Students get very confused when asked to use >,<, and = to compare numbers. This lesson will show students how to make the crocodile eat the biggest number and free their minds to compare numbers and not focus on which symbol is the correct one to use. This lesson includes an explanatory video, poster, worksheets, and pictures of students at work.

An assessment of the horrific tragedy of the chemical pollution whcih seeped into the town of Love Canal. Written by an EPA administrator just months after carcinogenic materials began leaching into yards and the public school built over the dump site, this article gives an almost contemporaneous look at the disaster.

The 12th 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 12th 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. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this 5-day unit, students will explore the topic of love. After reading six poems from writers in the 16th and 17th centuries, they will decide which poet had a better idea than the others about how to express love to a young woman.

In this lesson, students will finish discussing the Marvell poem and read “Youth’s the Season Made for Joys.” All four of the poems fit the category of carpe diem poetry. Students will write about which of these poems is best for its purpose and discuss what makes a good love poem.

The laws that govern and the social norms that regulate society are not always fair, legal, moral, or ethical. What is a person to do about all this injustice? What are the hazards of righting injustices or changing social norms? And what are the dangers of doing nothing?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and annotate Antigone, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and Pygmalion.
Students write a literary analysis showing the effect of social class or the law on a character’s life.

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.

How do social class and legal institutions shape literary characters’ lives (and presumably our lives)?
How does social class affect a person in dealing with the law (protect a person, hurt a person)?
How is social class determined in America and in other places in the world?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

In this lesson, students will take the second in a series of three Cold Write assessments in the narrative genre. The Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) is an unassisted and unrevised piece of writing with the purpose of providing a quick gauge of the student’s mastery of the characteristics of a given genre. Today’s Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) measures and provides a benchmark of students’ mastery of narrative writing. They’ll also continue reading, annotating, and discussing “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Then they’ll focus on the charges made against Dr. King and how he refutes them.

Explore the meaning of kindness, love, and forgiveness in this video excerpt from Les Miserables, Masterpiece. Based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo, the production tells the story of Jean Valjean, who emerges from 19 years in a forced-labor prison-where he was sent for stealing a loaf of bread for his hungry family. Angry and vengeful after his cruel treatment, he is suspicious and astonished when he encounters Monsieur Myriel, the Bishop of Digne, who offers him food, shelter, and the opportunity for redemption. [3:08] Teaching materials are provided.

Students explore the theme of love of war through texts on camaraderie among soldiers. They then compose a visual collage depicting their beliefs about the relationship between love and war.

Mister Chris and Friends is a show for young children produced by Vermont PBS. Each gently-paced episode begins with a wish made to a magical Wishing Well. This wish propels Mister Chris and his friends on an adventure to discover more about the world and themselves. Each adventure weaves valuable science and social-emotional lessons into thoughtful fantastical stories and culminates with a musical celebration. All the while, the emotional intelligence of children and their capacity for love and compassion are held in the highest regard.

Read about the 1977 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Vicente Aleixandre. This website is organized into the following sections: "Press Release," "Presentation Speech," "Biography," "Nobel Lecture," and "Other Resources."

Learn about identifying spheres and counting in bundles of fives with the Odd Squad. Oscar and Otto know that centigurps love spheres, so the agents focus their search on places where spheres can be found. They put the captured centigurps in boxes of five and ten.

The classic folk tale  Stone Soup is a metaphor for the support of community during hard times: Soup is LOVE! Stone Soup is available in digital format through the Internet Archive's Open Library.  See related titles in NoveList.LEARN to share!! There is always enough soup for all.

Students explore major themes and the importance of characterization in this excerpt from MASTERIECE's 2008 version of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. When the young and naive Tess Durbeyfield first meets her "cousin," the wealthy and jaded Alec D'Urberville, she is grateful for his attention and generosity. But, as the scene reveals, their character traits and the timeless themes of the story-love, betrayal, honesty-will combine to make this a moving story with a powerful message. See Teaching Tips for how to use the video in the classroom. This resource is part of the Masterpiece Collection. [1:47]

In this collection of these three video clips from MASTERIECE: Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," discover how the literary themes of love, honesty, and betrayal are conveyed in the film adaptation of Hardy's classic novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles."

In this video from Penn State's School of Theatre production of Twelfth Night, Feste sings a song for the Duke and Viola (Cesario, and the two discuss the way men and women approach love. [7:31]

Selected online texts of "Buffalo Bill's," "in Just-," and "Picasso." Includes a biography and selected bibliography.

This site features biographical information about the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney and links to full text examples of his poetry.

Investigate the effect that World War II-"total war"-had on a generation of young people, in this excerpt [2:26] from World on Fire, Masterpiece. When two young people, who had fallen in love just as the war began, meet up unexpectedly a year later, their lives have been dramatically changed. Kasia, a young Polish Resistance fighter, is weary and pessimistic. Harry, an English soldier, holds out hope that their love will help them overcome the trauma of war. Teacher tips are included.

This scene in the 2009 Masterpiece version of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights skillfully sets up not only the plot and characters (the rugged Heathcliff and the innocent Catherine Linton), but a distinct time and place: the Yorkshire moors. Catherine is unaware of the circumstances surrounding her mother's passionate relationship with Heathcliff and the dangers of the moors themselves. To emphasize this, she is shown in a simple white dress, skipping happily down the lane. Suddenly, as the music changes, Heathcliff looms above her on horseback. Catherine is about to be introduced to a more sinister reality-and to Wuthering Heights itself. [1:51]