra hands-on and engaging.
Advertisements are, obviously, very prevalent in our world — whether on billboards, on television, the radio, the internet, sneakers, t-shirts... This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, so far as individuals are aware of the techniques advertisers employs in order to make sales, and how these techniques manipulate the audience. Understanding the mechanisms that advertisers use will make consumers more thoughtful; it ought to be an empowering shift in thinking.
Please note: Designed especially for an Options & Opportunities class -- that is, meeting provincial curriculum outcomes for an academic level of study but designed to be extra hands-on and engaging.
King Lear. Lesson Plans. (L. MacDonald, Class of 2014)