Less than $5 12th Grade English Language Arts Literature Circles (by price, low to high)

World War II fiction novels offer high school teachers a powerful tool for engaging students in historical learning. These novels provide immersive experiences that transport readers into the tumultuous era of the 1940s, allowing them to witness the human experience amidst the chaos of war. Through compelling characters and gripping narratives, students can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the conflict, including its causes, consequences, and the diverse perspectives of those involved. Moreover, reading World War II fiction encourages critical thinking and empathy as students explore themes of resilience, sacrifice, and the impact of war on individuals and societies. By delving into these narratives, students not only enhance their historical knowledge but also develop important skills in analysis, interpretation, and perspective-taking, making World War II fiction an invaluable addition to any high school curriculum.

This list is by no means exhaustive but it contains newer as well as classic titles, many of which have been made into movies. Share this list with students for reading suggestions over the break or during the school year for book reports or other assignments. Or use for a student book club or even your own book club! World War II historical fiction is quite popular right now!!!

I admit that my own historical fiction novel, Hearts at War, is on the list! I wrote this novel with the high school student in mind, in order to delve deeper into life on the home front for those coming-of-age. The story centers around a Japanese-American boy and a Caucasian girl who grow up in Southern California and then follows how their lives diverge once Pearl Harbor is attacked. Students might be surprised to learn that Japanese-American Nisei served as secret translators in the Pacific theater of war during World War II. I wanted that piece of history to come to light which has been hidden for far too long.

Follow a wanna-be-mom's true tale of international adoption that ranges from Texas to Guatemala. Excellent for literature circles and discussions on adoption, cultural issues, diversity, goal setting, social issues, and achieving dreams. For questions and projects for differentiated learning and critical thinking visit author Pica Kahn's TeachShare website at: http://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Questions-Projects-for-Finding-Yuri

Fostering avid readers means consistently presenting books to your class. I have witnessed, first-hand, the power of consistent Book Talks with my students. Book Talks have the power to foster continued love in avid readers and reach even the most struggling readers.
Check out my brand new series of no-prep Book Talk Guides for teachers--starting with this Freebie for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

What's Included?

• Teacher Tips and Tricks for successful book talks, including suggested links for book trailers*

• Book Talk Guide, including genre, what kind of students might enjoy each book, and a plot summary

• At least one student book talk response activity

Follow my store and check back as new titles and themed Book Talk bundles will be added in the days and weeks to come!

Character traits and analysis fun!

Have some outdoor fun (or use butcher paper for indoors) with sidewalk novel characters! Students choose a character from their novels then do body outlines with sidewalk chalk. Fill these with physical and character traits from quotes within the novel...full directions for implementing and making a competitive game. Can be used with all ages and novels. Excellent for comprehension and assessment.

Help your AVID or ELA students build reading comprehension and practice using text evidence with these editable discussion cards and talking chips for The Landlady by Roald Dahl! This activity is sure to get your middle school students in the Halloween spirit. This resource can be used during the Halloween season, but can also be used at any other time during the year! Students will read the provided story, The Landlady through the Google doc, then they will sit in small groups and take turns pulling a discussion card.

Great for: using text evidence, collaboration and team building, public speaking practice,

⭐Save 30% with this mega AVID BUNDLE!⭐

Save 30% with this AVID Halloween Bundle!

DIRECTIONS:

• Access your forced copy of the Google Doc with the story, The Landlady on the second slide.

• Go to the last slide to add your own discussion prompts.

• Click "File" then "Download" and then "PDF" to download the prompts as a PDF document.

• Print, cut, and laminate a set of cards for each of your groups of 4-5 students.

• Print, cut, and laminate talking chips.

• Put students into groups of 4-5.

• Decide how many talking chips each student gets (this encourages participation during the dialogue and teaches students how to use social cues when deciding when to share, instead of raising a hand).

• One student draws a card from the top. That student asks the question and dialogue begins in the group. Students should have the short story handy so they can use evidence in their responses.

• When dialogue dies down, students continue taking turns drawing a card, asking questions. and having discussions.

• Students should discard the questions already asked so they don't repeat any.

WHAT's INCLUDED:

• Google Doc with the story, "The Landlady"
• Google slide with printable talking chips
• 24 Discussion Prompts in color and black & white
• Editable Discussion Prompt Cards in color and black & white

Check out other AVID Resources HERE!

Check out other Reading Resources HERE!

Studying The Joy Luck Club ? Looking to give students some context for the novel ? Then this product is for you! Introduction power point includes:

-About the Author

-Chinese Immigration to America

-Pre-World War II China

-During and Post- World War II China

-Themes

-Symbols

-Essential Questions

Like this? Check out some of our other products

The Joy Luck Club Characterization Flipbook

NEW IN 2021: Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-Based! This 45-page EDITABLE mini-unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The discussion questions, quizzes on poetic devices, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of Dickinson's poems and generate profound interpretive insights!!

Here are some highlights from this 45-page mini-unit on Dickinson's poetry:

• 10 Poems by Emily Dickinson: The 10 poems in this mini-unit feature Emily Dickinson's best works of poetry. The packet includes a representative sampling of riddle poems ("It sifts from Leaden Sieves"), nature poems ("There's a certain Slant of light"), death poems ("Because I could not stop for Death"), feminist poems ("I'm ceded — I've stopped being Theirs"), ars poetica ("I dwell in Possibility"), and more. The 10 poems are split between two Homework Packets, with each packet containing 5 poems. (12 pages)

• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for two poems from each of the homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive note. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (15 pages)

• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the homework packets: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Answer keys included. (4 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)

The entire 45-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word doc and PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit your teaching style and/or the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials in a PDF file, which is easy to navigate and quick to print!

Because I believe that teachers should be able to see exactly what they'll be getting before they purchase, the preview for this resource allows viewing accesses to 20 pages. Click on the green “PREVIEW” button to see exactly what you’ll get. . . .

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Don't forget to click “follow” for email updates on new products by Rigorous Resources. New products will be 50% OFF for the first 24 hours!

3 Little Pigs with a twist- Part of my first story of my Bilingual Series

Tales with a twist is designed to give students a familiar feel, but with surprising elements throughout the story.

Print out the stories in either English, or Spanish or both!!!

It is not direct translation rather I focused in translating the stories in a way they feel right and are authentic.

More stories coming soon!

Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-based! This 20-page EDITABLE curriculum has everything you'll need for profoundly stimulating lessons on Jhumpa Lahiri's extraordinary short story, "A Temporary Matter"! Invite your class to engage in student-driven discussions without compromising on intellectual rigor. The reading quiz, discussion questions, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!!

Hold your students accountable for completing the homework by beginning class with a quick reading quiz. Then facilitate a dynamic discussion that motivates students to become attached to the thrill generating shared knowledge. Challenge students to explicate textual details using a wide range of interpretive lenses: formalist, psychoanalytic, cultural studies, etc.

Here are some highlights from this 20-page curriculum:

• Reading Quiz: The reading quiz contains 10 questions focused on important details from the plot of "A Temporary Matter." For this story, I chose to create a fill-in-the-blank quiz that takes the form of a summary of the story's plot. There are 10 blank lines within the summary where students are expected to provide a missing word, name, or number. As a result, grading this quiz is simple and quick. Answer key included. (2 pages)

• Discussion Question Handout: One double-sided handout featuring 12 discussion questions on Jhumpa Lahiri's "A Temporary Matter." The discussion questions are the divided into 5 sections, each of which focuses on a different literary element or theme: characterization, setting, sharing secrets, etc. As with all of my resources, the discussion questions are the beating heart of this lesson plan. Every question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! (2 pages)

• Discussion Question Answer Key: This unit features a detailed answer key that's informed by many of the best scholarly essays on "A Temporary Matter." But please note that there is rarely a single "correct" answer for any question. Rather, the discussions questions are designed to foster lively exchanges and interpretive debates among students. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence! (8 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Lahiri's wonderfully complex story. Let students choose from one of two thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop a similar topic of their own. Rubric included. (4 pages)

My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the units feature rigorous, content-rich lessons guaranteed to boost your students' close-reading and critical-thinking skills. What distinguishes this unit is how the discussion questions and writing assignment are designed to help student arrive at an abundance of interpretive insights!!

This entire unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word doc *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to CUSTOMIZE the materials to suit your teaching style and/or your students' skill levels — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access the unit as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print. Click on the green “preview” button to see exactly what you’ll get....

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Don't forget to click “follow” for email updates on new products by Rigorous Resources. New products will be 50% OFF for the first 24 hours!

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for resources on American literature. Every unit was designed by a Ph.D. in English with a research specialization in American literature. Check out these units on canonical texts by diverse American authors:

Complete Unit on Tommy Orange's There There

Complete Unit on Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Complete Unit on Frederick Douglass's Narrative

Complete Unit on Nella Larsen's Passing

Complete Unit on Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

Complete Unit on J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye

Complete Unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun

Complete Unit on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

Doing a novel unit on The Scarlet Letter? Don't know where to get started? This introduction power point to Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter gives vital context to assist students with understanding the text, symbols, themes, and more.

This 45-page EDITABLE poetry curriculum promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The 12 poems in this mini-unit all focus on the complex nature of family dynamics and parent-child relationships.

Because teenagers are caught up in complex relationships with their parents, these poems will set the stage for your class to have authentic discussions that inspire a whole new depth of reflection. The literary devices quizzes, discussion prompts, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!

Here are some highlights from this 45-page curriculum:

• Homework Packets with Poems about Parent-Child Relationships: The two homework packets contain a total of 12 poems by a diverse range of award-winning poets such as Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Sharon Olds, Audre Lorde, Li-Young Lee, Galway Kinnell, Tony Hoagland, Ada Limón, and others. Every poem focuses on a different kind of parent-child dynamic. Because teenagers have a lot to say about relationships with parents, these poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (12 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the homework packets: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. The digital versions of the quizzes on Google Forms will grade every student's work and automatically generate a list of their scores. Answer keys included. (4 pages).

• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for the first poem in each of the homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive foot. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (10 pages)

• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)

This entire 44-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print! Finally, as a free bonus, I'm including links to digital copies of every document in user-friendly platforms like Google Docs and Google Forms.

My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Links to all of the poetry units in this collection:

Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry

Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry

Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems

Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry

Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry

Store: https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Rigorous-Resources

This 38-page EDITABLE poetry unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The 10 poems in this mini-unit all focus on different kinds of ethical dilemmas.

Because teenagers are genuinely intrigued by ethical dilemmas, these poems will set the stage for your class to have authentic discussions that inspire a whole new depth of reflection. The literary devices quizzes, discussion prompts, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!

Here are some highlights from this 38-page curriculum:

• Homework Packets with Poems about Ethical Dilemmas: The two homework packets contains a total of 10 poems by a diverse range of award-winning poets such as Robert Frost, William Stafford, Ada Limón, Jan Beatty, Ross Gay, and others. Every poem focuses on some kind of ethical dilemma. Because teenagers are genuinely intrigued by ethical dilemmas, these poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (10 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the nightly homework packets: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. The digital versions of the quizzes on Google Forms will grade every student's work and generate a list of their scores. Answer keys included. (4 pages).

• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for the first poem in each of two nightly homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive foot. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (7 pages)

• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (3 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)

This entire 38-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print! Finally, as a free bonus, I'm including links to digital copies of every document in user-friendly platforms like Google Docs and Google Forms.

My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing Rigorous Resources!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Links to all of the poetry units in this collection:

Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry

Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry

Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems

Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry

Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry

Store: https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Rigorous-Resources

This is a set of 6 graphic organizers which can be used with any novel. Great for differentiation. Rubric is included. Includes Vocabulary, Plot, Theme,Characters, Playlist, and Symbols.

Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all!

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during the study of Paulo Coelho's allegorical tale about overcoming obstacles and achieving one's dreams, The Alchemist. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on The Alchemist!

Product Includes:

- 5 "Silent Conversation" worksheets with 5 different quotes from the novel

- Full lesson plan

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Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on The Alchemist by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ The Alchemist Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan

⭐ The Alchemist Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ The Alchemist ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Alchemist Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

⭐ The Alchemist Quote Posters

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⭐Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐

Reading The Book Thief? Looking for a way to engage your students? Our graphic organizers go perfectly with this timeless classic. Helping your students learn vocabulary, theme, plot, and symbols. This includes 5 graphic organizers and a rubric for easy grading.

Need Google Drive Version?

CLICK HERE

Studying The Book Thief?

Need more resources?

We got you covered.

The Book Thief Flip book Study Guide

The Book Thief Characterization Flip book

The Book Thief Introduction Power Point

Studying The Hate U Give ? Looking to give students some context for the novel ? Then this product is for you! Introduction power point includes:

-About the Author

-Brief History of Race and Policing in America

-Black Lives Matter Movement

-Story Overview

-Themes

- Symbols

- Essential Questions

This flip book goes through all the main characters of the novel. It includes graphic organizers for your students to fill out in order to better understand character development. It makes a great study guide and a good way to have your students understand the differences and similarities between the different characters of the novel. Offers differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all your students!

Need Google Drive Version?

CLICK HERE

Reading The Book Thief? Looking for a way to engage your students? Our graphic organizers go perfectly with this timeless classic. Helping your students learn vocabulary, theme, plot, and symbols. This includes 5 graphic organizers and a rubric for easy grading.

Need pdf version?

CLICK HERE

Studying The Book Thief?

Need more resources?

We got you covered.

The Book Thief Flip book Study Guide

The Book Thief Characterization Flip book

The Book Thief Introduction Power Point

Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all!

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during your study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved classic about the disillusionment of the American Dream, The Great Gatsby. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the novel, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on The Great Gatsby!

Product Includes:

• 5 "Silent Conversation" worksheets with 5 different quotes from the novel
• Lesson plan

_______________________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on The Great Gatsby by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ The Great Gatsby "Hot Seat!"

⭐ The Great Gatsby "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity

⭐ The Great Gatsby Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

⭐ The Great Gatsby Escape Room

⭐ The Great Gatsby Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

⭐ The Great Gatsby Social Media Materials

⭐ The Great Gatsby Socratic Seminar Lesson & Materials

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This is an introduction powerpoint for the classic novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God". It provides background information and context for the novel.