After studying utopian literature, students design their own utopian society, publishing the explanation of their ideal world on a blog. As they blog about their utopia, students establish the habits, practices, and organizing social structures that citizens will follow in their utopian societies. They begin by brainstorming ideas about what a perfect society would be like and then, in groups, begin to plan their project. Next, they become familiar with the blogging process, including legal guidelines and the specific site they will be using. Over several class sessions, students work on their blogs comparing their work to a rubric. Finally, after students visit one another's blogs and provide constructive and supportive feedback, they reflect on their own work. The lesson plan includes alternative handouts for classrooms where computer or blog access is limited. In this alternative, students complete the same basic activities, but publish their work using a Flip Book.

This formative assessment is designed to help students choose a hypothetical (or real!) career for the purposes of imagining, researching, and writing in real-lfie circumstances. In doing so, it asks for the review, application, and synthesis of some wide-flung skills including:1) Brainstorming relevant criteria through personal reflection, research, or interview.2) Researching on reliable sources. (W.7)3) Collecing and citing sources. (W.8)4) Argumentative/Analytical thesis writing. (W.2)5) Complex sentence strategies. (L.3a) 

This guide provides teachers with background information and classroom activities to extend the viewing experience of the film "Muslims." The classroom exercises are designed for teachers who have a working knowledge of the difference between stereotypes and facts about Islam. You may want to use the background information in this guide to familiarize yourself with Islam prior to doing any of these activities. If you are not comfortable in your own knowledge, some of these exercises could perpetuate stereotypes about Muslims rather than correct them.

What is scary, and why does it fascinate us? How do writers and storytellers scare us? This lesson plan invites students to answer these questions by exploring their own scary stories and scary short stories and books. The lesson culminates in a Fright Fair, where students share scary projects that they have created, including posters, multimedia projects, and creative writing.

In Module 11.3, students engage in an inquiry-based, iterative process for research. Building on work with evidence-based analysis in Modules 11.1 and 12.2, students explore topics that have multiple positions and perspectives by gathering and analyzing research based on vetted sources to establish a position of their own. Students first generate a written evidence-based perspective, which will serve as the early foundation of what will ultimately become a written research-based argument paper. The research-based argument paper synthesizes and articulates several claims using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to support the claims. Students read and analyze sources to surface potential problem-based questions for research, and develop and strengthen their writing by revising and editing.

Find the rest of the EngageNY ELA resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-ela-archive .

In Module 12.3, students engage in an inquiry-based, iterative research process that serves as the basis of a culminating research-based argument paper. Building on work with evidence-based analysis in Modules 12.1 and 12.2, students use a seed text to surface and explore issues that lend themselves to multiple positions and perspectives. Module 12.3 fosters students’ independent learning by decreasing scaffolds in key research lessons as students gather and analyze research based on vetted sources to establish a position of their own. Students first generate a written evidence-based perspective, which serves as the early foundation of what will ultimately become their research-based argument paper.

Find the rest of the EngageNY ELA resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-ela-archive .

Students read a work of realistic fiction about bullying and gain understanding through writing, Readers Theatre, and discussion.

This lesson provides an introduction to the language and poetics of the epic poem Beowulf. Although this lesson assumes students will read Beowulf in translation, it introduces students to the poem’s original Old English and explains the relationship between Old, Middle, and Modern English. Students are introduced to the five characters in the Old English alphabet that are no longer used in Modern English. As a class, they translate a short, simple phrase from Old English, and then listen to a passage from the poem being read in Old English. Next, students are introduced to some poetic devices important to Beowulf. They learn about alliteration by reading an excerpt from W. H. Auden’s modern English poem “The Age of Anxiety,” then listen for alliteration in the Old English version of a passage from Beowulf. Finally, students explore the poetic functions of kennings, compounds, and formulas in Beowulf.

The cultural children's story project allows students to explore Native American culture through a new lens by authoring and illustrating children's stories that teach children between the ages of four and six a lesson or tale unique to Native cultural traditions. The exemplar stories are laminated, bound, and given as gifts to an area elementary school with a primarily Native student body. Student authors read the stories to the children, and the books become part of the children's classroom library. The children learn cultural traditions from a young age and see their mentors (often Native students as well) as role models and writers. The authors learn the skills to develop their stories from conception to publication to presentation.Cultural Children's Story Video Lesson

Purdue Owl is a comprehensive style and grammar guide for all aspects of writing. The site offers over 200 free resources including:
Writing and Teaching WritingGrammar and MechanicsStyle GuidesESL (English as a Second Language)Job Search and Professional Writing
It is the best and most current resource for guidelines in citation, grammar, puncuation and other stylistic aspects of writing. It is best used to look up answers to speciific questions in regard to usage.

This lesson allows students to explore the different sides associated with the issue of slavery. It can be used for either cross-content lessons between English and Social Studies, as part of an argument unit in English, or as part of a larger unit in Social Studies. The learning objectives for the lesson are that students are able to identify those who are for and against slavery, understand how people used the U.S. Constitution to support their reasons for/against slavery, and the economic argument for or against slavery.

This is a Monday assignment in my Native American Lit. Class. Students read articles on current topics in Indian Country and write about or present their findings to the class on Tuesdays to spark discussion. At the beginning of the year, I usually show a video or clip about a current hot topic to gain their interest. This year I showed the documentary AWAKE about the Dakota Access Pipeline and the protests there, which prompted debate and discussion, and ignited their interest in topics related to Native Americans.