| English & Literature Lesson Plans: Middle School |
Bioethics in the Language Arts Classroom : Engaging Middle School Students in Civic, Social, and Moral Issues - Source: NCTE - English/Language Arts: Grades 6-9 - Teach research skills and critical thinking skills through investigation of controversial issues in the sciences. The write up includes sample student handout questions and a format for research.
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County - Grades 7-9 - This eighth grade lessson from the California SCORE series offers students several web-based activities, comparing Twain's writing styles, promotiong Calavaras County, use of humor, and the like. Each activity has several related web resources, and the entire unit could be adapted to suit specific circumstances without a lot of preparation.
Computer Conversations: Readers and Books Online - Source: NCTE - Language Arts/Reading: Grades 2-8 - This electronic reprint of an article explains how to set up your own Internet conversations with authors to build student reading and writing. It includes ideas for getting funding.
Cultural Unity Through Folk tales by Stella Samuel, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Reading/ English and Social Studies: Grades 7-12 - Study folk tales to discover the diversity and the essential unity of cultures.
Daniel’s Story - Grade 8 - This lesson plan requires two and a half weeks of 55-minute class periods. It introduces students to the Holocaust through use of literature and videos (Schindler’s List, etc.); it also involves an intense psychological exercise that helps students understand the true meaning of discrimination. Different daily classroom activities teach the history and vocabulary of this event, and the students are also required to write about their feelings in a journal. The authors of this lesson suggest that teachers preface the lesson by sending a letter to parents explaining the lesson plan and its purpose. This lesson plan meets Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum standards.
Detective Fiction: Focus on Critical Thinking by Vanessa Clayton, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies - Grade 6 - Develop students’ critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies through a study of the crime fiction genre. Students explore the elements of detective fiction, learn how to apply the scientific method, and create an original detective story.
Detective Fiction in the Urban Classroom by Soraya R. Potter - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Reading - Grade 5-8 - Originally designed for Chapter I students, this unit introduces the detective novel through the framework of Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. In the selected literary readings, "the good guy always wins, brains always outwit brawn," and "human life is regarded with the highest respect." Writing skills, deductive reasoning, and related vocabulary are stressed.
Diary of Anne Frank - Teaching Guide for the Play - Grades 6-12 - This is McDougall Littel's teacher's guide for the play The Diary of Anne Frank. It includes brief study ideas and questions, along with introductory context information.
Dickens House Tour - Grades 6-9 - Students visit the web site for Dickens London home, tour the rooms, then answer questions about the house and Dickens writing. Designed as a background activity for any study of Dickens works and 19th century London.
Electronic Read-Arounds and Other Computer-Writing - Source: NCTE - English/Language Arts, Grades 7-12 - Use the computer lab to teach writing in new ways using the ideas in this article. Scholarly references and practical ideas are both included. This site give teachers new ways to emphasize writing process and willing revision.
Folktales: Oral Traditions as a Basis for Instruction in our Schools - by Soraya R. Potter - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts ("written primarily for slow learners, learning disabled students, and students receiving Chapter I services at the Middle School level") - Grades 6-8 - Using selected fairy tales divided into four general themes, "The Trickster Gets Tricked," "Where Dreams Come True," "Clever Animal," and "Tales of Enchantment," this unit involves students in observing, writing, reading, and expressing what they have experienced. Students practice oral storytelling, compose modern versions of familiar tales, and learn techniques for evaluating their own writing and that of their classmates.
Folktales - The Mirror of Humanity - by Synia Carroll-McQuillan, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Drama/Theater - Grade 6 - This six-week unit uses a broad selection of tales, spanning many cultures and geographic regions, to introduce students to the imagery and symbolism universally found in this genre. Timeless questions about our human existence are examined as students move toward a clearer, more compassionate understanding of the human condition across cultural, geographic, and chronological boundaries. Detailed lesson plans and related activities are included.
Heroes and Heroines in the Family - by Margaret Clancy, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts - Grades 7-8 - Students analyze American Indian, European, Puerto Rican, African, and American folk tales while strengthening vocabulary development, reading and writing abilities, interpersonal skills, and creativity. Folktales chosen as the basis for this unit explore the universal theme of using strength and intellect to accomplish great feats.
Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian by Medria Blue, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - U.S. History: Grades 6-8 – This lesson explores Langston Hughes’ poetry, setting it as a "vehicle by which students are exposed to the African-American experience in the United States of the 1920s through the 1960s."
Intergenerational Reading Partners - Source: NCTE - English/Reading/Language Arts: Grades 5-8 - Use journals and secret senior citizen reading partners to create mystery and enthusiasm for novel reading and journal writing with these unique ideas, suggested by a practicing sixth grade teacher.
It’s a Mystery to Me by Marilyn Gaudioso - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts - Grades 6-8 - Introduce students to the fiction of Edgar A. Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. This unit explores elements of the classical detective story, higher level thinking skills, powers of observation and prediction, and cooperative work.
Language Arts Web Sites and Resources: - Language Arts Educators K-12 - Here’s a treasure-trove of lessons, materials, ideas, units and resources. Lots and lots of great material here from sources as various as the academy Curriculum Exchange, Houghton Mifflin, Addison Wesley, AskERIC, Encarta and the Peace Corps. Print ‘em out and turn ‘em loose on the kids! This is definitely worth a browse!
Math-Writing and Thinking - Source: NCTE - Language Arts/Math: Grades 4-6 - Develop student writing skills and strengthen knowledge of math concepts by trying this method of writing letters to peers to explain new material. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has encouraged this approach of writing about math.
Mood Museum - Source: NCTE - Language Arts/English: Grades 6-12 - Teach the concept of mood in literature using this visual representation idea. This teacher used it with A Wrinkle in Time, but could be applied to any literary work.
Meeting the Blues - A collection of interdisciplinary lessons on the music, art, and literature of the American "blues" musical art form. There are individual lessons suitable for elementary, middle school, and high school students.
Multiculturalism Through African Folk Tales And Mayan Myths by Rebecca Brown, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts: Grades 7-8 - By studying the folktales and myths of Africa and the Mayas, students understand the nature of myth and the variety of culture.
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Music
is Poetry - Language Arts - Grade 8
- This three-day unit lets student learn about poetry and poetic devices
by analyzing song lyrics of their own choosing, and by working in groups
to develop presentations based on those lyrics. This lesson was a winner
in the 1998 TeachersFirst Lesson Plans Contest. |
Outta Ray's Head - Literature - Grades 6-12 - Don't be scared off by the title! This is a collection of literature-related lesson plans compiled by an English teacher in Ontario, Ca. The selection includes everything from simple log sheets to term paper and discussion ideas. All materials have been designed and tested by classroom teachers.
Parents as Writing Partners - Source: NCTE - Language Arts/ English: Grades 6-8 - Use this idea to generate enthusiasm and parent involvement as you teach writing. Letters to parents are included with these step by step plans.
Patchwork of Cultures - a Thematic Unit - Grades 6-8 - This unit from the California SCORE series compares and contrasts works from three different cultures: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Palacco and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Like all of the SCORE projects, this one provides Internet links which students can use in completing the activities.
People, Places & Pictures by Yel Hannon Brayton, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts and related areas - Grades 7-8 - This unit enhances awareness and appreciation of various cultures through a study of film. Writing is the main activity with a large emphasis on poetry.
Puerto Rican Folktales - by Doris M. Vazquez - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Social Studies/Language Arts - Grades 7-12 - Explore the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico through a study of the myths, legends, folktales, and fairy tales. Students learn to analyze tales by identifying the character, problem, setting, sequence of events, ultimate solution, and implied lesson/moral.
Race, Language and Separation by Sandra Coleman, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Social Studies: Grades 5-6 - This unit combines expository writing, research, and other skills to investigate the relationship of language to segregation and integration within the American culture.
Science and Detection: Making Connections through Einstein Anderson by Gail Hall, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts and Science - Grades 6-8 - By examining ways in which the scientific process is used by characters in detective stories, students will discover the many parallels between literature and science. Process skills involving observation, prediction, and information gathering are addressed in this integrated unit based on the Einstein Anderson detective stories and Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
Spirit Quest - Grades 6-8 - This lesson plan spans two weeks of 55-minute class periods. Native American culture is explored in detail during this lesson, framed by the book. Daily activities include various crafts, writing exercises, discussion, and group work on a final project. For the group project, students choose a Native American tribe and research it, then make a presentation to the class at the end of the unit. This lesson plan meets Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum standards.
Tales From Around the World by Delci Lev, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts: Grades 6-8 - Help students learn about diversity and commonality between cultures through stories from many different places, providing strong reinforcement of social studies concepts.
Teacher Guide: Using the Professional Cartoonists' Web Site in your classroom - Grade 4+ - Bookmark this one! This site has excellent and separate lesson plans for teaching editorial cartoon analysis, current events, fact and opinion, and related topics to elementary, middle , and high school students. Developed jointly by the journalists and a classroom teacher, these plans can pop into reality with ease, with ready-to-go handouts and high-interest activities. From the American Journalism Review Newslink.
Teaching Detective Fiction Through A Cross Curriculum Unit by Angelo J. Pompano - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Language Arts - Grade 7 - Agatha Christie’s short story "Miss Marple Tells A Story," is the basis for this two-week introduction to detective fiction. Emphasizing deductive reasoning, critical thinking, and a cohesive team-teaching atmosphere, this unit ideally involves every subject area, including technology, math, art, and drama. Through related activities, students strengthen their abilities to formulate questions, find information, and use that information intelligently.
Teaching Storytelling - Source: NCTE - Target: K-12 - Discusses strategies and approaches to the use of storytelling in the classroom This site addresses such questions as: Why is storytelling important? And "How can storytelling be included in the school curriculum?"
Teaching Shakespeare When They Don’t All Speak English - Source: NCTE - Target: Grades 7-12 - This site provides tactics for introducing the works of Shakespeare to English as a Second Language students. A helpful narrative provides specific learning activities and exercise to help a teacher accomplish such a mission!
The University in Ruins Study Group forum - Source: NCTE - Target: Professional/Staff development. This site is one of the NCTE Conversations series. It provides a forum where readers can discuss Bill Reading’s book The University in Ruins. Interesting exchanges on the "state of the university."
Using Film and Literature to Examine Uncle Remus: A Comparison and Analysis of the Film Song Of The South by Felicia R. McKinnon, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - History, Language Arts, Social Studies, Drama, Grades 6-8 - Through the use of films, recorded books, and literary readings, this unit exposes students to the oral tradition of storytelling, provides facts about African American contributions to this tradition, and offers a comprehensive approach to understanding African American folklore.
Woodsong Unit Plan - This is a unit plan for Gary Paulsen's book Woodsong. It is unusually well-done, with background, history, and lesson plans contained on a nicely executed set of pages. If your class is reading Woodsong, don't miss this site.
What Makes the Japanese Laugh? - World Culture/Literature: Grades 6-12 - This lesson plan from Ask Asia compares cultures through the unique sense of humor that each shows in its literature and entertainment.
Why Talk About Phonics? - Source: NCTE - Target: Teachers of all levels - An interesting discussion and explanation of the importance of phonics. Discussion of reading as "meaning making" as opposed to merely "decoding." The site discusses such concepts as phonemic awareness, invented spelling and sound/letter knowledge.
World War II As Seen Through Children’s Literature by Laura Pringleton, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute - Integrated Unit: Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science: Grades 5+ - This long-term unit uses all four academic disciplines to learn about World War II in a wonderfully integrated study. Materials are mostly middle school level but easily adaptable upwards.
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