GRADE LEVEL: 9-10EMPHASIS/SKILL: Personal expression through poetryTYPE OF IDEA: Activity (Collaborative)

“VOICE” IN POETRYPURPOSE: To teach students about “voice” and encourage students to identify a poetic voice that speaks to them and to express why they have chosen that poet.

1. In their journals (or on a sheet of paper) ask your students to write some quick associations they have with the word “voice.”

2. Ask students to turn and talk to a neighbor about their associations.3. Then ask them, sitting alone in their seats, to make a sound, using their own voice, without words, to

express how they are feeling at the moment.4. Have them turn to their neighbors and repeat the noises/sounds they just practiced. While listening, their

neighbor should describe the sound in writing in their journals and then tell the “voicer” what they heard. Make sure the students start first with the characteristics of the sounds, and then go into their interpretations of what they think the sounds meant, based on what they heard.

5. Repeat the process with the second person being the “voicer” and the first one being the “listener.”6. Conduct a whole group discussion about what a person’s voice can tell us without words and how it tells

us this.7. Write the characteristics on the board in the front of the room for all to see.8. Now ask for volunteers from the whole group to be “voicers,” this time using words as well as the

characteristics noted earlier to express how they are feeling.9. Ask other students to describe what they hear this time. How is it different from what they heard without

words?10. Write these comments on the board at the front of the room11. Divide your class into heterogeneous groups of three.12. Hand out the packet of seven poems to each student (or send your students to Poets.org to view the

poems).13. As the students read the poems, have them complete a T-chart for each one, one side with what “jumps

out at them” in the poem, the other side, why they think this is important to the poet’s voice/poem and if/how it is important to them, as a reader.

14. If they are having difficulties, they can quietly ask the advice of someone in their group.15. After the students have completed T-charts, ask them to look over the poems and pick the poet’s voice

to which they most relate or personally respond.16. When your students have completed their reading and T-charts, ask them to share their choices with the

rest of their group. Ask students to explain why they relate to this poet’s voice by giving examples from the text of the poems.

17. When a student is presenting, those listening should be thinking of constructive comments and questions.

18. Listeners should present their comments and questions to presenters, and presenters should incorporate helpful ideas in their explanations.

19. Each member of a group should have a chance to present their explanation and receive comments and questions

Examples:Miracles by Walt Whitman It’s all I have to bring today (26) by Emily DickinsonDream Variations by Langston HughesStopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert FrostThe Book of Questions , III  by Pablo Neruda, translated by William O’DalyThe Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos WilliamsThe Bean Eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Write a letterTYPE OF IDEA: Assignment/homework

DEAR POET…PURPOSE: Students will write a letter to a poet whose voice speaks to them.

1. Ask students to choose a poem that speaks to them after researching or from prior knowledge.2. In a new journal entry (or on a piece of paper) ask students to jot down some questions they would like

to ask their poet about how they wrote this poem.3. Students should state:

- why the poem spoke to them

- asking questions about the poem and how it was written

- with an opening, body and conclusion

- using proper convention

4. Ask students to turn and talk to a neighbor with the questions they want to ask, to review questions and make suggestions on how to improve them.

5. Ask whole class for examples of great questions to ask in their letters—write some of these on the board, and discuss what makes a good question.

6. Review the format for an informal letter, including date, greeting and closing.7. Review what makes a good letter in their own voice— their opening idea, the body of the letter

containing several paragraphs with their ideas and evidence, and their concluding thoughts.8. Using pen/pencil and paper, ask your students to write a draft letter to their chosen poet, telling him/her

what in the poem spoke to them, and asking questions relating to how the poet wrote this poem and writes others.

9. If they do not finish this draft (or if you prefer) they can continue to write for homework

When your students have finished writing their first drafts:

10. Place your students in heterogeneous groups of three (or in their usual writing groups, if you do peer review regularly).

11. Ask students in each group to exchange letters so they each have someone else’s.12. If necessary, remind your students how to give constructive criticism, citing positives first and then

specifics on what can be improved.13. Ask one student to read aloud the letter she has to the other members of her group.14. After she reads it, ask her to tell the writer what she thought the letter said and what was confusing about

the letter. Is the letter writer’s voice strong and clear? The reader should also make helpful comments about voice, format and conventions.

15. The writer should take notes and incorporate helpful comments, especially those where the reader’s interpretation differed from the writer’s intent.

16. Continue the process in each group until all three people have had their letters read back to them, and recorded helpful comments.

Second Draft: (can be accomplished either in class, combined in-class and homework, or as homework).

17. Ask your students to rewrite their first drafts, paying attention to the comments they received from their peers.

18. Students hand in their second drafts to you for questions and comments.

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Write a cultural poemTYPE OF IDEA: Project

Poetry and Culture

PURPOSE: Students will be able to use poetry to express their cultural background or the process of immigration and how it has contributed to his country.

1. Ask students to interview parents, grandparents or other relatives to learn about their family backgrounds, looking into at least one parent's or relative's family history.

- The goal should be to tell a family story — some piece of personal history that corresponds with United States and world history. Does someone in the family know when an ancestor first came to this country? Are there any students who have recently emigrated from another country — or who remember doing so as younger children?

- If students do not know the story of their family's immigration, they should try to discover the earliest record of their family's being in this country.

a. What did their ancestors do? b. Where did they live? c. What language did they speak?d. Did they share poems or songs in this language with the family on holidays or other special

occasions? e. They may wish to focus on just one or two people in their family history, so that the

emphasis is on sharing a rich, vivid story rather than on developing an elaborate, complicated family tree. Showing some of the Favorite Poem videos, or reading letters and poems from Americans' Favorite Poems.

2. During this time of exploring, the teacher can introduce the students to poems that cross cultures and to the notion of translation.

3. As part of an oral presentation or what they will turn in, students should include a poem, perhaps one written in the language of their ancestors, or any poem that somehow reflects their or their families' experience. If a student chooses a poem written in another language, perhaps he or she (or a parent) will be able to read it aloud to the class in that language. If there is an English translation, they should include or read it as well. If not, perhaps the student or someone they know can try to translate the poem into English. If a student is not able to read a poem or its translation aloud, they can show the other students what it looks like on the page. Sharing poems and family stories is a personal place for students to begin addressing broader questions of culture, and may lead well into other cultural lessons.

Examples of poems

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson"Minstrel Man" by Langston Hughes"On a Quiet Night" by Li PoFrom "Gitanjali" by Rabindranath Tagore"Piececitos" by Gabriela Mistral"The Way of the Water-Hyacinth" by Zaw Gee"Ay, Ay, Ay de la Grifa Negra" by Julia de Burgos

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Learning the lines in poemsTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

Learning the Lines

PURPOSE: Students will be able to learn the way lines work in poems and create texture.

1. Make copies of a couple formal, rhymed poems and cut them apart into lines. 2. Divide the class into a few groups. 3. Give the line-strips to the students (you may decide to give different poems to the different groups) and

ask them, as a group, to "re-assemble" the poem the way they believe it was written, using the rhymes to guide them

4. Encourage them first to read the lines silently to try to get a sense of what the poem is about, then to say the lines aloud, pairing them with various lines, to help figure out the line order.

5. Let each group present their poems and answer these questions:

- Was it difficult? What is the poem about? - How did the meaning of the poem contribute to figuring out the order of the lines? - Did it help to read the lines aloud? - Did they notice patterns? Point out the variety of line lengths. One thing that distinguishes poetry

from prose is that it is broken into lines. After having looked so closely at the way lines work to make a whole poem, students will have a better understanding of that distinction.

6. Next, repeat steps 1-5 with a couple of unrhymed poems.

Examples of poemsRhymed :

"Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare (an English sonnet rhymed abab cdcd efef gg), "Baby Song" by Thom Gunn (written in couplets aa bb cc, etc.)."The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost (rhymed abaab cdccd efeef ghggh) "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost (written in terza rima, where rhymes in three-line stanzas interlock like so: aba bcb cdc ded ee) "'Hope is the thing with Feathers — (254)" by Emily Dickinson (using off-rhymes: abcb dede fggg)"The Time I've Lost in Wooing" by Thomas Moore (in varying line-lengths: aabbaccddc eeffegghhg, and with some great rhymes using one or more words, i.e., "sought me" "brought me" and "taught me"; and "won me" "on me" "outrun me."

Unrhymed:"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden (a kind of sonnet, because it has 14 lines, but it is not rhymed)."The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens (a difficult poem in some ways, but very good for this kind of lesson; you may also ask students to look for all the winter words in the poem, as a kind of exploration of images). "The Moon Sails Out" by Federico Garcia Lorca (a poem with wonderfully textured lines, even in translation)From "Tao te Ching" by Lao Tzu (Here, the lines are end-stopped, each a kind of maxim, but the sense builds line by line, i.e. the first line begins "To understand others," the next "To

understand yourself," and so on). "An Old Man's Thought of School" by Walt Whitman (Whitman's varied line lengths, some very long, offer another way of thinking of the line)."The lower leaves of the trees" by Sone No Yoshitada (a haiku)

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Favorite poemsTYPE OF IDEA: Assignment

Favorite Poems: Ours and Others’

PURPOSE: The lesson demonstrates to students that people around them are attached to poems and exposes them to several poems that they may not have yet known or seen.

1. Ask each student to name a favorite poem. In addition, the students must interview family members, friends and neighbors until they find three people who have favorite poems.

2. Students bring copies of the poems, which they have written out by hand, to class, along with brief statements from the people who selected them. Favorite poem may be written in any language, and that the student may bring both the original poem and an English translation to class. If the person comes from a different culture, ask the student to learn a few facts about the person's life story.

3. Post the favorite poems and the reflections of those who selected them.

4. Invite the students to read the poems and to write their reasons for selecting their own favorites from among the poems contributed by their classmates. Post these reflections close to the poem and response of the contributor.

5. Discuss the similarities and differences among the responses, beginning with the response of the person who selected the poem. If the poem was contributed by a family member or neighbor, ask the student who brought the poem to class to tell about the person and his or her life story. Ask the student to consider how the life story might have affected the choice. If the poem is a translation, invite the student who brought it to class to read it in both languages.

6. Tell students to compile a booklet of the favorite poems, adding illustrations. - Must include:

a. Title on Front pageb. Page numbersc. Poem titles, poems and reflections on one paged. Illustration on the opposite page.

Examples:

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Learn components of a good short story.TYPE OF IDEA: Activity

Components of a good short storyPURPOSE: Introduction to the components of a good story—character, point of view, setting, plot, and theme.

1. Review the basic elements of a short story using a different short story to describe each element-Setting, Character, Conflict, Plot, Theme

A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work.

see The Green Door by O. Hen

The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.

see The Last Leaf by O. Henry

A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.

see The Open Boat by Stephen Crane

The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict.

On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).see To Build a Fire by Jack London

The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story. see The Giftof the Magi by O. Henry

2. Choose one of the short stories used above which will be studied for all the components of a short story.

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Elements of plot in a short storyTYPE OF IDEA: Project

ELEMENTS OF PLOT

PURPOSE: Students will analyze the elements of plot.

1.)The teacher will lead a discussion on the importance of the short story as a literary genre.2.)The teacher will present the five basic elements of a plot diagram using a slideshow presentation such as PowerPoint (see attached). Students will copy the notes as they are written on each slide of the PowerPoint presentation.3.)The teacher will present the possible short stories for the assignment (attached). The teacher will write the title and author name of each short story on a small sheet of paper. The teacher will then put the 25 short story titles in a hat. Students will draw a sheet of paper from the hat. Each student will have a different short story for his/her project.4.)The teacher will then hand out a sign-up sheet (attached). Students will print their names, write the title of their short stories, and then sign the form. After all students have signed the form, the teacher will keep the sheet for his/her records.5.)Students read their assigned short stories.6.)Students create their own plot diagram using an activity sheet (Rough Draft Activity Sheet attachment). Students should write legibly, using complete sentences.7.)Using the rough draft of their plot diagrams, the students will create a PowerPoint presentation (see Creating the Student PowerPoint attachment).EXAMPLES of Stories : 1. The Tell-Tale Heart Edgar Allan Poe2. The Purloined Letter Edgar Allan Poe3. The Pit and the Pendulum Edgar Allan Poe4. The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe5. The Gold-Bug Edgar Allan Poe6. The Black Cat Edgar Allan Poe7. First Confession Frank Stockton8. A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud Carson McCullers9. Sucker Carson McCullers10. The Country Guy De Maupassant11. The Garden Party Katherine Mansfield12. The Hand Guy De Maupassant13. The Necklace Guy De Maupassant

14. The Bee-Man of Orn Frank Stockton15. The Night the Ghost Got In James Thurber16. Conversation About Christmas Dylan Thomas17. Old Pipes and the Dryad Frank Stockton18. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty James Thurber19. God Sees the Truth, But Waits Leo Tolstoy20. Story Without An End Mark Twain21. A Worn Path Eudora Welty22. Let Me Fall Before I Fly Barbara Wensba23. The Rocking-Horse Winner D. H. Lawrence24. The Lottery Shirley Jackson25. Charles Shirley Jackson26. Thank You, M’am Langston Hughes27. The Ransom of Red Chief O. Henry28. Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne29. Jury of Her Peers Susan Glaspell30. The Lagoon Joseph Conrad31. The Most Dangerous Game

Richard Connell32. Miriam

Truman Capote33. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce34. Raymond’s Run Toni Cade Bambara35. He Swung and He Missed

Nelson Algren36. The Gift of the Magi

O.Henry

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Character Role-PlayingTYPE OF IDEA: Activity (collaboration)

“TO TELL THE TRUTH”

PURPOSE: Students will be engaged in the process of looking at a story through the perspective of one or more characters

1. Before reading the final section of the literary text, arrange students into groups to play a variation on the old "To Tell the Truth" game.

2. Select four students each one playing the part of one character of their choice from the text. Their job is to do the best possible job of becoming the character.

3. Four more students play the part of the "expert panel," determining which student of the first group responds to questions most like the character.

4. The other students in the class can play additional characters from the text, asking questions of the first four students.

5. After a set amount of time (to be determined by the teacher), the expert panel voteson which student is most like the character he or she claims to be.

6. This role-playing experience affords students the opportunity both to become a character and to play the part of an expert reader, testing elaborated ideas of what a character in a text is like.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Filming a short storyTYPE OF IDEA: Project

FILM FESTIVALPURPOSE:

1. Students read and discuss a variety of short stories. Depending on grade level and school curriculum will depend on titles. In high school, students may tackle Poe or Bradbury.

2. Pre-production: Students form groups and choose genres (based on ones the students know--best is mystery, drama).

3. Students will: outline a story, create set/prop lists, draft storyboard (including FOV, angles, movement, and action), draft a script, plan locations. For each group, it is important to have at least one strong writer. Mini-lesson from the teacher will include script structure. 

4. Once pre-production is complete, students engage in production. Most of the shooting will happen on their own time.

5. Students then tackle post-production with editing and reshoots, if necessary. 6. Students will engage with conferences--both teacher and peer--once a rough cut is complete. 7. Students finish their films and export.8. For viewing, it is fun to create a film festival environment--if doing that, plan ahead with categories for

awards, etc.Short Screenplays Structure:• Time FrameShort screenplays are generally one moment in time or happen over the course of several hours though occasionally they can take place one or two days (ie: overnight).Structure– 3 ActsEven though a short screenplay is, well, shorter it still needs to have a beginning, middle and end – essentially three acts.• Set up – Act OneThe first act sets up your main character. This means we need to rely on a visual shorthand to convey information about them. While we don’t want to revert to stereotypes or cliché think of ways to communicate who your protagonist is visually and through one or two specific actions or character traits. These first few beats also set up the main character’s current situation and the world of the story.• Inciting IncidentGiven the shorter length of a short film screenplay you have less time to get to your inciting incident – the one main beat that kick starts the story. • Plot – Act TwoKey in all films and particularly in a short is having clear focused action that drives the story forward with energy and tension. The way to do this is through the protagonist’s goal. This goal is the protagonist’s response to the inciting

incident. The protagonist’s actions drive the plot so whatever they want needs to translate into some kind of action that moves the story forward. In other words – something needs to happen! • ConflictAs the protagonist tries to achieve their goal they need to run into conflict. Our investment in their struggle to achieve what they want creates tension and suspense and keeps us hooked. Conflict comes in many forms. For example it can be a specific antagonist, the environment or something more personal and internal. Conflict creates a problem for our protagonist to overcome. It drives the plot and is a key element in ensuring the piece feels active and engaging.• Resolution – Act ThreeIn order for your short screenplay to have impact it’s important that your piece end in a satisfying way. What this means will vary depending on the kind of piece you’re writing. For some this beat will lead to humor for others this will be an emotional or heart wrenching conclusion. Some thoughts on PRODUCTIONWhile you’re writing it’s helpful to keep production in mind and ensure you’re writing a piece that is actually shootable within the time and budget you have available. This means avoid huge set pieces and action sequences, special FX, scenes involving a lot of extras or unobtainable/expensive locations. Consider using props, locations and settings that are already available to you and keep locations to a minimum to avoid having a lot of company moves.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Locate elements in a short storyTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

PURPOSE : Students will be able to identify the elements of dramatic structure in a short story

Warm-up: [20 minutes]

Think of one of your favorite movies and write down the storyline.  

What happens in the very beginning of the film?   What do you learn at the beginning?   What starts to happen next?   Are there certain problems the main character faces?   What is the highest point of action or tension in the movie?   What happens after?   How does it end?   Is the main character better or worse off than he/she was at the beginning?   How has he/she changed?”

Students will answer the questions in their notebooks for about 10 minutes and then share out with a partner or tablemates to look for similarities in structure.

1. Ask students if they found any similarities in the different storylines of their favorite movies and discuss them briefly as a whole class.

2. Explain that they probably did because most stories follow a basic dramatic structure.3. Project Freytag’s Pyramid and explain: Gustav Freytag analyzed Greek and Shakespearean drama and

noticed a pattern in the way the stories were told.  He viewed the dramatic structure as a pyramid or triangle, and we can apply this dramatic structure to many stories, novels and films.

4. Hand out copies and have students take notes on handout as you go over definitions of each part of the pyramid:(Definitions attached are from Wikipedia, modify as needed)

5. Ask a student volunteer to see if they think their movie fits this structure and have student share aloud, or get up and use projected pyramid as model as they explain their story.

Activity: [25 minutes]

1. Hand out copies of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and tell students that they should work together to locate the different parts of the dramatic structure as they read in small groups, working together to annotate and Talk to the Text.

2. Students discuss where the exposition, rising action, climax and resolution are and plot them on second side of pyramid hand out.

3. Review as a whole class, field questions, check for understanding, re-teach students as needed; explain you will be looking at this structure throughout the unit.

GRADE LEVEL:9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Comparing multiple aspects of textsTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

POCAHONTUS

PURPOSE : Students will compare multiple aspects of the three texts read this week: Speaker, Audience, Subject, Context, Purpose.

1. Make a list on board of which texts people called “the best” and why.2. A word like “Best” can be defined in many, many different ways.  (Write “best” on the board in

quotations.)  If you were going to write an essay on this, you would need to define how you were going to think of “Best.” 

3. Practice:  Split students into two teams by letting them choose slips of colored paper.  One group to the left, one to the right.  Give them the question: Should Disney have made its film, Pocahontas, more historically accurate?

4. Put the word “should” in a box.  This word is like “best.”  They need to define reasons for and against “should” depending on what they see to be Disney’s role/purpose/responsibility in telling this story.

5. Groups brainstorm for 8 minutes to prepare for debate.  Then groups have a debate.  I grade based on: (1) logic and insightful points (2) use of specific details from the film, other texts, or life (3) their establishment of “ethos” as a group – do they allow the other group to speak? Do they keep their cool?  Points will be taken off of whole groups for: interrupting anyone – your team or another, screaming, moving from your seat, opting out of the debate by putting your head down. 

Perspectives Sheet

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Building ensembleTYPE OF IDEA: Game

I AM WALKING…

PURPOSE: Students will work together to develop ensemble.

1. Before play, prepare a set of cards, each containing the second half of a sentence. Below are a few examples, but you will think of more.

2. (The idea is that the first half or each and every sentence is "I am walkingŠ")3. Divide the class into groups of three or more. The groups will "perform" one at a time.4. The first group enters the performance space. A representative draws a card from the pile, and they share

it around so everyone can see it, but there is NO DISCUSSION.5. On the instructor's cue, the group must create an instant scene (using pantomime, and, if the instructor

chooses, sounds, props, etc., but no words) that will convey the COMPLETE sense of their sentence. This can be done, obviously, in lots of different ways. One person might become the person who is "walking," while others become the environment, or "supporting" characters. - The challenge comes in the fact that the group is not allowed to discuss or plan. If each individual in

the group decides that he would be the best person to be the "lost child," for example, the group will almost certainly fail to communicate the snowstorm. Each member of the group must evaluate what the rest of the group is doing, and respond by contributing, not in the way that makes himself look best, or in the way that is most "fun," but in the way that best reinforces the effective communication of the group. The most effective groups will therefore be the ones in which everyone is able to sublimate their own individual stardom to the stardom of the group.

6. Once the group has performed, others in the class try to guess the sentence. The group who performed should try not to react positively or negatively to the guesses until everyone has guessed. In this way, no one changes or suppresses their guess once they know it is "wrong." This is important, because the "guesses" are the best kind of descriptive feedback on the effectiveness of the performance. I often use this as a jumping-off point for discussing the idea of communication, and of responsibility for the messages one sends, whether intentional or not. If the group intended to convey the sentence "I am walking on the deck of a sailing ship," but most of the class guesses "I am walking on top of a locomotive train, chasing a train robber," it is not because most of the class is "wrong" or "stupid." It is, in fact, because what the group actually conveyed, intentions notwithstanding, was this second idea. By knowing what the audience saw, the group can judge how effectively they have communicated.

7. Obviously, this process is repeated until all groups have had a turn to perform.

EXAMPLES

". . . through a blinding snowstorm, looking for a lost child."". . . across the Great plains on the way to Oregon."". . . to school on a cool late fall morning."". . . down a dark alley, looking for an escaped prisoner."". . . through the Amazon rainforest, in search of rare species of animals."". . . to the platform to receive a gold medal."". . . down an empty highway, running away from home."". . . along the Boardwalk near the beach on a summer evening."". . . across the deck of a sailing ship during a storm."

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Playwriting/actingTYPE OF IDEA: Project

DRAMATIZE YOUR STORY

PURPOSE: Students will be able to playwright and act out a scene that they come up with in pairs.

Preparation:1. Discuss the rich backgrounds the students bring to the classroom.

2. Explain the term "oral history."

-. Oral History- is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. 

3. Have the children go home and question their families about their ancestors, their family's origins (journey to America–if appropriate), and their own childhood years.

4. Ask the students to bring an object from home that has been passed dooral wn in the family and that has a story.

Procedure:1. In pairs, have the students share their family stories and objects.

2. Have the students create a new story that will connect the two objects.

3. Help them choose two characters from the story that might meet in a setting such as a park, bus stop or train station.

4. Have them imagine the meeting and then, all working at once, the pairs improvise a short scene.

5. Students should imagine and describe characters, their relationships, what they want and why (e.g., through variations of movement and gesture, vocal pitch, volume, and tempo).

6. Allow students to perform their scene in front of the class and record the improvisations of each pair with a video/digital camera.

7. If a further writing assignment is important, help the students transcribe the dialogue.

GRADE LEVEL:6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Acting out feelingsTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

DRAMATIC FEELINGS

PURPOSE: Students will examine a feeling word and represent it in a dramatic presentation. Through this, students will present and observe the different situations that different feelings can exist in.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Unifying a musicalTYPE OF IDEA: Project

ADAPTING A MUSICALPURPOSE: Students will be able to adapt a musical to a story or play.

1. Ask the class to vote on which text they have read and would like to turn into a musical. Examples may be:

Materials a hat, container, or bag Pieces of paper with a different feeling word written on each. Use feeling

words that your class would understand really well. Maybe you can generate a list to use ahead of time by asking your class to brainstorm a list of feeling words that they know.

Some examples of feeling words are:

angry anxious apprehensive ashamed

bored cautious confident confused

depressed disgusted ecstatic embarrassed

enraged exhausted frightened frustrated

guilty happy hopeful hysterical

jealous lonely lovestruck mischievous

mysterious nervous overwhelmed sad

surprised shocked shy smug

suspicious sympatheticMethod Place the feeling words in some sort of container.

Ask one student to come up and pick out a feeling without looking. Now, this student is to act out a scene that has the feeling that they chose. The rest of the class guesses the feeling that is being represented. The

student who guesses correctly gets to go next, and the process is repeated.

Extension: Everytime you do this activity write out the feeling and the situation presented right beside it on chart paper. Eventually, you will have a variety of situations that the feelling can be present in. This would emphasize that there are many different feelings out there, and many different ways that they manifest themselves.

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Dubliners by James Joyce The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neill Henry IV, Part I by William Shakespeare The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

2. Divide the class into the following groups based on students’ skills and interests:- Script writers- Song writers- Set designers- Costume designers

3. Allow each group time to work on developing their aspect of the musical.- Provide groups with computers so that they can type scripts, lyrics, etc.

4. Each group should produce the following:- Script writers – outline, list of characters, script- Song writers – lyrics for songs- Set designers – sketches of scenery and props- Costume designers – sketches of costumes

5. If you choose to perform the musical, you will then need to also assign students to the following roles:

- Actors- Singers- Musicians- Stage Crew- Directors

6. Perform the musical or selected scenes if you wish.Group ResponsibilitiesScript writers Outline the musical based on the text Determine which characters will be in the musical Determine which scenes and events in the text are most important to portray Determine which scenes, themes or events should be turned into songs Write a script for one or more scenesSong writers Work with the script writers to determine which scenes, themes or events should be turned into songs Write the lyrics for the songs. You may either write new lyrics for an existing tune or write your own musicSet designers Work with the script writers to determine what scenery and props are needed Sketch and create necessary scenery and propsCostume designers Create costumes for the characters appearing in the musicalGRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Practice melodramatic movementTYPE OF IDEA: Game

ACTING UP

PURPOSE: Identify and practice ways to show emotions on stage

1. Explain that the actors of in the 1800’s were trained in the classical style, which meant that they were given a set of movements to express certain emotions. The audiences could easily understand these movements; even if they did not understand the verbal language, they could interpret the body language.

2. In pairs, allow students to model the movements. Have the class guess what emotion is being expressed.

Examples of Emotions: Give each pair of students a strap with an emotion on it.

Grief: Head down, shoulders rounded, hands cupping the face. Raising the shoulders up and down, with a sobbing noise, is optional.

Fear: Face turned to the right side, with the right hand to the mouth, fingers curled under touching the top of the palm.

Horror: Eyes wide, mouth open, both hands to the cheeks with the fingers extended.

Fortitude: Body straight, chest up, hand to forehead, with the palm facing the audience and fingers curled slightly.

Love Expressed (Male): Chest held high, right hand crosses the chest and rests on the upper left over the heart, then opens out to the right and the loved one.

Love Expressed (Female): Chest held high, head cocked a bit to the side, opposite leg goes out with foot pointed, hands under the chin, fingers entwined and bent at the first and second knuckles (almost praying), hands go toward the loved one, smile on face.

Evil Planning: One eyebrow up, the other down, a grimace on the face and hands rubbing together, if it is a really good plan, the fingers twiddle.

Evil Sneaking: Shoulders hunched over, arm raised to cover the nose on down, eyes free to shift around the room, legs bent on the cross of the stage.

Pride: Chest up, hands with knuckles to both hips, legs slightly apart, a balanced look.

Anger: Both hands shoulder high, eyebrows pushed toward each other, face tense with a grimace, hands in tight fists.

Overwhelmed: Chin up bringing the face to look up, one arm dropped limp to the side, the other hand open with palm towards the audience on the top of the forehead.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Impromptu role play TYPE OF IDEA: Activity

SCENARIOS FOR IMPROVISATIONPURPOSE: Allow students to ac

1. Pair students and give them a scenario.

2. Students are to act out the scenario without preparation and it should last 2 minutes

3. These are ideas for scenarios (or trios, with one directing). The situations work best if the pupils get straight into them and avoid long discussions.

4. When finished, ask students to share with the class the difficulty they found in acting out the scenario.

Director instructing rather useless, awkward, overpaid actor.

Fortune teller and client.

Hairdresser and customer (after hair disaster).

Photographer and awkward supermodel.

Traffic warden and driver about to get a ticket.

Married couple watching TV - channel arguments.

Casualty - nurse informing family of bad news.

Two tramps arguing over box/newspaper/bench.

Two strangers on a train - one lights up in a no-smoking compartment.

Suspect being interviewed by the police.

Boss giving employee the sack.

Door-to-door salesman and lonely pensioner.

Pregnant woman and claustrophobic stuck in a lift.

Job interview.

Parent and teenager - teenager three hours late, parent waiting up.

Two cars meet coming from opposite directions down a narrow country lane. One belongs to farmer,

other a wealthy businessman - who moves?

Boyfriend proposing to girlfriend - she's trying to dump him.

Pupil sent to head for bad behavior.

Doctor and patient, patient is hypochondriac.

Mime - two wrestlers warming up, or two men on the moon.

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Summarizing biographyTYPE OF IDEA: Activity/Project

BIO-CUBE

PURPOSE : Acquire knowledge by completing research on self-selected subjects using internet sources.

.

1. Place students into small groups of two or three using flexible grouping.

2. Read aloud from Meet J. K. Rowling (or the biography you have selected). As you read, begin to record information on another Bio-Cube Planning Sheet on the projector. Note the information for the first side of the cube.

3. Guide student groups in providing information for Personal Background and Personality Traits by showing them that they may need to use additional resources to complete the Bio-Cube Planning Sheet. Show students Thomson Gale: Joanne Kathleen Rowling, which contains more information than the brief biography on the Scholastic website. Mention that the link is produced by an educational publisher that publishes textbooks and dictionaries, and therefore, it can be considered a reliable source of information. Discuss students' ideas and add the suggested information to the planning sheet on the overhead.

4. Students should work in their groups to complete the remaining sides about J. K. Rowling on their own Bio-Cube Planning Sheets. Students should then transfer the information to the Bio-Cube on their computers and print the Bio-Cube when they are finished. If there are no computers available, students could write it out on their bio-cube sheets.

5. Have students share with their partners an oral summary that is based on the information they have just entered and then share and discuss their Bio-Cube and summary with another group of students. The goal of these discussions is for students to share the information they have learned with other students as well as serve as practice in speaking and listening skills.

6. Students may then choose their own person to research and complete a bio-cube on.

Biocube

Found at readwritethink.org

Bio-Cube includes:1. Person’s name, time period, and place2. Personal background3. Personality traits4. Significance5. Obstacles6. Important quote

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Chronological order to key momentsTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

PURPOSE: Identify key moments, people and places in chronological order

1. Discuss images that people use as symbols for events in their lives. For instance, symbol of birth could be a stork or baby; divorce in family could be a drawing of stick people with a lightning strike down the middle. 

2. Pass out copies of the Graphic Map Pictures. 

3. Arrange students into eight groups, with approximately the same number of people in each group. 

4. Assign each group one of the collections of images on the Graphic Map Pictures handout. 

5. Ask each group to review the images in their collection and brainstorm possible life events that the images might symbolize or illustrate. Explain that images can symbolize the life events or be a realistic depiction for the life event. 

6. Have students record their ideas on chart paper that can be posted in the classroom during this entire activity. 

7. As the end of the session draws near, ask each group to pick one image to share with the rest of the class. Suggest that they might choose their favorite image, the image that they had the most ideas for, or even an image that they’d like more suggestions for. Have groups post their chart paper when they are ready to share. 

8. When all the groups are ready, have a volunteer from each group share one image and talk in general about the images they looked at. 

9. Invite and encourage class additions to the posted lists. 

10. Explain that the class will use the lists during the next session to begin work on individual graphic life maps. Ask them to take any time remaining in the session and at the beginning of the next session to browse the lists more closely.

Graphic Map Pictures

Available on readwritethink.org

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: TYPE OF IDEA: Project

GRAPHIC LIFE MAPPURPOSE: create an evaluative scale, from high points to low points, ranking the key moments, order key moments in chronological order, choose illustrations and text that relate to the key moments.

1. Explain that students will be making their own graphic life maps over the next class sessions. If desired, share the Graphic Life Map Rubric, and discuss the expectations for the activity. 

2. ask students to brainstorm significant life events. Explain that these events can be happy memories, sad memories, scary memories, important places, important people, life-changing events, and so forth. 

3. Challenge each group to come up with at least 30 different life events, recording their ideas on chart paper. 

4. Pass out copies of the Graphic Life Map Planning Sheet, and discuss the columns on the form: 

For the rating column, asking that students to give each item a rating from –3 (extremely negative) to +3 (extremely positive). 

For the image, if students will use computers to publish their work, ask them to choose an image from the Graphic Map Pictures to represent the life event. If students will not use computers, they can generally describe the kind of image that they will draw or paste into place. 

For the description, ask students to add a brief note that will remind them of the details of the event later. 

5. Ask students to begin planning their own life maps, using the information gathered during the the two class sessions and posted by the groups to complete their charts as well as the lists they finalized for homework.

6. Once students have generally determined their lists, suggest that they sketch out simple graphs of the events to check the ratings of the different items. For instance, if several things are listed as +3 and none are listed as +1 or +2, you might challenge students to look for more differentiation in their ratings. 

7. Near the end of the session, explain how students will publish their life maps during the next session:

If computers are available, students will publish their life maps using the Graphic Map interactive, relying on the information on their planning sheets.

If computers are not available, students will transfer their memories to a piece of tag board, poster board, or construction paper, drawing graphics and adding caption for each item, and connecting their memories with a road or highway.

Available on readwritethink.org

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: A biography study

TYPE OF IDEA: Project

EXPLORING AUTHORS’ LIVES

PURPOSE: Learn about important American authors by researching their lives and sharing research with peers.

1. Have the class brainstorm a list of American authors authors from your prior readings, along with any other American authors that they would like to include.

. 2. Ask each student to select one author to research. Be sure that there are no duplications within a class. As students make their selections, have them sign-up on your master list. These are websites which students can check out:

Distinguished Women of Past and Present . This site includes biographies of women who contributed to our culture. Searching by subject, students can narrow the list to women known for their "literature and poetry."

American Collection: American Writing Gateway . Students can access a collection of teacher-reviewed websites on a select group of American writers.

Biography.com . By searching for "American writer," this site provides a selection of close to 300 authors.

Brain-Juice . This site features slightly longer biographies and a section on each subject's most notable works or milestones. Students can browse "Literature" to find a selection of writers.

3.Have students visit the school library or media center to find and select biographies on their authors, or provide a list of preapproved biographies from which students can choose.

4.Direct students to begin a K-W-L-S Chart, filling out what they know about the author and what they want to know. While reading the biographies and researching their authors, they will continue filling out this chart with what they learned and what they still want to know.

5.Direct students to create timelines of the authors' lives. They should begin by taking notes on key events:

Birthplace, date Significant personality traits Most famous work Important influence as a writer Most traumatic event in their life Awards given

6.The finished timeline should be printed.

7.Instruct students to come to class dressed as their authors in costume or by having an appropriate prop to suggest who they are. This prop/attire should be unique to each individual author.

8.Students will pair up with several different people and share their personal information while in character of their chosen author.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Graphing a BiographyTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

BIO-GRAPH

PURPOSE:

1. Have students work in pairs to interview other students whom they do not know well. These interviews may last 30 minutes or longer. 

2. Ask students to listen for significant life events that they can later incorporate into biographical pieces on the student they interview. Emphasize that detail is important at this stage. 

3. Have students use the Possible Interview Questions handout as a guide for the interviews, but prompt them to follow up on interesting answers with probing questions.

Where and when were you born? Are there any interesting stories associated with your birth? Where did you grow up? Have you lived in one place/town your whole life or have you moved

around during your life? What are some significant events in your life that you recall? These could involve school, club

activities, religious organizations, and family events. Why were these events significant? Who are some of your personal heroes, and why? Do you consider yourself like them in any ways? What activities do you enjoy in your spare time? How did you get involved in them? Have you been recognized as outstanding in any area of your life? Again, this could include school, clubs, religious organizations, or competitions. What are some personal goals you have had in the past? How did you accomplish the ones you

achieved?

4. Ask students to make a list of the most important/influential events in their partner’s life so far. These can be happy, sad, or even traumatic times. Encourage students to concentrate on variety. Along with each event, have students list the year that the event occurred. 

5. Have the students choose 10 of the events and give each one a rating from –3 (extremely negative) to +3 (extremely positive). 

6. Next, have students use the Graphic Map to create a visual representation of the information online on a sheet of paper.

7. When the graph is finished, have each student confer with the interview partner and choose two of the events to write about. 

8. Have students write short descriptions of those events (about one paragraph) and describe how those events have been influential in their partner’s life.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Autobiography TYPE OF IDEA: Project

IT’S MY LIFE

PURPOSE: Students will organize their thoughts and express their stories by using PowerPoint presentations

1. Present the PowerPoint autobiography assignment to students and explain the required elements. If you have created a model presentation, you can use it to present the concept to students. 

2. Discuss the following requirements: 

Students will select five important events in their lives. Using written summaries of these events, they will create PowerPoint multimodal autobiographies. 

Students may use recordings from the radio or their personal music collections.  Students will follow guidelines for fair use of copyrighted images and music. Student will present their slideshows in class. Slideshows are limited to 5–10 minutes in length.  Students will respond to their peers’ presentations in writing.

3. Have students begin the prewriting stage of their projects by brainstorming at least 15 major events in their lives. Students can brainstorm with the whole class, small groups, or individually. Students may list any events that hold personal significance, but you may make the following suggestions if students have difficulty coming up with their lists: 

First day of school (e.g., preschool, kindergarten, first grade, middle school, high school)  A special family trip or vacation  A family event or milestone  A personal achievement (e.g., first place in a competition)  A personal loss

4. Ask students to select 8–10 events from their lists and write a brief paragraph summary for each one. Students may also include events that were not included on the lists they created during their brainstorming sessions. 

5. Once students are done with their summaries, have them begin creating slides in PowerPoint.

6. Review students’ progress as they work and provide assistance to students who are having difficulty using PowerPoint. 

7. When students have completed their PowerPoint presentations, review the revision stage of the writing process and explain that at this stage they should look for areas that could be changed: 

1. Are slides arranged in an effective way? How are the events in my autobiography arranged? Sequentially? Thematically? 

2. Can I do a better job of describing each event? Will the reader/viewer understand what I’m trying to communicate? 

3. Do the images I’ve selected adequately represent the events? 4. Does the song reflect my feelings about each event? 

 

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Expository writingTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

GENRE IN THE NEWS

PURPOSE : Students will be able to compare narrative writing (short stories) to expository writing (news articles).

1. Pass out copies of a short news article chosen from a recent newspaper, preferably a local newspaper. If you have Internet access for all students, you may direct students to an online story. 

2. Choose a student volunteer to read the article to the class. Depending on the length of the article, you may have multiple volunteers read aloud. 

3. Have students complete a story board on the newspaper article.

4. Students will turn the story board information into a short story.

Story Map Example:

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Previewing strategyTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

THIEVES

PURPOSE: Demonstrate their abilities to use the THIEVES strategy by completing a self-directed worksheet

1. Announce to students that they are about to become thieves. Explain that they will learn how to "steal" information from texts before they actually read a chapter or article.

2. If students are familiar with the term previewing, encourage them to share strategies they use to preview a chapter. If they are not familiar with previewing, ask them to brainstorm ideas on how they might look through a chapter before they begin reading to get an idea of what it is about. Discuss why previewing is a helpful reading strategy.

3. Lead them to discover that previewing will help them activate prior knowledge, o set a purpose for reading, and set expectations for reading so that they can better o understand the concepts they are about to encounter.

4. Assign students to work with a partner. Using a chapter that students will encounter soon in their textbooks or a sample online chapter, have students complete The Elements of THIEVES handout. Each student should receive and complete his or her own worksheet. Partners may have the same answers since they are working together.

5. Stop partner work 10 minutes before the lesson is over and go over what students “stole” from the chapter. Help students verbalize a summary of what they think the chapter is about and how previewing the chapter could prove helpful to understanding the text when they read it.

6. Collect The Elements of THIEVES handout from each student and evaluate student's responses by providing helpful comments and feedback for each student.

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8EMPHASIS/SKILL: Foundation of non-fictionTYPE OF IDEA: Lesson/Activity

WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT NON-FICTION?

PURPOSE:  To provide students with a strong foundation for reading, writing, and using nonfiction.

Step 1: Discuss what nonfiction is with students: Point out examples that are all around them: books about their favorite animals, lunch menus,

maps, classroom magazines, etc. Define nonfiction: It gives information. It explains, informs, or persuades.

Step 2: Use the chart below to guide a discussion of the characteristics of nonfiction and how reading nonfiction is different than reading stories or novels. Use examples from a social studies or science textbook to illustrate some of these characteristics.

Characteristics of Nonfiction Text

How does nonfiction text look different from fiction?

There may be chapter titles and section headers that preview information.Each page has words in a variety of fonts and type sizes.Bold or italic fonts may be used to signal important words or phrases.Diacritical marks may be used to guide pronunciation.

How are graphic aids used?

Maps, charts, diagrams, photographs are usually included to illustrate or summarize information.Captions or labels must be examined carefully for relevant information.

How is the vocabulary different?There may be more words that are unfamiliar. Look for multi-syllabic words like "photosynthesis" that may be difficult to pronounce.

What do we know about nonfiction? There is a great deal of information to be understood and remembered.

 Step 3: Reassure students that these unusual features should not discourage them. Explain how these characteristics are “clues” that will help them understand what they're reading.

Step 4: Place students in groups of four and have them write and share experiences they've had with nonfiction. Try these prompts:

What books about real people, places, and events have you read? Do you enjoy reading these types of books? Why or why not? When you look at an article or a biography, do you look at the illustrations and read the

captions? What websites do you visit? Have you ever had to read directions for a board game or ingredients in a cookbook?

Step 5: Make sure all students get a chance to participate in group discussions.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Creative nonfictionTYPE OF IDEA: Activity

ALTERNATIVE TO THE FEAUTRE STORY

PURPOSE: Students will identify the elements of creative nonfiction in a published magazine article.

1. Have students split into small groups. Each group gets a piece of poster board, which they should divide into three columns. Tell them to label the first column fiction. In this column, they should list the characteristics of fiction writing.

a. What makes this genre unique?b. Examples include dialogue, elements of plot and character development.

2. In the same group, tell students to make another list in the second column of their paper about the characteristics of news writing.

3. In the third column, have students list what makes a feature story.

4. Once students have completed their charts, direct their attention to you again. Read an excerpt from Susan Orlean’s introduction to "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup," pgs. x-xii, about why she likes to write about ordinary people and discover the interesting from the mundane. It explains the background to her story, “American Man, Age 10.”

5. In their same groups, give students 5-10 minutes to discuss how Orlean’s story (which they read for homework) fits the characteristics of the three different genres on their chart. Circle the characteristics that apply, and decide in which category her writing best fits.

6. Have groups share what they came up with, and discuss.

7. Explain that Orlean’s writing is often categorized in its own category, that of “creative nonfiction.” Based on the term itself, and what they know of her writing, have each student write his or her own definition of the term

8. Share definitions with the class and write a collective definition based on students’ responses.

9. Distribute handout about creative nonfiction, and discuss the definition it gives, as well as the characteristics. Compare to what students generated.

10. Discuss the practical application of type of writing for journalism. When would this approach be appropriate, and when not? Why?

11. Explain assignment. Each class member must randomly choose a student from your student body (how this is done is up to you) and write a personality profile on that person. Their mission is to discover something interesting, unique, or quirky about that person, and write about them in a way so that others care to read it. Adhere to Orlean’s theory that every person has a story to tell. Mention that some newspapers have a weekly profile on someone whose name was picked out of the phone book. Briefly discuss with students what kind of questions they should ask to reveal their angle. The questions they plan to ask are due next class (at least 10), and a rough draft of the profile itself is due in one week.

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: ResearchTYPE OF IDEA: Project

NON-FICTON

PURPOSE: Students will practice their researching skills after choosing one nonfiction topic.

1. Pass out sheet with project options2. Students will choose an option3. Students may complete project in groups (those who wish to work alone may do so)

Students are to choose one of the options below, conduct research and complete the project.

1. How did the 1963 March on Washington come about? Create a timeline describing the events, people, and organization that led to this historic event. Draw or cut out pictures to illustrate and explain your timeline.

2. Though the article mentions "white liberals" opposing the Vietnam War, there were also many African-American anti-war activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Investigate and write an informational essay explaining Dr. King's role in the anti-war movement. Norman Solomon's "Marching to the Beat of an Indifferent Drum" is a good place to start.

3. The article mentions the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. What is the philosophy of nonviolence? Write a "Pacifism for Beginners" guide highlighting the messages of thinkers such as Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Also, explain the terms "civil disobedience" and "nonviolent resistance."

4. How did the civil rights legislation of the 1960's change the legal landscape for African-Americans in the United States? Make a chart on which you describe pre-1960's race laws, such as the Jim Crow laws, and the 20th century laws that changed or overturned them.

5. The article mentions voting as a way for African-Americans to "secure rights and advantages," yet there have been concerns about some African Americans being excluded from the electoral process as recently as the 2000 Presidential elections. Research the notion of "voter disenfranchisement," and write an editorial for your school or local paper. You may want to begin research at the BBC's report on the Americas. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1112505.stm

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12EMPHASIS/SKILL: Non-fiction on the webTYPE OF IDEA: Project

NON-FICTION FOUR

PURPOSE: Students will work collaboratively in developing their project, will explore internet resources and extract valuable information to support their project, will develop a presentation of their project and explain it to their class.

1. The class will be broken up into four different groups.2. Each group will plan for, design, and develop a weebly for the non-fiction book that they have

selected.

Farewell to Manzanar - Written about the Japanese Internment camps during WWII A Night to Remember - Written about the voyage of the Titanic Hiroshima  - Written about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Death Be Not Proud  - A memoir from a young teenage boy named Johnny Gunther and his battle with

cancer

3. Each weebly must have a separate page that addresses the following topics:

1. PLOT - Each group must explain the story by identifying the elements of plot. This section must have (but not limited to) a detailed explanation of setting, conflict, climax, resolution, protagonist and antagonist. These **literary terms** must be explained fully and in the context of the assigned book. Please use the following form/table for this project:

2. MAIN CHARACTERS - Each group must identify all the characters who had an impact on the success of the book. A full **characterization** must be prepared to include: physical characteristics, personality traits, interests, occupation, relationships, etc.

3. THEME - Each group must identify the primary (and secondary) theme of their book. Groups must defend their choice by providing three reasons (direct references from the book) why they selected it.

4. GLOSSARY - Each group must prepare a list of words that will help the reader better understand the book. The words may be in the book's text or it may help to better understand the context leading up to the book. For example, "imperialism" may be included in the glossary of three of the book's since it has a direct connection to the people riding on the Titanic, and the Japanese Empire. Please use the links listed below in order to develop your glossary page.

5. LINKS - Each group must have at least five links (more is ok too) to resources that relate to either the book or the book's subject (atomic bomb, internment camps, brain tumors. etc.). Each link must have a short description of what the link is and why it is important to better understanding your book.

6. IMPORTANT CONCEPTS - Each group must explain four major **literary concepts** that relate to their book. Each concept must be fully explained and supported by direct citations (with page numbers) from the book.

7. QUOTES - Each group must identify five quotes from their book that they feel are most important to the success of the book. An explanation (2-3 sentences) of why the quote is important must also be provided. Please use the following form/table for this section.