Commonly Taught Books

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Across the United States, most schools pull from a common set of classic books for their English curriculum. We have compiled a set of resources to accompany 24 of the most frequently incorporated literary works. On each page, you will find lesson ideas, links to activities, videos, and reference materials to support your teaching. If you have comments or suggestions about other books, please contact us.

A Farewell to Arms

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Hemingway Resource Center A comprehensive site devoted to the life and work of Ernest Hemingway. Features biographical information, FAQs, interviews about Hemingway, bibliographies, and more.

Hemingway Resource Center: The Lost Generation Contains an Ernest Hemingway biography that students could read to determine the overall themes for A Farewell to Arms and discuss how the stress of war may have contributed to them.
From the interview section: Remembering Ernest Hemingway was published in the summer of 1999 to coincide with Hemingway's 100th birthday celebration. The authors, both teachers, answer questions.

Studying A Farewell to Arms This web site on Ernest Hemingway's early career was created for the Virginia Community College System. Select sections:

Study Guide: Questions and research topics for each part of the novel.
Assignments: Suggestions to teachers about ways to assign the study questions and the research questions
Modules: Objectives and activities beyond the study guide questions and research topics on what makes good quiz responses and good research writing and analytical essays.
Reading the Novel: Here are 14 objectives with 6 tasks each that range from simpler information, interpretation, competency, and model-building tasks to more complex "transfer" and "research" tasks. The focus is on making inferences, figuring things out solo and with discussion, as well as answering multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

A Farewell to Arms: Modern Critical Interpretations An introduction by Harold Bloom ,Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University. It includes a link to the full text.

Ernest Hemingway: Classroom Issues and Strategies A brief guide with three questions for A Farewell to Arms.

A Farewell to Arms burial for Ernest Hemingway - Michael Palin for BBC Worldwide

Suggestions for Position Paper: A Farewell to Arms (1929) From the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

Kansas City Star Special on Hemingway

Download the Kansas City style sheet (PDF Format) that gave Hemingway his foundation for his writing style
Ernest Hemingway's Kansas City Star stories Links to six newspaper articles written by Hemingway between 1917 and 1918.
A Newspaper Life: Quotes, Anecdotes and Letters From Hemingway's Days

Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure This companion website to Palin's PBS Frontline program is full of valuable information, photos, biographical info, video clips, original book covers, and more. Tour WWI sites, Paris, Cuba, Spain, Key West, and more.

Ernest Hemingway television programming on C-Span American Writers II The Twentieth Century Based on The Sun Also Rises. It includes a forty-minute video interview with the late Hemingway biographer, Michael Reynolds.

The Hemingway Society: Virtual Hemingway Provides persons with links to scholarship and other information about Hemingway on-line as well as to selected manifestations of Hemingway's appearances in popular culture.

An audio web site for hearing Hemingway read selections from his own works. Readings include a recording by a Havana , Cuba, radio station of Hemingway reading his "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech", followed by a speech Hemingway gave to introduce a production of his play "The Fifth Column."

"He Remembers Papa" An interview with Hemingway's friend, Milton Wolff.

“Valerie Hemingway: Inside the Cuadrilla” by James Plath from his 1999 book Remembering Hemingway. Valerie Danby-Smith came by the Hemingway name by marrying--and later divorcing--Gregory, Ernest's youngest son. For two decades she worked in publishing and public relations in New York City and her articles have appeared in The Saturday Review, The New York Times, and Ski Magazine. The interview was conducted on February 19, 1996.

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1954 Text of the presentation speech by Anders Österling, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy.

Reading Hemingway in a War Zone NPR commentator Christian Bauman shares memories of reading Ernest Hemingway late into the night while serving on guard duty with the U.S. Army in Somalia.

Hemingway, Shakespeare Might Flunk SAT Essay Test NPR's Scott Simon talks to John Katzman about the new SAT essay test. Katzman makes the case, in an article in the Atlantic Monthly, that Ernest Hemingway and Shakespeare would not score well on the essay.

95 questions and answers on the life and works of Ernest Hemingway

99 Quotes by Ernest Hemingway

"A Farewell to Arms (To Queen Elizabeth)" The poem by George Peele from which Hemingway took the title for his novel

Student Guides (and possible "cheat sheets!"):

Reference Books suggested by Kingswood College Library:

REF PN 41 .D5 - The Dictionary of Literary Biography - Volumes 4 and 9 contain information on Hemingway's life.
REF PS221 .T834 - Twentieth Century American Literature - Volume 3 has an article on Hemingway and some discussion of the novel.
REF PS374 .C43 M35 - Major Characters in American Fiction - includes information on Frederic and Catherine.
REF PN50 .L574 - Literature and Its Times - Places the novel into the time it describes.
REF D521 .K57 - The First World War: an eyewitness history - a personal view of the war.
REF D523 .G634 - Chronicle of the First World War - A two volume chronology of the WWI

A Narrative of a Slave

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Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost spokesman of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades before the Civil War. In 1845 Douglass published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written By Himself. Three years later he published his own newspaper, The North Star. Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and recruited northern blacks for the Union Army.

An Introduction to the Slave Narrative William L. Andrews' essay "An Introduction to the Slave Narrative" (found at the UNC Chapel Hill's Documenting the American South website) explains the purpose of the slave narrative as "to enlighten white readers about both the realities of slavery as an institution and the humanity of black people as individuals deserving of full human rights." The essay touches upon the popularity of the narratives before the Civil War and also notes specific characteristic traits of the slave narrative.

Frederick Douglass dramatization

American Slave Narratives Over two thousand former slaves, most born in the last years of the slave regime or during the Civil War, provide first-hand accounts of their experiences on plantations, in cities, and on small farms. At this web site you can read a sample of these narratives and see some photographs taken at the time of the interviews.There is an annotated list of narratives, sound files, and related resources. Part of the American Hypertext Workshop at the University of Virginia.

From Courage to Freedom: Frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography In this three-lesson EDSitement curriculum unit students read Douglass's narrative with particular attention devoted to chapters 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 10. They analyze Douglass's first-hand accounts of the lives of slaves and the behavior of slave owners to see how he successfully contrasts reality with romanticism and powerfully uses imagery, irony, connotative and denotative language, strong active verbs, repetition, and rhetorical appeals to persuade the reader of slavery's evil. Students also identify and discuss Douglass's acts of physical and intellectual courage on his journey towards freedom.

Silva Rhetoricae, the EDSITEment-reviewed website, "The Forest of Rhetoric", has definitions and examples of the persuasive appeals and rhetorical devices used by Frederick Douglass and other accomplished orators.

OUSD Lesson Plan: Frederick Douglas This Oakland Unified School District lesson plan is designed for 9th grade students. You'll be impressed with the array of teaching ideas, lesson templates, handouts, worksheets, and tech integration. The goal of the lesson is to encourage students to read purposefully, learn reading strategies, and develop Expository Reading strategies for improving critical thinking skills. The themes of Social Justice, Social Reconciliation, and Social Transformation play a central role in the lessons.

Perspective on the Slave Narrative In this EDSitement lesson students consider the narrative as a historical record anda work of literature, investigate the rhetorical techniques Brown uses, and consider the work's political dimension. Includes background, links and suggested activities.

His Story/Her Story/Your Story A Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute teaching unit that explores the use of biography as vehicle for helping students gain a working and personal knowledge of black history. Reading selections include Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Up From Slavery, the Autobiography of Malcolm X, His Eye is on the Sparrow, and The Long Shadow Little Rock.

The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress, available on the American Memory Web site, contains approximately 7,400 items (38,000 images) relating to Douglass' life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, and public servant. The papers consist of correspondence, speeches and articles by Douglass and his contemporaries, a draft of his autobiography, financial and legal papers, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous items. Topics include politics, emancipation, racial prejudice, women's suffrage, and prison reform. Included is correspondence with Susan B. Anthony, William Lloyd Garrison, Horace Greeley, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison, and others.

DOUGLASS | Archives of American Public Address An extensive and searchable collection of speeches by famous Americans and related documents. Go to section 4 "Slavery and the Ordeal of the Union" and hear audio excerpts by a Frederick Douglass reenactor. Also has primary documents.

Documenting the American South (DAS) is an impressive collection of sources by the University of North Carolina on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. DAS supplies teachers, students, and researchers with a wide range of titles they can use for reference, studying, teaching, and research. Currently, DAS includes six digitization projects: slave narratives, first-person narratives, Southern literature, Confederate imprints, materials related to the church in the black community, and North Caroliniana. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

Danny Glover Reads Frederick Douglass

Other notable slave narratives:

Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Electronic text with critical and biographical supplementary materials.
Sojurner Truth, The Narrative of Sojurner Truth - Electronic text.
Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery - Electronic text.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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Censorship and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
This supplemental unit to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project. This unit provides resources for 11th-grade students in American Literature classes to explore the controversy that continues to swirl around the teaching and reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. During this unit, students will

Make assertions about significant patterns, motifs, perspectives.
Use point of view...for specific purpose.
Demonstrate understanding of the elements of persuasion.
Structure sustained arguments with support.

Bill Bennet on The Great Books: Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Discovery School Lesson Plan in which students must produce papers in which they demonstrate their familiarity with the novel by writing at length about a quotation from it or a symbol in it.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Project Gutenberg E-Book of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn: Text, Illustrations, and Early Reviews Contains early edition of Huckleberry Finn, illustrations from the first edition, as well as dozens of early reviews from newspapers and magazines.

Mark Twain in his Times Contained here are dozens of texts and manuscripts, scores of contemporary reviews and articles, hundreds of images, and many different kinds of interactive exhibits. Produced by The Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia.

Huck Finn in Context: A Teaching Guide This PBS teaching guide is based on the Culture Shocks video series, but you don't necessarily need to see the film to use their resources effectively. There are six sections: Exploring the Controversy; Behind the Mask -- Exploring Stereotypes; The Development of Character in Huck Finn; The Novel as Satire; Reclaiming the Self, The Legacy of Slavery; Final Projects. It offers suggestions on how to approach the text, discussion activities, activities, and supplemental readings.

Mark Twain: Classroom Activities These activities are based on the Ken Burns film about Twain. The objective of most of the five activities is for students to explain and test the value of humor and storytelling in reflecting on and writing about everyday life. The site contains recommended resources as well as an interactive scrapbook.

An Adventure in Pursuing Huckleberry Finn A WebQuest designed to acquaint students with the author, the historical, cultural, and geographical setting of the novel, and the main thrust of the story line

The Critical Reception: Contemporary Newspaper, Magazine Reviews Mix of extensive and brief reviews are grouped into: positive reviews; negative reviews; ban-inspired positive commentaries; ban-inspired negative commentaries; and neutral reports of the ban.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn This teacher's guide is designed for grades 10 and 11. Using a theme of "Society's Laws s. Higher Moral Values," it offers a summary, theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for related reading.

Huckleberry Finn: Suggested Essay Topics There are multiple essay questions relating directly to specific chapters in the novel.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The texts and illustrations below attempt to capture both the novel's achievement and some aspects of its controversiality. Check out Illustrating Race, Class, and Gender.

From Mark Twain to David Bowie: The Artistic Persona v. The Individual Click on Lesson 25. Students "gain a deeper appreciation for the complex relationship between the individual and the public image and the resulting impact on the works of the artist."

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) Criticism about Mark Twain, Biographical and sites about Mark Twain from the Internet Public Library Online Literary Criticism Collection.

Reviews of Huckleberry Finn Contemporary reviews are arranged chronologically.

Parting Words: Mark Twain Brief National Public Radio podcast in which host Andrea Seabrook shares parting words from American author Mark Twain.

Political Humor's Hysterical History National Public Radio podcast discusses political humor from Mark Twain to Tina Fey's parody of Sarah Palin.

Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery
Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find a rich collection of resources -- images, documents, stories, biographies, commentaries -- on the experience of slavery in America. There are four parts: The Terrible Transformation: 1450-1750, Revolution: 1750-1805, Brotherly Love:1791-1831, and Judgment Day: 1831-1865. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. A great site for black history.

All Quiet on the Western Front

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All Quiet on the Western Front A series of interesting lessons and assignments from teachers and students at A Way to Teach. You must register to receive the complete lessons.

All Quiet on the Western Front Cyberguide The Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) project is a great resource for teachers and students alike, though unfortunately its funding was cut in 2008. For this unit students research Erich Maria Remarque, create a timeline, develop propaganda, and write a letter and postcard, and create a journey.

BBC History: World War I Movies - The Human Experience This BBC multimedia production involves contemporary photographs, dramatised diary readings and interviews with veterans exploring key themes of World War One. Each chapter may take a couple of minutes to download the first time you view it, so please be patient.

The Great War This interactive UK National Archives Learning Curve presentation provides seven different investigations that will tell the story of the Great War - the First World War, 1914-18. The sources in these investigations have been chosen to highlight the role of important events, or communications from individuals that were key to the war.

Life in the Trenches - YouTube Video

Encyclopaedia of the First World War The Spartacus encyclopaedia contains the following sections: Chronology, Outbreak of War, Countries, Allied Armed Forces, Important Battles, Technology, Political Leaders, British Home Front, Military Leaders, Life in the Trenches, Trench System, Trench War, Soldiers, War Heroes, Medals, War at Sea, War in the Air, Pilots, Aircraft, War Artists, Cartoonists and Illustrators, War Poets, Journalists, Newspapers and Journals, Novelists, Women at War, Women's Organisations, Weapons and Machines, Inventors and the War, Theatres of War, and War Statistics

The Great War Society 1914-1918 A site for students and researchers that features numerous links to WWI topics

World War I: A Soldiers Record - What Can You Tell? This snapshot focuses on a Scottish World War I soldier, Donald Campbell. The main task requires pupils to decide whether he was a 'good solider'. This snapshot does not give a broad history of World War I; instead, it personalizes the conflict by helping pupils find out what happened to one solider.

BBC History: Western Front Animation Pinpoint key locations along the Western Front, watch the general movements of both sides and view the battles of Ypres, Verdun and the Somme in more detail.

Art of the First World War This site features 100 paintings from international collection to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the conflict. Visitors can examine the exhibit thematically re artillery, battlefield, suffering, etc.

Animal Farm

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Animal Farm: Opening Scene This is a YouTube video of the opening scene of Animal Farm. It is a great way to set the stage for a reading of the novel.

Glencoe Literature Library: Animal Farm Scroll down and click "Study Guide" at at bottom of page for a detailed 29-page guide in PDF format. Offers background information, activities and vocabulary, as well as active reading, analyzing literature, and response assignments.

Animal Farm: When Power Corrupts ClassZone unit guide for grades 9-10 that involves writing propaganda and researching socialism and communism.

Lesson Plans for 1984, Animal Farm and other books @Web English Teacher provides links to biographical information about George Orwell, web resources about Animal Farm, as well as other essays by Orwell.

SCORE: Animal Farm--Teacher Guide This supplemental unit provides activities and web resources developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project. The site focuses on the ongoing battle against the exploitation of the weak by the strong and activities deal with Orwell's perpetual battle against totalitarianism. Some broken links, but several interesting teaching ideas and resources.

Introduction to Animal Farm Students read the novel Animal Farm and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and answer a series of factual, interpretive, and evaluative questions. A lesson from LEARN NC, a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education

Animal Farm Historical Connections - YouTube Video

More than a Metaphor: Allegory and the Art of Persuasion In this well-organized EDSITEment lesson, students are introduced to the concept of allegory by using George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Animal Farm: The Complete Project A three-week Senior level teaching unit that involves writing and incorporation of symbolic images.

Make your class Animal Farm A Senior level lesson plan in which students understand literature through role-playing.

Animal Farm: "Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad" This 'CyberEnglish9' unit focuses on allegory and propaganda and students create a reading journal on a web page. Note: Links to Propaganda resources are broken.

Animal Farm Discussion Questions Brief introduction and twenty discussion questions from ReadingGroupGuides.

Animal Farm: "Bring Your Character in a Bag:" Grade 9 lesson in which students interpret a character from the novel Animal Farm and represent it symbolically and present orally.

Animal Farm - Comparison of characters to the Russian Revolution Chart that compares Animal Farm characters to historical counterparts.

Animal Farm Global Book Club presents three activities: writing, research, and art.

Combination Plan Using Multiple Intelligences and Holistic Models A 10th grade "holistic" lesson plan in which students come to recognize different forms of novels: Political, Social, Mystery, and Fantasy.

Animal Farm Vocabulary and Reading Questions Vocabulary and reading questions per chapter.

Animal Farm Vocabulary 27 terms with definitions

"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell This essay outlines Orwell's beliefs on the power of language.

"Shooting an Elephant" activities PDF handout with five activities based on Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" essay.

Song Lyrics from Animal Farm A listing of the lyrics to each of the songs from Animal Farm.

Antigone

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Roger Dunkle's Study Guide for Antigone From the Classics Technology Center, "Exercise for Reading Comprehension and Interpretation" is essentially a long list of reading questions and hyperlinked terms. The interesting part about the hyperlinked terms is that they lead to a Glossary where you can hear the pronunciation of Greek words.

Antigone (1961 film)

Antogone: Notes & Discussion of Sophocles' tragedy From the Classics Pages, provides an overview of plot, characters, and action and offers articles on Antigone, Creon, and Ismene.

Antigone game The game at first looks a little suspect because it opens up with pictures of seductive women... but stick with it !

Study Guide for Sophocles' Antigone by Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Associate Professor of Classics, Temple University. The guide presents questions and guidance; there is also an on-line text with hyperlinks to a wide range of information.

Antigone by Sophocles Overview, suggestions for instructional focus, activities, and connections beyond the classroom.

Beloved

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Beloved: A Unit Plan This impressive American Collection unit plan gives students the opportunity to reflect on the history of slavery and its aftermath by creating plays and other writings. You'll find thoughtful and creative pre-reading, support for reading, and post-reading exercises, all in PDF format. Unit is intended for an upper-level high school class of above average ability, possibly AP.

Facing the Ghosts of Our Past: Writing Narrative Reflections on the Civil War and Slavery In this New York Times lesson plan students read a review of the movie 'Beloved' as a starting-point for discussion and research focused on how the Civil War affected a variety of different people. Students then write a first-person narrative from the perspective of one of those people.

Beloved, Essays This site provides access to almost 40 online journal articles on Beloved.

Forum - Thoughts on Toni Morrison's Beloved These are initial reactions to Beloved by students in a Bryn Mawr seminar course. Interesting reactions range from "Beloved was spiteful. . .full of venom," to "a tragic tail so beautifully told."

Beloved: Study Questions Nine questions from a "Great Works" course at Stanford.

Toni Morrison: Beloved

History of Jim Crow This video companion web site site explores segregation in America from 1870s to 1950s. Check out both the American Literature and Teacher Resources at the bottom of the opening page. There are many related lesson plans, simulations, images, primary sources, and more.(The teaching unit on Beloved is the same one at the top of this message.)

PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide Chapter 10: Late Twentieth Century - Toni Morrison (1931-) Offers a selected bibliography of books and articles on Toni Morrison. Print resources only.

Frankenstein

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Frankenstein (Study Guide) From Glencoe Literature Library. Features an impressive 30-page Frankenstein study guide in PDF format. Full of activities, analysis questions, vocabulary review, literature groups, and even art connections.

It's Alive - Scene from the 1931 Classic

Simonsays teach.com: Frankenstein These printable educators' resources feature discussion questions and activity suggestions are designed to stimulate discussion, creativity, and interest that extends beyond the pages of the book into related historical, scientific, or social concerns.

Ideas for Analyzing Frankenstein Offers questions for "Investigation and Analysis" and even suggestions for computer analysis of the text.

Frankenstein Discussion Topics From UCSB Department of English

My Hideous Progeny: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Summary, a title explanation, character descriptions and information about the genre of Gothic literature as well as text of Frankenstein in a fully annotated HTML format.

Frankenstein Trailer

Frankenstein (mock trial) Students stage a mock trial of Victor Frankenstein for negligence, malpractice, and emotional and physical distress.

Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature From the National Library of Medicine, this exhibition looks at the world from which Mary Shelley came, how popular culture has embraced the Frankenstein story, and at how Shelley's creation continues to illuminate the blurred, uncertain boundaries of what we consider "acceptable" science. Contents: The Birth of Frankenstein; Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus; The Celluloid Monster; Promise and Peril

Tales of the Supernatural From Edsitement, students explore the origins and development of horror and Gothic fiction, investigate how shared imaginative concerns link the members of a literary period, examine the evolution of a literary tradition, and compare works of literature from different eras.

Heart of Darkness

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Heart of Darkness WebQuest This WebQuest helps students learn how some critics have come up with their interpretations of Heart of Darkness and encourages them to develop their own critical stance on the book. Features teaching questions and topic links: Psychoanalytical Criticism, Post Colonial Criticism, Reader-Response Theory, Deconstruction, and Feminist Critique. Extensive set of links, but some are broken.

The Several Lives of Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness Study Guide
Close to 40 questions and activities by Cora Agatucci, Professor of English at Central Oregon Community College.

Related lecture notes on British Empire Building, Early Modernism & Heart of Darkness, and more:

Simonsays teach.com: Heart of Darkness These printable educators' resources feature discussion questions and activity suggestions are designed to stimulate discussion, creativity, and interest that extends beyond the pages of the book into related historical, scientific, or social concerns.

Discovery lesson.com: Lesson Plan In this lesson plan students will understand how the novel reflects the world as Conrad saw it and students will have a chance to write their own ending for the novel. Included are discussion questions and recommended readings.

Belgian Congo Uprising

Africa and Africans in Conrad's Heart of Darkness A Lawrence University Freshman Studies Lecture. An extended lecture/essay that argues the Heart of Darkness is a postcolonial parable. Topic under discussion are: The Setting: The Thames and the Congo, Postcolonial Critique, Achebe's critique and Images of Illness in Africa. Note: Related links are dead.

Heart of Darkness: The Hypertext Annotation Hypertext annotation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Includes an audio clip and link.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: A Literary Critique of Imperialism Online essay in which author argues that "Heart of Darkness exposes imperialism's exploitation of foreign lands and people, leaving the imperialist agents themselves empty and deranged."

Apocalypse Now Overview and related articles from the Internet Movie Database

Heart of the Apocalypse: WebQuest Activity that relates Heart of Darkness to ivory poaching in Africa today.

BBC: The Story of Africa This BBC site features Africa's top historians and analyzes the events and characters that have shaped the continent from the origins of humankind to the end of South African apartheid. Among the topics covered are the rise and fall of empires and kingdoms, the power of religion, the injustices of slavery, and the expansion of trade between Africa and other continents. Features audio segments.

Wonders of the African World In this PBS companion site Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. challenges the widespread Western view of Africa as the primitive "dark continent" civilized by white colonists. The series covers Black Pharaohs, Meroe, Gedi, the Swahili People, Zanzibar, the Ashanti and Dahomey (Benin) Kingdoms, Aksum, Gondar, the Churches of Lalibela, the Dogon, Grand Mosque of Djenne, Empires of Mali & Ghana, the Tuareg, Great Zimbabwe, a 1,000 year old South African city - Mapangubwe, the Shona People, etc. Includes a kids' activity page, teachers' lesson plans, and audio clips.

Johnny Tremain

2011-08-21T16:17:10+00:00

Johnny Tremain ClassZone offers theme openers as well as cross curricular and research ideas.

Lesson Plan - 1765 to the Declaration of Independence Designed for middle school students, this unit has student identify citizens during the American Revolution as either patriotic or philanthropic.

Johnny Tremain - The Boston Tea Party Preview

LIBERTY! The American Revolution PBS's assorted and diverse web exhibits supplement specific individual television series and generally include a summary of each episode, interviews (often with sound bites), a timeline, a glossary, photos, and links to relevant sites. Liberty explores the impact of the revolutionary era on the lives of Americans and includes six teacher guides.

Study Guide for Johnny Tremain By Esther Forbes for Glencoe. Provides active reading activities, background information, personal and analytical questions, focus activities, and vocabulary.

Johnny Tremain Fifteen activities to do before, during, and after your reading of Johnny Tremain.

Johnny Tremain Scholastic guide that includes extension activities, a writing prompt, discussion guide, and vocabulary builder.

Johnny Tremain and the events that led up to America's Revolutionary War A WebQuest for middle school students that encourages them to identify the most significant non-fictional American hero from the book.

Johnny Tremain Projects A mix of research, analysis, map making, and writing.

Johnny Tremain vocabulary Extensive vocabulary list

Lesson Plan: Background on the Patriot Attitude Toward the Monarchy Created by Thinkfinity, this lesson plan is meant to provide students with a basic knowledge of how the American Patriots felt towards English Governments. Ample resources and printable worksheets included. Intended for grades 6-8.

Lesson Plan: Colonial Broadsides and the American Revolution "Broadsides" address virtually every aspect of the American Revolution, providing a wide range of suitable classroom topics. In this lesson (by Thinkfinity), students will use the resources of the Library of Congress's Printed Ephemera Collection to experience the news as the colonists heard it. Grades 6-8.

Johnny Tremain - Movie Trailer

American Revolutionary War PowerPoint Project Students will explore the American Revolutionary War by choosing main ideas from various sources (text book, Internet, etc) and then will demonstrate their knowledge of the war by creating a PowerPoint slide show.

American Revolutionaries In this WebQuest students explore the uses and abuses of propaganda in the Revolution, as well as today.

The American People: A People in Revolution PowerPoint Presentation on the American Revolution as part of the online companion to The American People. Click PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 6.

All Fired Up: Explaining Fourth of July Related Themes and Images In this New York Times lesson, students brainstorm images and themes associated with the American Fourth of July holiday. They then create illustrated posters to explain the processes or history behind these themes.

Note: Visit our Best of History Web Sites for more resources on the American Revolution.

Life of Pi

2011-08-21T16:25:50+00:00

Life of Pi, a novel study An extensive AP Level study guide that covers ideas and themes, allusions, cultural icons, and more. Created for Mrs. Brown's ELA course.

Yann Martel Interview

How I Wrote Life of Pi by Yann Martel The author explains how influence, inspiration and hard work went in to his writing of the novel.

Teaching English Language Arts: Life of Pi The thematic focus of this 10-lesson unit on Life of Pi is the relationship between narrator and audience. Students address the bias of the storyteller and judge the "verisimilitude" of Pi's story. Grade 11 assignment.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel This reading group guide provides a brief summary and 21 questions

CONVERSATION: Life of Pi PBS interviews writer Yann Martel about his book, Life of Pi.

Life of Pi - Top Ten Questions

NPR interview with Yann Martel A 7-minute audio interview of the author of Life of Pi.

Life of Pi interactive movie The promo is made up of five scenes which have been inspired from various passages in the novel. At various points within the promo, you are encouraged to take control of Pi and move him around his environment. Depending on what you find and where you go, other scenes are unlocked further in the narrative.At this site you can also listen to Martel read from The Life of Pi as well as read author notes.

Lord of the Flies

2011-08-21T16:53:44+00:00

Teacher CyberGuide: Lord of the Flies This supplemental unit to Lord of the Flies was developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project. The unit provides resources for students to focus on the following issues: The historical background for the novel; The symbolism of the conch; The element of survival faced by the boys on the island; Current, real-world political and social situations similar to the events in the novel. There are four major activities as part of the unit.

Lord of the Flies 1963

Island of Misadventure High School WebQuest. As a clinical psychologist you must determine what went wrong with this seemingly innocent group of boys.

Life after the Fact... Students use a talk-show format to explore the aftermath of the ordeal on the survivors and ponder the role of the individual in society. Designed as a culminating activity for study of the novel.

Lord of the Flies: Law and Order. A creative lesson from Ardsley High School, Ardsley, NY. Legal Team #1, the Defense: Ralph has been accused of murdering Simon. You must draft a defense to free Ralph from punishment. Legal Team #2" target="_blank">, the Prosecution: It's your duty to prove Ralph's guilt.

Lord of Flies Vocabulary 108 words

Lord of the Flies Journals & Project There are journal suggestions and five possible projects

Lord of the Flies Introduction Trailer

Note: Video contains profanity

Lord of Flies Revision and Self-Test A BBC guide with "context" and self-tests.

Research Guide for Lord of the Flies This site presents links, web quests, analysis, movies, and sample projects for the novel.

Macbeth

2011-08-21T17:20:18+00:00

ClassZone: Macbeth This site includes theme openers, crosscurricular activities, and research assignment ideas. There are also links to further reading materials and related reading materials. Grades 11-12.

Macbeth Plugged A ThinkQuest student project, this is an annotated, on-line version of the Shakespearean tragedy with a glossary. The first act has clickable words that lead to either a glossary definition of the word or a deeper exploration of that portion of the play. There is a summary of each scene in the play. NOTE: This site includes links to other sites with discussion boards.

Bill Bennett on The Great Books: Macbeth

The following lessons are from the Lesson Plans Archive at the Folger Institute

When Fair is Foul: Paradox and Equivocation in MacbethStudents look at the role of paradox and equivocation in the Scottish play. The goal is for them to gain a greater appreciation of how Shakespeare's characters use words to give multiple meanings and to discover how language drives the scenes in the play.
Macbeth: What's Up with the Crime Scene? This lesson will introduce students to Macbeth by having them act out the scene where Duncan's murder is discovered. The trick is that all of the stage directions and characters' names have been removed from the text.
Double, double, toil and trouble": A Dual Exploration of Macbeth In this lesson, students will emulate a key practice of Renaissance theater: doubling. The goal of this lesson is for students to experience—to see, hear, and feel—the differences between characters (especially supernatural versus royal) when students, as actors, have to take on more than one role. They will need to understand Shakespearean language, and will need to create distinctive personas so that the audience can differentiate between characters during presentation.
Famous Death Lines Students use this pre-reading activity to gain an introduction to the drama and language of Shakespeare. This activity could be used with a number of different plays.

Orson Welles Macbeth Intro

The Tragedy of Macbeth Read the entire play online.

Enjoying Macbeth Very extensive background and commentary with gruesome trivia to keep class fascinated.

Glamis Castle, Scotland Read about the real Glamis castle and see comparisons to Shakespeare's Macbeth. Go to the "History/Gardens" menu and choose "Macbeth."

Macbeth (Judi Dench) sleepwalking scene

Macbeth Quiz This is a short multiple choice quiz on the play. Students can correct themselves at the end to see their results.

Moby Dick

2011-08-21T17:23:17+00:00

How to Teach Melville A rather scholarly explanation of how to teach Melville in general and several works specifically, such as Bartleby and Billy Budd. Included are discussion questions, a brief bibliography and links.

Moby Dick (Illustrated)

The Life and Works of Herman Melville Go to Biographical for information on Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne; observatins on Melville by friends, family members, and celebrities; Melville's reflections on his works, life, and other topics; and Melville's obituary notices. Go to The Works for publishing history, excerpts, and contemporary reviews. The Postscript section has links to whales, sailing information, other American writers, and other great literary sites.

Herman Melville Site includes dozens of questions on Moby Dick and contemporary (1850s) views of Melville. There is a bibliography and even a Moby Dick crossword puzzle.

Moby Dick: Suggested Essay Topics Offers dozens of essay topics as well as links to related resources

Moby Dick Lesson Plan A Discovery School lesson plan for grades 9-12. Grounded in 19th century New England whaling history, students do research and compose at least five journal entries by the sailor or captain. There are also six discussion questions and links to whale sites. You can also create worksheets, puzzles and quizzes on Moby Dick at this site. See also From Fact to Fiction: Moby Dick lesson plan where students conduct a debate on whether Captain Ahab was a tragic hero.

Moby Dick Chapter questions Scroll down the page for links to chapter questions.

Sea Shanties in Moby Dick (1956)

Voyage of the Odyssey: Moby Dick (PBS) "The sinking of the whaleship Essex by an enraged Sperm whale was the event that inspired the climactic scene of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. But the point at which Melville's novel ends with the sinking of the ship, marks the beginning of the terrible real life story of the Essex disaster." Listen to Listen to the related 'Voice from the Sea' pieces by Dr. Roger Payne in REAL AUDIO. View video clips from the movie Moby Dick starring Patrick Stewart. The scenes are based on the real life tragedy of the whaleship Essex.

Herman Melville From the Literature Network, biography, related links, quizzes and forum discussions about Melville as well as his fiction, short stories, and poetry.

The entire work in electronic format Students can read the novel online by clicking through the links. Because Moby Dick is in the public domain, it can also be read via Google Books as show below.

Enjoying Moby Dick An M.D. and former literature student at Brown offers a "non-expert" take on Moby Dick. Features six different on-line texts, synopses, class notes, lesson plans, vocabulary and interesting connections to biography and history.

30 quotations from Moby Dick From LitNotes, 30 of the most famous lines from the novel.

Melville: Poet This brief essay explains how Melville was inspired to write poetry by the Civil War.

Sperm Whales: The Real Moby Dick A PBS site to learn the facts behind the mystique of the sperm whale, the beast immortalized by Herman Melville in MOBY DICK.

Moby Dick 1956 Information on the film version of the novel.

Melville's Letters to Hawthorne A collection of letters, and excerpts of correspondence sent from Melville to Hawthorne during the early days of their friendship.

Student Guides with plenty of background information and chapter quizzes:

Oedipus Rex

2011-08-21T18:02:39+00:00

Oedipus the King: An Introduction to Greek Drama Detailed lesson plan from PBS with downloadable text of the play, teaching strategies, and plenty of recommended online resources. The goal of the unit is to gain an insight into Greek tragedy and concepts such as fate, hubris, and (dramatic) irony. Other lesson objectives from PBS include:

Recognize the Greeks concern with fate, self-determination and the role of gods and oracles in everyday life.
Learn about the origin and development of drama in Athens in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
Analyze and critically assess the specific role of characters within the play and role of the chorus.
Gain an understanding into the different genres of drama (including comedy, tragedy and Satyr plays)
Discover some of the social concerns of the ancient Greeks by knowing the themes of some of their plays.
Be able to compare and contrast ancient Greek drama with modern dramatic forms such as movies and modern theatre.

Core information about Greek drama and playwrights can be found on this Web site under the following headings: -

Oedipus Rex - Symbols in 60 seconds

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex This teaching unit is useful for its extended background information, but perhaps more for its "Suggestions for Developing Students’ Understanding of the Play." (Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to find them.) Among the suggestions:

Prereading exercises to help students understand a play as much as the actual reading or postreading exercises.
Allow some students to interpret the play through illustrations or cartoons.
As students read the play, ask each one to keep a notebook of significant lines.
have students improvise how particular character would behave in entirely new situations and settings.
immediately before reaching the climactic scene, or denouement, stop the reading of the play and have each student write a brief summary of what will happen from that point to the end
students rewrite plays into different genres.

Oedipus: The Theban Story and its Interpretation Section from the Classics Pages that includes interpretations, articles, and games.

"Fate, Freedom, and the Tragic Experience: An Introductory Lecture to Sophocles's Oedipus the King" A retired University instructor addresses such issues as the role of fate and the appeal of tragedy. He also provides a definition of the hero and an explanation of the role of the chorus.

Roger Dunkle's Study Guide for Oedipus Rex From the Classics Technology Center. "Exercise for Reading Comprehension and Interpretation" is essentially a long list of reading questions and hyperlinked terms. Interesting part about the hyperlinked terms is that they lead to a Glossary where you can hear the pronunciation of Greek words.

KNU Oedipus Rex Part 6

Oedipus Game Students should enjoy playing the Oedipus Game from the Classics Pages. Students answer timed multiple-choice questions in this simulation activity. Not as easy as it looks!

Greek Myths, Oedipus, ... and Star Wars An English and History education student at Memorial University has come up with an interesting lesson which should prove interesting and demanding for students. It uses "The Return of the Jedi" to teach "timeless humanistic themes expressed through a culturally responsive drama".

Hyperlinked Online Version Students can click on the table of contents to read the play online. Google Books also has a version available

Of Mice and Men

2011-08-21T18:06:39+00:00

John Steinbeck @Web English Teacher Lesson plans and teaching resources for each of Steinbeck's works as well as biography and background information.

UC Professor Carney on Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, 1937-Teaching Lesson plans, teaching help, and online quizzes pertaining to the novel.

Of Mice and Men: Student Survival Guide A useful site for vocabulary, allusions, and idioms. Has many vocabulary and idiom definitions, maps of California, and pictures and definitions of various allusions in the novel.

Studying Of Mice and Men A UK student guide with plenty of analysis: characters, themes, techniques, viewpoint, language, and other topics.

Junior Great Books: Of Mice and Men Ten discussion questions and two questions “for further reflection.” Also includes an introduction to Steinbeck and his body of work.

Student Theatrical Trailer Of Mice and Men

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2011-08-21T18:41:59+00:00

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest This Discovery School lesson plan for grades 7-12 focuses on critical reviews and the issues involved in adapting novels for the screen. Offers vocabulary, focus questions, and additional links.

Ken Kesey & Jerry Garcia on LSD & Creativity

Kingswood College: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Contains biographical information about Kesey, a short plot summary of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and character descriptions, as well as a list of themes to consider.

Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters (essay) Essay on the life and writings of Ken Kesey and others associated with the Merry Pranksters and Kesey's Acid Tests. Discusses Kesey's early experimentation with hallucinogens under the auspices of the U.S. government as well as encounters between Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and prominent counterculture figures.

Metaphor and mind style in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (essay) "Roger Fowler coined the term "mind style" in 1977 to describe the phenomenon in which the language of a text projects a characteristic world view, a particular way of perceiving and making sense of the world."

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Movie Trailer

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest WebQuest online research activity. "You are an undercover social worker assigned to check yourself into the "Quest" Psychiatric Ward. During your stay at the ward, you must complete a number of steps to research the treatment of the patients in the asylum. Use your knowledge from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey to help you complete each assignment." Most, but not all, external links are working at this site.

Brief Discussion Guide for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey: The Far Gone Interview This site contain the transcript of a phone interview with Ken Kesey from September 13, 1992.

Ken Kesey TV report (2001)

Ken Kesey obituary article from BBC- 10 November, 2001

Ken Kesey Web Site Mostly loud memorabilia, but click "Writings" to see an article Kesey wrote for Rolling Stone about the shootings at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, as well as his Christmas story and Twister article.

Secondary Print Sources:

*Novels for Students Vol 2. Ref PN 3365 .N6 v.2 - Includes a short biography of Kesey as well as a plot summary, description of characters, discussion of style, themes, and criticism of his book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Specific studies of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Kesey's fiction
- Billingsley, Ronald B., The Artistry of Ken Kesey, 1971
- Critical edition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, ed. John C. Pratt, 1973 Leeds, Barry H., Ken Kesey
- 1981 Porter, M. Gilbert, The Art of Grit: Ken Kesey's Fiction, 1982
Kesey's place in American literature and culture
- Allen, Mary. The Necessary Blankness: Women in Major American Fiction of the Sixties, 1976
- Cook, Bruce. The Beat Generation, 1971
- Harris, Charles B. Contemporary American Novelists of the Absurd
- Perry, Paul. On the Bus: The Complete Guide to the Legendary Trip of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and the Birth of the Counterculture, 1990
- Wallace, Ronald. The Last Laugh: Form and Affirmation in the Contemporary American Comic Novel
- Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, 1968
Some reviews of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- New Yorker, April 21, 1962
- New York Herald Tribune, February 25, 1962
- New York Times Book Review, February 4, 1962

The Great Gatsby

2011-08-21T19:09:07+00:00

The Great Gatsby This Big Read section provides a Great Gatsby introduction, historical background, author biography, other works, discussion questions, related resources, and a teacher's guide. The teacher's guide includes 10 lesson plans, 6 capstone projects, 5 essay topics and was developed with National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Standards and State Language Arts Standards in mind. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture.

Great Gatsby -- 1974 clip Robert Redford

The Gift of Gatsby In this 1-hour New York Times lesson plan, students learn about the appeal of The Great Gatsby in the contemporary American high school English curriculum. They take a reading comprehension quiz based on the New York Times article they have read, discuss several key "Gatsby" themes today's students find relevant, and then write reflective pieces for homework. The lesson features a New York Times article and includes vocabulary and extension activities.

The Great Gatsby In this DiscoverySchool lesson unit students will learn about adapting part of a novel into a dramatic reading makes students more intimate with the author’s intentions and craft. They will also learn that a part of a novel may lend itself to various oral interpretations. includes procedures, discussion questions, extension activities, vocabulary with oral pronunciation, recommended resources, and more. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary Home PageThis F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary website, launched in 1996, draws extensively on books, photographs, and related materials in the Matthew J. and Arlyn Bruccoli Collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald at at the Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina. Among the highlights is Three recitations recorded by Fitzgerald in California, c. 1940, a series of essays available in PDF format, several stories by Fitzgerald , a brief film clip of Fitzgerald, and Fitzgerald quotes and facts. The University of South Carolina has designed a Fitzgerald site that can assist teachers and students as they investigate Fitzgerald. There is information on Fitzgerald’s novels, a biography, plus audio and video clips.

The “Secret Society” and FitzGerald's The Great Gatsby This National Endowment for the Humanities EDSitement lesson attempts to answer: What tensions about wealth and status are revealed in The Great Gatsby? How are these tensions reflected in Nick Carraway's struggle to belong? Students reflect on the class struggles of early twentieth century and write a "credo" for the "secret society" implied in The Great Gatsby. There are three suggested activities.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer A&E Classroom provides 20 definitions with oral pronunciations, 10 discussions, and 4 extended activities. Useful for classes on American History, Literature, Drama, and American Culture.

Jazz Age Culture A professor of English at Pittsburgh State University has produced several sites centering on the Jazz Age, the historical framework for The Great Gatsby. This link will take you to Part I of her "Jazz Age Culture" site, which offers many well-organized links on the following topics: Langston Hughes and other Harlem Renaissance writers, artists, musicians, and notables; F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and other modernist writers; Picasso, Dali, de Lempicka, Kandinsky, and other artists; resources on Prohibition, flappers, racial violence, sports, automobiles, aviators, art deco, movie stars, the Crash of '29, the scandals/trials of the decade, and the new technologies; and World War I Poetry.

Clash of Cultures in the 1910s and 1920s An informative site on cultural tensions in The Great Gatsby era, including information on prohibition, immigration, the KKK, the New Woman, and the Scopes Trial. Produced by the Ohio State University History Department.

Informal Writing: Journal Prompts Scroll down this page to find 9 journal writing prompts related to The Great Gatsby.

Great Gatsby Quotes AllGreatQuotes provides two pages of quotes from various Great Gatsby chapters.

Multigenre Prompts This MS-Word handout features 10 multigenre writing prompts related to The American Dream and Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby Setting Map Students form small groups of 2-3 and then using the descriptions in the novel, they design a map of the setting. Includes a checklist for assessment.

1920's Magazine Project This project, designed by High school teacher Jen Fraser, asks students to create a magazine in the style of the roaring 20s. The site comes with suggested resources and a grading rubric. Recommended for High School students.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald An e-text of The Great Gatsby licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work, and to make derivative works under certain conditions.

An Index to The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald An extensive index that follows the paperback edition of The Great Gatsby, New York: Collier/Macmillan, 1992.

The Roaring Twenties Game This Flash game from the McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal, Quebec, invites students to choose a role (male or female) and learn the ins and outs of the Twenties. Headsets recommended.

The House on Mango Street

2011-08-21T16:00:01+00:00

Teaching Unit as part of Oakland Unified School District "Urban Dreams" Project This unit consists of two detailed 9th lesson plans based on The House of Mango Street. While the tasks are note always sophisticated, you'll be struck by the rich array of materials (worksheets, assignments, essays, charts, journals, peer evaluation, quizzes, rubrics, etc.) that can be freely downloaded from this site. Here is an outline of the two lessons and their respective materials:

Lesson Plan by M. Scott The goal of this lesson plan is "to explore Human Rights issues" and teach simple writing skills for the creation of an autobiographical book about Human Rights and cultural experiences. The final product is a book comprised of the students' essays. The technology skills learned include computer graphics, clip art, and formatting. Students also learn how to bind the materials into a book.In addition to an introduction and essential questions there are three guided reading handouts, three student essays, teacher commentary, and Video clips of three students reacting to The House on Mango Street. If the idea of filmed interviews of students interests you, your school might have the materials to make that happen!
Lesson Plan by E. Carlson The emphasis is placed on "theme, symbol and style." For the purposes of organization, the novel is divided into eight thematic sections. This Lesson Plan is FULL of freely downloadable teacher materials, mostly Word documents and PDFs. Here's a list: Pre-readings worksheet; Pre-readings.doc; Student work: Pre-readings; "Hairs" Modeling Assignment; Figurative Language Quiz ; Writing prompt; Cluster Chart Cluster Peer Evaluation; Revision Strategies; Evaluation Rubric; Houses in the Book Chart; Map Project; Before/After Reading Chart; Double Entry Journal; Open Mind Diagram; Building an Interpretive Essay; Interpretive Essay Handouts; Mango Street Portfolio Rubric Portfolio Rubric.

Sandra Cisneros reading from The House on Mango Street

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: The Politics of Gender in The House on Mango Street This three-day teaching unit is designed for high school students of various learning styles and addresses the following teacher concerns: What is the House on Mango Street about and why would I use this book? What myths are used to define gender roles in society? What pre-reading strategy is good for The House On Mango Street? Don't forget I teach reading!!! (emphasis on prefixes, root words, suffixes and syllables) What passages are relevant and are the most important?

The House on Mango Street: Sire (Student Project)

Lesson plans for The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros @ Web English Teacher provides a list of lesson plans and online resources to support the teaching of the novel.

Lesson Plans: The House on Mango Street From teacherVision.com, a commercial site There are three free resources: -Character Chart Students will analyze the main characters, their relationships with one another, and any distinct characteristics they may have using the Character Chart. -Conflict Dissection This graphic organizer will help students to study the story's setting, problem, and solution. Use the Conflict Dissection organizer. -Discussion Ideas and Questions To prepare for the discussion element of this story use The House on Mango Street Questions sheet.

Random House Academic Resources: The House on Mango Street Full of thoughtful in-class discussion questions on the following topics: Comprehension, Language: image, metaphor and voice, The people on Mango Street, Themes

ClassicNote on The House on Mango Street Yes, this is just like Cliff Notes. But you may appreciate the summary and analysis of each vignette and major character in the stories.

Sparknotes: The House on Mango Street Offers summary and commentary per stories, a twenty-question multiple choice quiz, three study questions and answers. ("Compare Esperanza's development as an artist to the development of a similar character from another novel (perhaps Stephen Dedalus from Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or the protagonist from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings") What experiences are important to her writing? Why does she want to write?

Random Books: Reader's Guide to House on Mango Street Features 44 discussion questions for discussion of the individual stories and six general discussion questions.

"The House on Mango Street: A Space of Her Own" (essay) In the following essay, an excerpt from novel Daughters of Self-Creation: The Contemporary Chicana Novel, Annie Eysturoy examines the oppressive social and cultural conditions that play a key role in fomenting the social, psychological, sexual, and even "literary" development of the narrator-artist, Esperanza. According to Eysturoy, the novel shows Esperanza's Buildings (a journey that traces the protagonist's path toward self-fulfillment and actualization) as inextricably linked to her socio-cultural context, "an engagement with her immediate surroundings that brings about a gradual coming into consciousness about her own identity as a woman and as a Chicana."

Intersections: When Languages Collide Stylized Fairy Tales Inspired Sandra Cisneros' Cross-Cultural Voice This NPR interview with the author focuses on language and cultural issues.

The Grapes of Wrath

2011-08-19T16:36:44+00:00

Suggested Introduction to The Grapes of Wrath

Begin with an historical introduction to the Great Depression using public domain images available via the Library of Congress American Memory exhibition. Select a few images - such as "Migrant Mother" by Dorothy Lange to the right - to include in a slide show and add a question or two to each slide that will encourage students to analyze and discuss the emotional toll of the Great Depression.

Direct students to read personal histories of Americans living during the Great Depression, such as those found at The New Deal Network and PBS’s Surviving the Dust Bowl . If your students are teenagers, consider having them read the stories of teenage hobos who were “riding the rails” in the 30s.

Online Resources

Steinbeck: Biography As A Tool In Teaching Reading And Writing Skills This detailed unit from the Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute offers varied resources and techniques for presenting biography to students in secondary classrooms. Lesson Three: The Grapes of Wrath helps orient students to the geography of the novel and reviews its historical background. The lesson also provides background information on Steinbeck’s winning the Pulitzer Prize and helps explain the Phalanx Theory, which many critics feel is crucial in understanding The Grapes of Wrath. There is also emphasis on relating the novel to contemporary America and teachers might adopt one or several of seventeen Grapes of Wrath writing topics.

Creating Dramatic Monologues from The Grapes of Wrath This High School lesson plan from Discovery School aims to help students understand the universal nature of Steinbeck’s characters' struggles and some of the complex forces affecting their lives. It also emphasizes the value of primary source material in presenting an authentic picture of an given period in history. Students are encouraged to explore Web sites about the Dust Bowl and develop a monologue. There are six discussion questions, a monologue evaluation guide, reading suggestions, and a vocabulary list. Can be used with or without the video available from Discovery School.

"A Day in the Life of a Hobo" Interdisciplinary Blogging Activity This activity, created by EdTechTeacher's Tom Daccord, has students write blog posts from the perspective of a Hobo who is "riding the rails." Students use their knowledge of the period and their creativity to create a story (250-500 words) about a day in your life as a Hobo. Students post their blog and read everyone's work. Students then comment on the posting and state what they liked about the story they read -- and what made it seem authentic. The blogs serve to provide a public form to present and share student work without undue stress on the student. There is no "right" answer, students are allowed to express themselves creatively, and each student receives positive feedback about their posting. Resources for this assignment include:

Riding the Rails Part of PBS's American Experience television series, this site focuses on the plight of more than a quarter million teenagers living on the road in America. There is a timeline, maps, "tales from the rails", Hobo songs, a teacher's guide, recommended resources and more
New Deal Network The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI), in collaboration with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Marist College, and IBM, launched the New Deal Network (NDN). The site features 20,000 items: photographs, speeches, letters, documents, and exercises from the New Deal era.
Listen to actual audio interviews of Americans who lived during the Great Depression. Visit the Library of Congress’ “Voices from the Dust Bowl” collection for mp3 files.
Listen to a “Fireside Chat” by President Roosevelt and discuss what impact these chats had on the American public. You can find select Fireside Chat audio recording at the American Rhetoric web site.

John Steinbeck - Nobel Prize Speech

Reading the Grapes of Wrath This teacher's discussion guide from the California Council for the Humanities provides an introduction to the novel, a biography of Steinbeck with a timeline of his life, suggested vocabulary, expressions, discussion of the music used for the dramatic production, and discussion questions.

Teacher Cyberguide: Grapes of Wrath This supplemental unit to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE). You could assign any of the activities as small group or individual work for students. After reading The Grapes of Wrath students chart the conditions and circumstances leading to the displacement of the Dust Bowl refugees and the experiences of Dust Bowl refugees after their relocation. They also study the conditions and experiences of the Kosovo refugees and compare and contrast the conditions and experiences of the these refugee groups.

The Grapes of Wrath NPR's report on the story behind the creation of the Grapes of Wrath. Listen to the report as well as Woody Guthrie's 1940 song "Tom Joad" and watch a scene from the 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath

Classic Note on the Grapes of Wrath A detailed student guide from GradeSaver. Offers an introduction to Steinbeck and the book, summaries and analysis of each chapter, a list of characters.

Grapes of Wrath Teacher's Guide This Penguin teacher's guide questions, exercises, and assignments on these pages are designed to guide students’ reading of the literary work and to provide suggestions for exploring the implications of the story through discussions, research, and writing. There are five pre-reading questions, dozens of chapter questions, twelve "digging deeper" questions, nine "writer responses" questions, and ten questions for further explorations.

The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Pearl The Great Books Foundation offers an introduction to the novel, fifteen discussion questions, and three questions for "further reflection."

Grapes of Wrath (C-Span) From C-Span's American Writers series, students explore the life and works of John Steinbeck via an electronic scrapbook and learn about the effect his work had on others. Students are then invited to use a printable page from the site to create their own scrapbook. Contains 10 questions for High School students.

Film Study of the Grapes of Wrath This New Deal Network lesson plan has students analyze the effects of the Dust Bowl on tenant farmers by using a visual document, analyze the film "The Grapes of Wrath" as a "cultural document" of its time, and view film critically by using a film guide to explore techniques and visual treatment of the migrant experience.

The Grapes of Wrath Google Lit Trip Use Google Earth to follow the Joad family as it travels to California.

The Grapes of Wrath @Web English Teacher Resources, including vocabulary lists, to help teach the novel.

Weedpatch Camp While writing Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck visited Bakersfield, California and based his book on Arvin Federal Government Camp which he portrayed as "Weedpatch Camp." There are newspaper articles about the camps, personal reminiscences, a bibliography for Dust Bowl and Migrant workers, the story behind Dorothea Lange's famous "Migrant Mother" photograph, and more.

Woody Guthrie and the Grapes of Wrath This lesson plan from the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame is designed for students to recognize thematic parallels between Woody Guthrie's music and Steinbeck's novel, develop an appreciation for The Grapes of Wrath and the music of Woody Guthrie, as works of art and historical documents, and explore the idea of the "American spirit." Students discuss the parallels between Guthrie's life and music and the experience of the Joad family as well as study lyrics of "This Land Is Your Land" and explore connections between the novel and the song.

Teaching Programme for Grapes of Wrath Offers hyperlinked outlines of teaching strategies

John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove This site provides a visual tour of local sites relating to the life and work of John Steinbeck as well as Steinbeck links.

"GRAPES OF WRATH" BANNED IN KERN COUNTY An NPR article about the August 22, 1939 decision of the Kern County (California) Board of Supervisors to ban the Steinbeck novel in the county's public schools and libraries.

Review of The Grapes of Wrath movie A Filmsite review of John Ford's 1940 black and white adaptation of the novel.

The Red Badge of Courage

2011-08-21T18:59:48+00:00

The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Courage A National Endowment for the Humanities lesson plan where students are asked to select one of three published endings to The Red Badge of Courage best suited to their understanding of Crane's exploration of values in the novel.

The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Realism Another National Endowment for the Humanities lesson plan. Students compare specific excerpts from novel to first-hand accounts of Civil War battles. The objective is to increase students' understanding of Crane's influences and how the novel's style helped convey a new realism.

War Beyond Romance: The Red Badge of Courage and Other Considerations The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute has an online lesson plan for teaching The Red Badge of Courage Contents of Curriculum Unit: • Narrative • Sample Lesson Plan For Developing an Understanding of Group Discussion and Group Process. • Sample Lesson plan for Developing an Understanding of the Causes and Nature of War. • Lesson Plan for “the Red Badge of Courage” –vocabulary, discussion questions, writing activity, and group discussion • Notes • Teacher Bibliography • Teacher and Student Bibliography • Resources

The Red Badge of Courage Vocabulary 154 “SAT-College Prep” vocabulary words organized by chapters

War Literature Discovery School lesson plan that examines Crane’s war-related themes. Features lesson plans, discussion questions, evaluation, questions, reading and links, and vocabulary.

Stephen Crane Society Extensive site that features teaching materials, bibliographical and research sites, Crane works online and reviews, FAQs, student queries & replies, Steven Crane Studies journal,

Teaching Crane By Donald Vanouse, from the Heath Anthology instructor's guide. Discusses classroom issues and strategies, themes, style, and other issues and offers five discussion questions.

From Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide This site contains an extensive bibliography for further reading on Crane, four discussion questions, and related links

Color in Crane's The Red Badge of Courage An essay analyzing Crane's use of color.

Red Badge of Courage Trailer

Red Badge of Courage Chapter Questions

The Red Badge of Courage Editor's preface to the exhibit The Red Badge of Courage from the American Studies at the University of Virginia, website Contains introductory essay -- Imaging the Civil War: Visual Representation and The Red Badge of Courage – with contemporary reviews of the book as well as a hypertext version of The Red Badge of Courage.

Linda Davis Interview C-SPAN Booknotes site provides a transcript of an interview with Linda Davis, author of Badge of Courage: The Life of Stephen Crane.

George Wyndham on Crane's remarkable book, New Review (January 1896, xiv, 30-40) Wyndham (1863-1913 ) was a veteran of the Coldstream Guards, Member of Parliamen and Chief Secretary for Ireland, critic for the National Observer and the New Review, and an editor of Shakespeare's Poems (1898), Ronsard, and North's Plutarch. This article is one of the best written on Crane's work and was praised by other critics, including Joseph Conrad and Harold Frederic.

IN SEARCH OF THE “REAL” STEPHEN CRANE (or, Tales of a Literary Sleuth) Excerpts from the Opening Plenary Session - National CEA Conference, Charleston, SC, April 6, 2000. By Paul Sorrentino of Virginia Tech Talks about his collaboration with another Crane scholar, Stanley Wertheim of William Paterson University, and how together they have been exploring Crane’s life and work for the past two decades.

The Electronic Classics Series at Penn State has The Red Badge of Courage available in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format for easy printing and reading. You can also read it through Google Books as show below.

The Odyssey

2011-08-21T19:12:22+00:00

"Homeric Odyssey and the Cultivation of Justice" is an online lecture and discussion series organized and led by Professor Gregory Nagy, Chair of the Department of Classics at Harvard University. It places a special emphasis on the heroic search for the goal of social justice. The series is now over, but you can access the readings, lecture notes, discussion questions, oral poetry notes, links, and video. You might want to view the RealVideo of Greg Nagy's introductory lecture: The King in the Garden -- Symbol of the Cult Hero. Here are the other video lectures at the site: Lecture II: Odysseus As an Alternative Type of Hero Lecture III: The Homeric Concepts of Heroic noos ('mind') and nostos ('return') in the Odyssey Lecture IV: The Ship of State: The Odyssey as a Metaphor for Governing the Polis Lecture V: The ainos as Key to Heroic Identity.

Homer's Odyssey - Course Website There are several helpful teaching materials available from this UPenn Mythology course site: The Help Pages contains a chart of Greek and Roman Divinities, a 40 Day Chronology chart, and Odyssey FAQs (with a genealogy chart). Unit 3 contains a pronunciation guide for the main characters, suitors, gods, races, kings, queens, nymphs, places, and monsters. There also summaries and essays.

Classical Greece, 300-323BCE Provides a brief but informative introduction to Classical Greece as well as an overview of Age of Pericles.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization Has a great annotated list of Ancient Greece sites organized by category.

The Odyssey - Official Movie Trailer

Ancient Greece This site provides links and information on ancient Greek history, mythology, architecture, art, and more. The link leads to information on Classical Greece.

An introduction to the Athenian Legal System Sections include Summons, Arrest, & Investigation, Preliminary Procedure, Courtroom Procedure, and Judgement & Punishment.

The Athenian Court and the American Court System Helpful comparison of the two systems

Pericles Funeral Oration It is considered a classic statement of ancient Athenian ideology and values.

Crime and Punishment at Olympia and Delphi. A student paper looks at the development of Greek law, sacrilege, political crimes, theft, corruption, and punishment.

Aristotle: On a Good Wife From Oikonomikos, c. 330 BCE

The Persian Wars Like the Trojan War, the Persian Wars were a defining moment in Greek history.

Odyssey Vocabulary Game This game from Quia tests students' knowledge of vocabulary from The Odyssey. The word list includes:

Winnow - vb. to sort
Laurels - n. honors, accolades, symbols of distinction
Inept - adj. lacking grace, unskilled
Staunch - adj. faithful, devoted, adhering to
Deft - adj. dexterous, adroit, skilled
Scourge - n. plague
Ambiguous - adj. equivocal, unclear, questionable
Obdurate - adj. rigid, obstinate, inflexible
Recoil - vb. to draw back, usually in fear, wince, reel back
Consummate - adj. perfected, accomplished
Fetid - adj. having an unpleasant smell, malodorous
Pliant - adj. malleable, supple
Sardonic - adj. bitter, derisive
Solace - n. comfort
Dearth - n. lack, insufficiency
Dauntless - adj. brave, fearless, not intimidated
Brusque - adj. rude, blunt, abrupt
Amok - adj. in an undisciplined manner
Malign - vb. to speak evil of
Dour - adj. forbidding in action or appearance, grim, cold

Dozens of essays and articles on The Odyssey can be found at InfoTrac. (See a few citations below.) Tom Daccord used Infotrac's PowerSearch and opted to search all their databases, but he found the Expanded Academic ASAP and Student Edition databases to be the most helpful. Note that materials from the Expanded Academic database are typically scholarly works while materials in the Student Edition database are more accessible to High School students.

FRANK, BERNHARD. "Homer's ODYSSEY. (Brief Article) (Critical Essay)." The Explicator 58.4 (Summer 2000): 179. Student Edition. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Beck, Deborah. "Odysseus: narrator, storyteller, poet?." Classical Philology 100.3 (July 2005): 213(15). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
COMAN, B.J. "READING THE ODYSSEY." Quadrant (July 2001): 70. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Rutherford, Richard B. "The Odyssey.(New Surveys in the Classics No. 26: Homer)." Greece & Rome 43.n1 (April 1996): S58(24). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Rutherford, Richard B. "Some memorable scenes.(New Surveys in the Classics No. 26: Homer)." Greece & Rome 43.n1 (April 1996): S82(23). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Moore, John Rees. "Voyaging with Odysseus: The Wile and Resilience of Virtue.(Critical Essay)." Humanitas 13.1 (Spring 2000): 103. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Lothrop, Patricia D. "Johnson, Claudia Durst & Vernon Johnson. Understanding The Odyssey: a Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents.(A Companion to Homer's Odyssey)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)(Brief Article)." School Library Journal 49.12 (Dec 2003): 96(1). Student Edition. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Dalby, Andrew. "The 'Iliad,' the 'Odyssey' and their audiences." The Classical Quarterly 45.n2 (July-Dec 1995): 269(11). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Newton, Rick M. "Cloak and shield in 'Odyssey' 14." The Classical Journal 93.n2 (Dec 1997): 143(14). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006
Scodel, Ruth. "The removal of the arms, the recognition with Laertes, and narrative tension in the 'Odyssey.'." Classical Philology 93.n1 (Jan 1998): 1(17). Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Noble and Greenough School. 08 January 2006

The Scarlet Letter

2011-08-21T20:17:11+00:00

Simonsays teach.com: The Scarlet Letter These printable resources for educators feature discussion questions and activity suggestions and are designed to stimluate discussion, creativity, and interest that extends beyond the pages of the book into related historical, scientific, or social concerns.

AP English Scarlett Letter Project

Religion and the Founding of American Republic (Library of Congress) Part of a special exhibit by the Library of Congress, this site provides an interesting mix of images, primary text, and background information on the role of religion in the European settlement of America. "America as a Religious Refuge: The 17th Century" looks at religious persecution in Europe that drove so many to British North America where settlers often established colonies often centered on passionate religious convictions.

Hester Prynne: Sinner, Victim, Object, Winner Follow this link to NPR 's now-cancelled talk show, "The Connection" and hear an amazing discussion of The Scarlet Letter. Highly recommend for your own edification or for your students. Scroll down and see a link TO HEAR THE SHOW.

Hawthorne in Salem Diverse and informative site with many excerpts from scholarly discussions of Hawthorne. Major sections of the site include Life and Times, Literature, Buildings and Houses, Explore, Scholars' Forum, and Archives. (When you click a topic on the left, sub topics appear.) In the Literature section the follow subtopics are suggested:

Scarlet Letter - The Classic Text: Traditions and Interpretations From the University of Minnesota. Offers biographical information on Hawthorne, the history of early editions, and literary commentary. Hit the "Next" button at the bottom of the page to work your way through the six pages. Popular site on Hawthorne, but with less depth and variety than Hawthorne in Salem site.

Hawthorne: Author and Narrator (lesson plan) Edsitement lesson plan to recognize the difference between a narrator and an author; to explore the impact of an author's personal history on his or her creative life, particularly in the context of American society. Has suggested activities and resources.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Classroom Issues and Strategies Brief overview from Georgetown University. Covers: Major Themes, Historical Perspectives, and Personal Issues

English 3 Honors Video Project on Puritanism

Study Guide - Scarlet Letter From Glencoe Literature Library. Link to an extensive 29-page teacher's guide.

Interactive Approach to The Scarlet Letter Joe Mason, who teaches at the Amphi High School in Tucson, Arizona, has tried to make the teaching of the novel more interesting through the use of poetry, diaries, and presentations.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter Electronic text of the Scarlet Letter, from the University of Virginia Library. (I have found two other electronic versions of the novel as well.) Passages could be inserted into a Word document for adding comments and links.

Fire and Ice: History & Biography Part of Fire & Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings, this section has materials written by various authors about the Puritans or other Reformed subjects. There are separate listings for the sermons and extracts in the Table of Contents.

The American People: The Maturing of Colonial Society PowerPoint Presentation on Colonial America as part of the online companion to The American People. Click on PowerPoint Presentations and then Chapter 4.

Interpreting Primary Sources Digital History provides brief excerpts from primary sources and statistics and questions to think about Motivations for English Colonization, Peopling of America, The Puritan Mind, and Witchcraft in Salem.

The Hall of Church History: The Puritans Billed as "Theology from a Bunch of Dead Guys," this section of the Hall of Church History is basically a gateway to links about Puritans.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2011-08-21T20:26:29+00:00

Mr. Lettierre’s Web Page: To Kill a Mockingbird A 9th grade English teacher has put together an impressive array of resources: chapter guides, quote quizzes, chapter quizzes, plot & character worksheets, vocabulary flashcards, vocabulary quizzes, internet resources, and more. Most are in Word or PDF Format. There are several project ideas that may interest you as well as Internet resources: Novel, Historical Context, Great Depression, Harper Lee, and other topics. A great resource!

Scene from To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird: Parallels to Jim Crow America This NCTE American Literature and U. S. History unit focuses on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird within the context of real life Alabama in the 1930s. A variety of student-centered learning activities are woven throughout the reading of the novel. Select units include:

Maycomb Graveyard Quiz: A Review of the Deep South Historical Context The Maycomb graveyard quiz reviews pertinent historical context for understanding To Kill A Mockingbird.
A Southern Town in the 1930s: A Tale of Two Towns Students analyze Harper Lee's descriptions of Maycomb and then review and analyze John Dollard's sociological description of a typical town in the deep South in the 30s.
To Kill A Mockingbird Literature Circle Activity Each member of the group is assigned a specific role to fulfill during the discussion.
To Kill a Mockingbird and Courtroom Procedures I: Who are the People in the Courtroom? Students prepare for an upcoming mock trial/classroom courtroom activity and a WebQuest.

To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective From the Library of Congress, this is a long (4-5 week project) but you could use parts of it to suit your objectives. It is designed for 10th grade, but adaptable for MS grades. Students learn about the history of African Americans in the South through analysis of historical and literary primary source photographs and documents, identify literary devices and figurative language in historical documents and personal narratives, and write creative works that reflect the themes of racism, compassion, and tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Novelinks: To Kill a Mockingbird Study guide out of Brigham Young University that includes reading strategies and a unit plan with a taxanomy overview, readability estimate, vocabulary crossword puzzle, and more.

Mapping the Mockingbird Education World lesson plan in which students come tounderstand the importance of setting in a novel and use computer technology to collect information and (possibly) create a map.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Student Survival Guide A useful site for vocabulary, allusions, and idioms. Has many vocab and idiom definitions, as well as maps, historical background, pictures, and definitions of various allusions.

To Kill a Mockingbird Book Trailer Project

Studying To Kill a Mockingbird A UK guide with plenty of analysis: characters, themes, techniques, viewpoint, stereotyping, attitudes, and other topics.

Famous American Trials: Scottsboro Learn about the trial that serves as the basis of the book.

The History of Jim Crow Access historical background, source material, and lesson plans at this impressive site and learn how Jim Crow laws deprived African Americans of their civil rights.

LitPlans: Harper Extensive list of links to Lesson Plans, Teacher's Guides, Novel Unit Plans, Study Guides, and more.

“Mockingbird' Sparks Controversy The 41-Year-Old Novel Triggers Renewed Racial Debates" This is an NPR ‘All Things Considered’ audio report runs on Real Player. It may take a few minutes to load.

Students Video Book Review of To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Collins Readers Guide: To Kill a Mockingbird Summary, nine discussion questions, and a brief author biography.

To Kill a Mockingbird Group Project Teacher offers project with scoring rubric that deals with stereotypes and nature of a hero.

Harper Lee Information about author Harper Lee, including biography, memoirs, and recollections. Some audio recordings are also available.

Phone message from Harper Lee to Mrs. Underwood's reading class at Fergus Falls MN, Middle School, thanking them for an invitation. MPR; December 31, 2001 (Real) Encourage your students to write living authors!

Photo Montage of Harper Lee

Speech From the Birmingham Pledge Foundation written in celebration of Lifetime Acheivement Award for Harper Lee.

Mr. Smith's handouts An Australian teacher has posted class handouts for Year 10 and ads research links. Includes homework, activities, and more.

The Turn of the Screw

2011-08-21T20:52:11+00:00

Visions for Students:A Study of British Ghost Stories From the Yale-New Haven Teacher’s Institute. This unit uses the ghost story as a “hook,” or a successful way of introducing literature and reading to students. Section III is on Turn of the Screw and is the culminating unit. (Section One considers ghost legends which are associated with the city of London. Section II focuses on folk story motifs, and Section III) It includes a plot overview, summary of critical interpretations, and a lesson plan with three activities.

DAEDALUS as a Means to Foster In-Class Discussion This community college lesson plans uses both face-to-face discussion and computer software to analyze The Turn of the Screw. Students, using several components of Daedalus (Invent, Write, and InterChange), explore the novella and write an essay based on the class discussions.

Henry James Scholar's Guide to Web Sites Contains an annotated bibliography, links to work by and about James, biographical sketch, a Henry James e-Journal, and much more. Comprehensive site for any student interested in or doing research on James. Note: “Virtual Henry James” e-Journal article opening paragraph reads as follows: "How might we reread James for a digital age? Should we use him to resist the impacts of new media and technologies? Or can we exploit these technologies to better popularize and understand James's writing?"

Perspectives in American Literature: Late Nineteenth-Century Realism and Henry James Brief overview of James's work includes a selected bibliography of criticism and nine discussion questions.

The Turn of the Screw - Trailer from BBC

The Henry James Resource Center This site has an extensive biographical sketch and bibliography as well as

The Turn of the Screw & In the Cage Random House offers seven major discussion questions for students.

Infotrac article: "Henry James." St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers. St. James Press, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003.

The Turn of the Screw: A History of Its Critical Interpretations, 1898 - 1979 Edward J. Parkinson, PhD This Saint Louis University PhD dissertation, published in 1991, surveys the criticism of The Turn Of The Screw from the novella's publication to 1980. It relates trends in The Turn Of The Screw criticism to developments in literary criticism and literary theory and discusses how the latter have been influenced by broader historical and cultural changes. Students and teachers can join in on a discussion group.

Tragedy in The Turn of the Screw: An Answer to Ursula Brumm Two professors disagree over the role of tragedy in the story. References:

Henry James etexts at the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia The Turn of the Screw and others. Scroll down for James.

Classic Notes Student Guide Features summary and analysis, self-quizzes, and more.

Sparknotes on Turn of the Screw Another student guide with the usual summary and analysis, but also study questions, suggested essay topics, and important quotes.

JAMESF-L JamesF-L is the on-line discussion group concerning Henry James, with occasional postings devoted to his relationship with other members of his family.

Prince, Tony "Ambiguity: Teaching The Turn of the Screw to High School Juniors" The Henry James Review - Volume 17, Number 3, Fall 1996, pp. 225-229 The Johns Hopkins University Press (print only)

Wuthering Heights

2011-08-21T21:04:16+00:00

Victorian Web: Emily Brontë George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art History at Brown University, directs this broad and comprehensive resource for courses in Victorian literature. His Brontë section is essentially a gateway to articles and sources on Brontë biographical materials, works, cultural context, themes and technique.

Emily Bronte: An Overview From the English Department at Brooklyn College. Sections include:

Wuthering Heights (1939) Original Theatrical Trailer

Publication of Wuthering Heights & Contemporary Critics
Later Critical response to Wuthering Heights
Film Versions of Wuthering Heights (a list)
The Narrator
Wuthering Heights as Socio-Economic Novel
Psychological Interpretations of Wuthering Heights
Religion, Metaphysics, Mysticism and Wuthering Heights
The Gothic and Wuthering Heights
Romanticism and Wuthering Heights
Love
"I am Heathcliff"
Sex
Emily Bronte's Poetry (online poems)

The Magnanimity of Wuthering Heights A critical essay on Wuthering Heights written by Joyce Carol Oates

Wuthering Heights text online This provides some interesting teaching possibilities if teachers or students copy passages into a Word document:

Students might use "Insert ----> Comment" to add their own thoughts and reactions to specific passages
Teachers might use "Insert ---->Comment" to add contextual information, explanations, or add insights to specific passages
Students or teachers might use "Insert ----> Hyperlink" to create links from words or sentences to a web site, picture, a dictionary, etc.
Teachers could highlight words for students to look up or key passages to analyze

You can also have students read the entire text through Google Books as show below.

Hyper-Concordance Word searches in the complete texts of Brontë's novels