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Emily Dickinson's 10 BEST Poems | Discussion Questions, Quizzes, Assignment, Key
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
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.
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!
Elizabeth Bishop's 10 BEST Poems | "The Fish," "In the Waiting Room," "One Art"!
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
NEW IN 2021: Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-Based! This 40-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 Elizabeth Bishop's poems and generate profound interpretive insights!!
Here are some highlights from this 40-page curriculum:
• 10 Poems by Elizabeth Bishop: The 10 poems in this mini-unit feature Elizabeth Bishop's best works of poetry: "The Fish," "In the Waiting Room," "One Art," "The Man-Moth," "Sestina," and more. The 10 poems are split between two Homework Packets, with each packet featuring 5 poems. (12 pages)
• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for one poem 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. (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. (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. 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)
This 40-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 the entire unit as 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.
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!
Gwendolyn Brooks's 10 BEST Poems | Discussion Questions, Writing Assignment, Key
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
NEW IN 2021: Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-Based! This 35-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 Gwendolyn Brooks's poems and generate profound interpretive insights!!
Here are some highlights from this 35-page curriculum:
• 10 Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks: The 10 poems in this mini-unit feature Gwendolyn Brooks's best works of poetry: "The Sonnet-Ballad," "A Song in the Front Yard," "The Boy Died in My Alley," "We Real Cool," and more. The 10 poems are split between two Homework Packets, with each packet featuring 5 poems. (12 pages)
• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for one poem 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. (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. (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. 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 35-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word doc and PDF. Because the Word doc is 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 the entire unit as 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 15 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.
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!
First-Day Lesson Plan for American Literature: Poems about "America"
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This lesson was designed to be used on the first day of a year-long 11th-grade American Literature course. The lesson includes a poetry packet with 7 poems by diverse American authors. Each of the poems raises important questions about what "America" represents. A land of freedom and equality? A refuge for immigrants? A diverse and inclusive nation? Or a land with entrenched inequality? A saber-rattling evil empire?
Here is a list of the poems:
1. Ada Limón, "A New National Anthem" (2018) — our new Poet Laureate!
2. Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus" (1883)
3. Walt Whitman, "I Hear America Singing" (1860)
4. Langston Hughes, "I, Too" (1923) — responding directly to Whitman!
5. Claude McKay, "America" (1921)
6. James Lasdun, "The Question" (2012) — is America "good or bad"?
7. Tony Hoagland, "America" (2003)
This resource also comes with a classwork packet that features discussion questions on the poems by Ada Limôn, Emma Lazarus, and Langston Hughes. The discussion questions come on three handouts, each of which contains 7 questions about a particular poem. Each handout also has a quick write where students can answer one of the questions in writing.
How might the concept of "America" represent a set of ideals and promises? Has this nation lived up to its ideals and promises? How might the idea of America be different from the reality?
Thank you for choosing Rigorous Resources!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
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. with a research specialization in American literature. Feel free to check out these complete 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 F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
Complete Unit on Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Complete Unit on Nella Larsen's Passing
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
Complete Unit on Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese
Sonnet 130 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan
By Language Arts Excellence
Celebrate Valentine's Day with this Shakespearean Sonnet Analysis and Creative Writing Activity!
In this creative and engaging lesson plan, students will analyze one of Shakespeare's most famous love sonnets and create their own original poetry inspired by the Bard. This resource provides step-by-step instructions using a format of warm-up, explanation, application, and synthesis with the aim to engage students from beginning to end. A teacher cheat sheet is also included with full notes on Sonnet 130 so no preparation is needed. Your students will thank you for offering such a fun way to learn about and practice writing poetry!
Product Includes:
- Comprehensive lesson plan
- Copy of Sonnet 130
- Teacher's notes
- Meticulous assignment directions
- Rubric
This lesson is Common Core aligned and appropriate for grades 9-12.
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Save 20% off this resource when you purchase as part of a bundle of Shakespeare products:
⭐ Shakespeare Resource Bundle
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Also, check out these great Valentine's Day resources from Language Arts Excellence:
⭐ Valentine's Day Collaborative Writing Activity
⭐ Valentine's Day Figurative Language Practice
⭐ Valentine's Day Figurative Language in Love Songs PowerPoint
⭐ Valentine's Day Figurative Language in Love Songs Task Cards
⭐ Valentine's Day Love Song Figurative Language BUNDLE
⭐ Shakespeare Valentine's Day Lesson Plan
⭐ Sonnet 18 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan
⭐ Valentine's Day Mad Libs
⭐ Valentine's Day "Love Talk" Lesson Plan
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⭐ Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐
By Language Arts Excellence
**Now with newly added material!**
This resource features a growing bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for your unit on Shakespeare. Resources perfectly complement any Shakespearean play and can be used to introduce the unit (like the Elizabethan Mini-Unit, Scavenger Hunt, and PowerPoint), throughout the unit (Bell Ringers, Sonnet Lesson Plan, and "Death Lines" Activity), as a review (Shakespeare Escape Room), and even to decorate your classroom (Quote Posters). Each product is thoughtfully crafted and inspires students to delve deeply into Shakespeare's life and works. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. You will not find tedious lists of comprehension questions and vocabulary words in this bundle; instead you will find materials that will make Shakespeare relevant in the eyes of your students and bring the Bard to life!
Included in this Bundle:
⭐ Elizabethan England Mini-Unit
This is a differentiated mini-unit on Elizabethan England to prepare students for studying Shakespeare's works! It can be used as an introduction to any of Shakespeare's plays. It begins with a day of research into Shakespeare's life and times, then asks students to create a group collage on their topic and ultimately perform a presentation of their findings.
⭐ Introduction to Shakespeare Powerpoint, Scavenger Hunt & Lesson Plan
This resource features everything you need to conduct the perfect introduction to William Shakespeare for your students. Shakespeare can be undeniably intimidating for students, particularly if they have never had experience with reading his work before, so this lesson aims to engage and show that the greatest writer of all time was actually a pretty cool guy. The powerpoint offers a brief glimpse into the life and times of William Shakespeare and takes about 30 minutes to run through while encouraging optimal student engagement. The scavenger hunt encourages active learning as students discover answers to the 21 important questions throughout the lesson about the man, the myth, the Bard himself. This lesson plan and accompanying materials can be used to introduce a unit on any of Shakespeare's plays.
⭐Shakespeare ESCAPE ROOM
There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock! This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Shakespearean Escape Room. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game.
⭐ 25 Shakespeare Bell Ringer Journal Prompts
This resource features a set of 25 reader response journal prompts for use during your unit on Shakespeare. Each bell ringer is comprised of a Shakespearean quote from one of his plays or sonnets and a thoughtfully crafted question that encourages students to personally connect and appreciate the timelessness of his work. Prompts can be used as bell-ringers (most popular and mean the first 5 minutes of every class for more than a month are planned for you!), summarizers, stations, full class or small group discussion questions, for homework, sub plans, as a filler activity… the possibilities are endless!
⭐ Sonnet 130 Lesson Plan
In this creative and engaging lesson plan, students will analyze one of Shakespeare's most famous love sonnets about the notorious Dark Lady and create their own original poetry inspired by the Bard. This resource provides step-by-step instructions using a format of warm-up, explanation, application, and synthesis with the aim to engage students from beginning to end. A teacher cheat sheet is also included with full notes on Sonnet 130 so no preparation is needed.
⭐ Shakespeare Valentine's Day Lesson Plan
This full-length lesson plan revolves around Shakespeare's mastery of the English language with an emphasis on his knack for coming up with the most compassionate of compliments and scathing of insults. Through a non-intimidating approach, students will have the opportunity to do a little bit of acting and make connections to modern day as they explore Shakespeare's language of love and hate. I am always astounded by the level of maturity of the discussion that arises from this activity as students discuss what makes a compliment or insult particularly effective and from whom it means the most. This is sure to be a lesson that you will use again and again on February 14th.
⭐ Shakespeare's "Death Lines" Lesson Plan
In this full-length lesson plan, students will closely examine the final lines of Shakespearean characters before their deaths (if you know Shakespeare, there are quite a few!). Following a mini-lesson on the importance of these final words, students will take part in the classic game, Mafia, with a unique, Shakespearean twist. I invented the take on this game several years ago and it has become one of my students' and my favorite days of the whole school year. There is truly nothing like seeing students having a great time while studying Shakespeare. I am confident that your students will love it too!
⭐ Shakespeare Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game ~ newly added!
This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review Shakespeare and the Globe Theater. Let's face it, review days can be boring for both teachers and students, so liven them up with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but 30 questions on Shakespeare's life, works, and the Globe. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study.
⭐ William Shakespeare Quote Posters
Make your classroom pop with this set of 25 beautifully-made posters featuring quotes from William Shakespeare. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) PDF poster contains a noteworthy quote from one of the Bard's plays imposed over a stunning photograph that will spruce up your ELA classroom. The square format is reminiscent of Instagram and makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board. I suggest laminating the posters and using them not just during your Shakespeare unit, but all year long.
⭐ Shakespeare's Epitaph Assignment - BONUS FILE!!
Students get the chance to create the epitaph for the gravestone of the most revered writer of all time. The activity encourages students to be thoughtful with their knowledge of William Shakespeare but also to be creative with their inscriptions. This can be done in or outside of class and also works as a no-prep emergency substitute plan. To be festive, I love to give this assignment on the anniversary of Shakespeare's actual death, April 23, but with the subject at hand, it also works well as a Halloween lesson plan.
By purchasing these great resources as a bundle, you save over 20% off the cover price of all materials!
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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
By Beth Hammett
Have fun teaching Hyperboles with this twelve pdfs that defines, illustrates, and explains the concept. Includes: Individual/whole group activities (students illustrate or make videos) Definition Examples Media links with fun Youtubes Images for use with inferencing skills and more... Easy to follow and understand. Engaging and fun way to learn and use hyperboles.
By Beth Hammett
An interactive, engaging 15 slide PowerPoint that defines and illustrates irony. Includes definition, everyday, and real life examples with photos, novel excerpts, and music links. Includes three individual/small/whole group activites for comprehension check.
By Beth Hammett
An easy to understand presentation to help students with mood and tone. Includes: Definitions Quotes Examples Group/Individual Activities with word banks Whole class reviews (Poetry and Prose) Great for literature classes and writing reviews! Meets CCSS.
By Beth Hammett
16 page presentation to help students define and understand what a ballad is, how it changed over time, its historical importance, Dand how to write a ballad. Includes: Definition with individual/group activity Examples of ballads throughout time periods Patterns/Rhyme scheme with example Critical thinking & fact based Individual/group activities Write your own ballad individual/group activity Research project with scoring rubric Extra Resources Complete interactive unit for defining, recognizing, teaching and writing ballads. Meets Common Core State Standards.
Metaphor Poetry Group Project | Middle School | ELA | Digital Resources
By Perfectly Planned Designs
Looking for fun activities for the first days or week back to school? This Metaphor Poetry ELA Project is a fun, no-prep project your students will LOVE! It can be completed after state testing or as part of end of the year activities and will be a hit! Perfect for middle school or high school. Students will not only write a poem utilizing an extended metaphor,but they will also get creative in order to present the poem visually for a bulletin board display.
**CHECK OUT THE VIDEO PREVIEW ABOVE!
This is an activity I use in my classroom every year toward the end of the year and I know your students will love it! Although writing poetry can be daunting, this project is highly structured, forcing students to adhere to the parameters and the result is unique and guaranteed to impress once completed.
INCLUDED WITH YOUR PURCHASE:
26 Slide PDF with a step-by-step process of writing a Metaphor Poem
Printable Pre-Writing Organizer
Printable Poem Writing Template
2 Printable Bulletin Board Banners for Display - color and black & white
STUDENT GUIDELINES FOR USING THIS RESOURCE
Completed with a partner, students will analyze how writers use metaphors in poetry by looking at examples. The PDF provides multiple examples to guide students. They will then read and analyze a mentor poem and utilize the same structure to write their poem. They will love creating their poems and watching their ideas come to life! This well-organized activity allows students to effortlessly become poets, while thinking about concise and precise word choice, counting syllables to create rhythm, getting exposure to high-quality examples, and learning something new! This project should take about 2 weeks, from start to finish and is perfect for display.
***Optional Competitive Element:
I always choose Finalistsbased on poem structure, meaning and how they visualized their metaphor. I then ask another teacher to select 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. And of course, the winners get a prize!
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This Pop Culture Bundle for Middle School will make your students WANT to work and stay on task as they read about high-interest trending topics among teens. Also available for High School and Upper Elementary School.
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**For personal and single classroom use only. If using with multiple classrooms, please purchase additional licenses at the discounted rate.**
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