In this lesson, students use the structure of an accordion book to identify parts of an essay: introduction, three supporting details, and conclusion. They then compose a personal story using events from the past school year and plan the introduction, details, and conclusion.

Contains plans for four 40-minute lessons that teach persuasive writing to elementary students. In addition to student objectives and standards, these instructional plans contain links to PDF handouts and links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.

Literary essay example by a student discussing two works by Annie Dillard and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A good example of a strong literary essay.

A very comprehensive site that includes a biographical sketch, several texts of Borges'poems, short stories and essays and, critical essays on his works.

The 11th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 11th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Students move from learning the class rituals and routines and genre features of argument writing in Unit 11.1 to learning about narrative and informational genres in Unit 11.2: The American Short Story. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this unit, students will explore great works of American literature and consider how writers reflect the time period in which they write. They will write two literary analysis papers and also work in groups to research and develop anthologies of excellent American stories.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and analyze stories from several 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century American authors. After researching a time period, they select stories from that period to create an anthology. The readings enhance their understanding of the short story, increase their exposure to well-known American authors, and allow them to examine the influence of social, cultural, and political context.
Students examine elements of short stories and have an opportunity for close reading of several American short stories. During these close readings, they examine the ways that short story writers attempt to explore the greater truths of the American experience through their literature.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

If you were to write a short story about this decade, what issues might you focus on?
What defines a short story? Just length?
To what extent do these stories reflect the era or decade in which they were written?
To what extent are the themes they address universal?

CLASSROOM FILMS

History.com has short videos on the Vietnam War (“Vietnam” and “A Soldier's Story”).

In this lesson, students will reflect on the main characters in the two short stories they have read recently. They will begin a short paper about these stories.

Joseph Addison's (1672-1719 CE) Essays and Tales is reproduced here from the 1888 edition, formatted for online reading.

This site, by the author of a workbook on the craft of writing, is filled with essays about many elements of dramatic writing, from the principles of storytelling, to plot development, to character development. There are also numerous reviews of movies, novels and plays.

If you are a teacher OR a student looking for a well-informed website on elements of the writing process, you are in luck! This site from the Capital Community College is very comprehensive and easy-to-navigate. From grammar basics to types of essays, you'll find all you need here.

Use this site to learn how to properly use quotation marks in stories, poems, articles, and speeches.

Superbly written explanation of thesis development. Use the links on the right to work through the writing process.

This site offers a clear definition of what is expected in a definition essay. It also provides a link to a sample paper, with instructor's comments, as well as a link to the Purdue University On-Line Writing Lab.

"In this unit, students explore the artistry that helped make Irving our nation's first literary master and ponder the mystery that now haunts every Halloween -- What happened to Ichabod Crane?"

Read about the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature, Octavio Paz. This Nobel E-Museum website includes a biography, poetry, Paz's Nobel lecture entitled "In Search of the Present," and many other resources.

Student voices are catalysts for positive change in schools and communities. You can empower them to be well-informed and civically engaged when you participate in the News Literacy Project’s PitchIt! contest.

This is an authentic way to get middle and high school students to learn about and express their thoughts about current events from a news literacy perspective. In addition to exploring an issue important to them, they can help combat misinformation or work to protect freedom of the press.

To have your students participate in PitchIt! and get the most out of it, use NLP’s free resources and curriculum guides. You choose the top essays from your class to submit for judging and prizes.

This is a fun, hands-on lesson from AtoZteacherstuff! Students go through a study of frogs while learning how to interpret and restate factual information.

This site gives advice on how to write an effective purpose (thesis) statement. The summary is given as answers to four questions: what? why? when? how?.

A professor's excellent explanation of how to write a professional sounding essay. Covers all aspects of an essay, and detailed examples give information on exactly how to write the essay.