American
Literature
Online
Books for Educators--Includes American
and English Literature
The
Puritans: Colonial Period (1608-1700)
Outline
of American Literature--Excellent Site
Literary
Movements
Perspectives
in American Literature--A Research and
Reference Guide Including a Link to Most Major Writers
Argument
(Also called Persuasion or Rhetoric):
Persuasive
Essay Topics
How
to Write Argumentative Essays
Th
e Five Paragraph Essay
Personal
Reflections on Vietnam: A WebQuest
Identifying
the Argument of an Essay
The
Forest of Rhetoric This site is
intended to help beginners, as well as experts, make sense of rhetoric,
both on the small scale (definitions and examples of specific terms) and
on the large scale (the purposes of
rhetoric,
the patterns into which it has fallen historically as it has been taught
and practiced for 2000+ years).
The
Three Elements of ArgumentUse these elements
to evaluate the effectiveness of an argument.
Cicero
on the Genres of Rhetoric
Stephen
Toulmin on Rhetoric
A Webquest
for Understanding Fallacies
Wholistic
Scoring Rubruc for Critical Thinking The
rubrics found at this site apply well to how to evaluate an argument.
Rhetorical
Arguments - A Coca-Cola Study
Personal
Reflections on Vietnam: A WebQuest
Agree or Disagree Questions
Assignment: Essays - Search either of
the two sources below for a quote. Tie the topic into a larger concept.
Then write a carefully reasoned, persuasive essay which defends, challenges,
or qualifies this concept as you have defined it. Be sure to use
evidence from your observations, experience, or reading to develop your
stance.
Bartlett's Familiar
Quotations
A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and
Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature by
John Bartlett.
Simpson's Contemporary
Quotations
Over 10,000 quotes from over 4000 sources,
including 25 categories of quotes, and 60 sections.
Biography:
Writing
a Biography of a Famous Person Using Biography Maker: Grades 7-12
Book Reviews
Twenty-five
Book Report Ideas
Web
Link
Literature
Circle Strategies
Close Reading
Assignment: Learn the skill of close
reading.
The Reading Process:
Reading, Re-Reading, Explorations Uses Kate Chopin's "The
Story of an Hour"
Columnists
Assignment: Browse through the newspaper
columnists linked below. Read something daily. Various tasks
could include writing an agree or disagree essay on a topic covered by
an article read, evaluating the effectiveness of the argument raised
in a particular editorial, etc. The possibilities are endless.
American Media Columnists
Online Newspaper Columnist and Commentator
Index Hundreds of North American newspaper columnists and commentators.
Also political and editorial cartoons and cartoonists, political scientist
resources, political sites.
Boston Globe Online
/ Columnists
Choose from a list of all Globe columnists
and writers who publish occasional columns.
Chicago Sun-Times
columnists
Choose from a list of all Sun-Times columnists
who publish occasional columns.
Newspaper Columnists
Pages and
Op/Ed Pages from
Around the World
Editorials, opinions and commentaries, columns
and columnists from English newspaper and magazine Web sites.
Boston Herald.com
Columnists
Select article by topic and columnist.
The Denver Post
Online - Columnists
Select from Columns, Discussions, Editorials,
Growth forum, Mike Keefe , Letters, Perspective.
Houston Chronicle.com
Select an editorial by title.
SF Gate - Columnists
Select a columnist by name and subject.
Dallas Morning News
Select an editorial columnist by name and subject.
The College Application Essay
Assignment: Practice personal expression
by writing a college application essay. Seniors should use these
sites to help write essays they are going to submit.
Writing the College
Application Essay
Covers Brainstorming, Selecting An Essay Topic,
and Writing the Essay, Tips for Success
Your College Essay
- Excellent site from the College Board.
Comparison and Contrast
Assignment: Compare treatments of a
news item from one newspaper columnist to another. Find those that
have varying opinions on the same subject. Evaluate these opinions
and develop your own personal stance.
Creative
Suggestions:
Create
your Own Utopian Society Based on the novel
Anthem
by Ayn Rand
Collection
of Book Report Ideas 109 Different
Ways to Respond
More
Ideas Than You'll Ever Use for Book Reports
341 ideas
for book projects from three different teachers.
E-mail
Classics Just for Fun Puns, Parodies,
Language Play, Bloopers, etc.
91
Ways to Respond to Literature
Shields,
Knights and Heraldry Free software to create a personal
coat of arms and directions on how to make a medieval shield.
Inventions
Understanding the Relationships Between Things and Words (7-12)
Assignment: Write a short story.
Twenty Fives Ways
to Find Story IdeasCreatives suggestions about where to find story
ideas by Michelle Giles.
Assignment: Write cartoon captions.
USA Today Cartoon
Contest Different cartoons are pictured periodically.
Students in two age categories (age 13 and older or under age 13) are invited
to submit captions for the cartoon.
Assignment: Write persuasion.
Post Your Opinion
USA Today has an interactive forum on the day's critical issues where you
are invited to post your opinion.
Creative
Writing:
Rewrite
"Little Red Riding Hood" in the Voice of another Author.
An
Unsolved Mystery: Grades 11 and 12 Write
a historical mystery to demonstrate what crime
was committed
and "who done it".
Writing
for Fun (9-12)
365
Writing Prompts from Writer's Digest
Writing
Poetry
Teaching
Creative Writing
Writing
Creating a Class Directory (9-12)
Spotting
Details Creative Writing Activity (9-12)
Discussion:
Socratic
Seminars
Drama Study
Guides, Pairings, and Other Help:
Antigone(Grades
9 - 12) An introduction to moral dilemma in Greek theater.
Lorraine
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
American
Scenes Analysis of several aspects of the play along with a message
board for comments and questions.
Learning
Guide to A Raisin in the Sun
Summary, background information, discussion questions from TeachWithMovies.com.
PAL:
Lorraine Hansberry A discussion of Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
an extensive bibliography, study questions. From Perspectives in American
Literature.
Teacher's
Guide to A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Biography,
synopsis, themes, irony, symbols, activities.
Arthur Miller,
The
Crucible
The Crucible
(Grades 10 - 12) Arthur Miller's play is studied in conjunction with McCarthyism.
An excerpt from Cotton Mather's The
Wondersof the Invisible Worldis used as a companion piece.
The
Salem Sentinel
William
Shakespeare
Teaching
Shakespeare A Different Approach (9-12)
Romeo
and Juliet
Teacher's
Guide
Rewriting
Romeo and Juliet
Family
Feud Fun Format to review Romeo and Juliet (9-12)
MacBeth
Made Easy (6-12)
Hamlet on Trial
(Grades 9 - 12) The students enact a courtroom trial where Hamlet
is tried for multiple murders.
Tennesse
Williams
A
Street Car Named Desire Study Guide
Web Link
Menu
Criticism,
Biographies, and Study Guides Galore
Extended Writing Projects
Assignment: Use the following authoritative
sites to research good writing practices.
The Writing Process
This page is designed to aid students at various points in the writing
process.
On the Art of Writing
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1916. This collection of lectures
capture the artistic and vital nature of language.
Existentialism:
Jean-Paul
Sartre NO EXIT Webquest
Herman Hesse
Demian
Reading
Group Guide
Autobiography
Biography
Read the
following CHAPTER EXCERPT OF DEMIAN carefully.
Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how Herman Hesse
manipulates the language to create meaning.
SHORT
ANSWER TEST FOR DEMIAN
Plot
Summary of Demian and Discussion Topics.
Extended
Writing Projects:
The
Evils of Books Reports
Fables
Assignment: Read fables of your choice;
write fables, etc.
Aesop's Fables
Grammar
Usage:
Adjective
and Adverb Taboo
Daily
Grammar
Guide
to Grammar and Writing
Guide
to Grammar and Style
11
RULES OF WRITING
HyperGrammar
Dictionary.com
Guide to Grammar
Journalism:
For
Journalism Teachers Only
High
School Journalism Lesson plans,
teaching tips, and lots more.
Listening:
Increase
Listening Skill Activity (9-12)
Literature:
Literature
Review Using Knowledge, Interpretation & Judgement Questions
(10-12) |
|
Literary Movements
Romanticism
Realism and Naturalism
Mythology
Assignment: Use the following authoritative
sites to research the allusions in your reading.
The Age of Fable
Thomas Bulfinch, 1913. Revised and enlarged four-volume edition
of the classic work on the mythology and fable of the ages.
Dictionary of Phrase
and Fable
Brewer, E. Cobham. 1898. Comprising
over 18,000 entries that reveal the etymologies, trace the origins and
otherwise catalog ìwords with a tale to tell.î
Newspapers
Assignment: The following newspapers
can be read for pleasure, for news , and as texts for thousands of
assignments. Just search each newspaper for ideas. They are
already there!
Newspapers.com
A lengthy list of newspapers can be found here. The Top Ten
Newspapers Online is updated on a weekly basis, and posted every Friday
at 5:00 p.m. US Central Time. Newspaper links are listed in order of most
visited to least visited from Newspapers Online!. Here is the
list for June 2000. They are listed in order of most visited to least
visited from Newspapers Online!.
THE ATLANTAJOURNAL
NEW YORK TIMES
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
LOS ANGELES TIMES
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
THE WASHINGTON POST
BALTIMORE SUN
THE BOSTON GLOBE
NEW YORK POST
MIAMI HERALD
Non-Fiction:
Elie WeiselNight
WebQuest
Background Research
Narrative:
Samples
of narrative writing prompts
Novel Excerpts,
Study Guides, Pairings, Mindspring Activities, and Other Help:
Introduction
to American Literature Creative Freewriting Activity (11)
Louisa
May Alcott
Little
Women
Sherwood
Anderson
Winesburg,
Ohio
Willa Cather
O
Pioneers
Excellent
Wequest to go along with O Pioneers
My
Antonia
Charles
Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
A
Dickens of a Quest.
A Christmas
Carol
F. Scott
Fitzgerald,
The Great Gatsby
Theme:Symbolism:Important
Quotes:
Lesson
Plans
Writings,
biography, essays, sound clips, and scrapbook
William
Golding, Lord of the Flies
Theme/Symbolism:Important
Quotes:
Links
to Lord of the Flies websites
50
Question Quiz
Teacher
Cyberguide
Study
Guide
Novel
Guide
Life
After the Fact Creative Culmination Activity after reading Lord
of the Flies , (9-12)
Harper Lee,
To
Kill a Mockingbird
Themes:
Quotes:
Mockingbird
Project
Jack London
The
Call of the Wild
Cormac McCarthy,
All
the Pretty Horses
Reading
Gropu Discussion Questions
Geroge Orwell
Animal
Farm WebQuest
Erich Maria
Remarque
All
Quiet on the Western Front
Teacher
CyberGuide
Discovery.com
Lesson Plans
Teaching
Tools Create your own material.
J. D. Salinger,
The
Catcher in the Rye
Themes:Symbols
and Motifs: Quotes:
Salinger's
Writing Style
John Steinbeck
Nobel
Prize Acceptance Speech
The
Grapes of Wrath Study Site
Poems
to Go With Grapes of Wrath
Mark Twain,
The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Home
Page
Paul Zindel,
The
Pig Man:
Teacher's
Guide Grades 6-10
Poetry:
Poetry
and the Planets
Writing
Poetry
Postmodernism
in Literature:
Introduction
to Postmodernism
Another
Definition
The
World's Largest Online Library Several
links for Postmodern Literature
Postmodernism,
Literature, and the Good Life
Philosophy
Research Base
Contemporary
Philosophy, Critical Theory and Postmodern Thought
Propaganda:
Junk
Mail Explosion
Activity to Increase Student Awareness of Persuasion Tactics (7-10)
Punctuation:
Reading:
Map
of Ship Trap Island Reading for Detail (9)
On the Art of Reading
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1920. This series of lectures is rich with
insight on the activity of effectual and intelligent reading.
Research
Paper:
Olympic
Shadow Boxes Learning to Use Reference Materials (9-12)
TimelinesUsing
Research Activites to Discover History of City, State and Self, (9-12)
A
Research Guide for Students
Choosing
Topics for Reserch Papers
The
New Guide to Writing Research Papers
Research
Paper Links
The
Five Paragraph Essay
Rhetorical
and Stylisic Devices:
Glossary
of Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices
Rubrics:
Chicago
Schools Instructional Intranet Assessments Page
The
Pennsylvania Writing Assesment Domain Scoring Guide
Pennsylvania
Writing Assessment Holistic Scoring Guide
University
of Charleston Communication Scale
Study Skills:
School
Work. ugh!
KidsClick!
Ten
Tips for Survival in the Classroom
Study
Skills Handouts
Building
Study Skills
How
to be a Student
Study
Strategies Homepage
Ten
Traps of Studying
Study
Skills Package
Notetaking,
The Cornell System
Resources
for Student Development
Links
for Adults Working on Tools for Coping Series Materials: Online Resources
to Improve Your Study Skills
Study
Skills Gateway Academic Program
Speeches
and Essays of Literary Merit:
Basic
Public Speaking
Speeches
and Essays Chart
Standards
and Assessments:
Assessments
in Writing Compared State by State
Style:
Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary of Allusions
Theme:
The
American Dream This is designed as an interdisciplinary project
for high school classes. America Dreams could be a year long theme for
American history and literature in a high school setting. The
flexibility inherent in this project will allow teachers to adapt the project
to their classroom needs.
Teacher
Tools
TrackStar
helps
instructors organize and annotate Web sites (URLs) for use in lessons.
The resource list remains visible allowing the user to easily stay on track.
Test Preparation
Study Guides for
Testing, Reading, Writing, and Classroom Participation Units include:
Preparing to learn, Participating in Classrooms, Studying,
Reading Skills, Webtruth: a guide to the understanding and design
of websites, Math testing, Preparing for Tests, Taking Tests,
Writing Skills, Writing Essays
Vocabulary:
Click
on any of the novels or plays below to learn SAT-College Prep vocabulary
in context. These words are listed by chapter in the order they appear
in these books.
Animal
Farm
Call
of the Wild
Diary
of Anne Frank
The
Double Helix
Fahrenheit
451
The
Grapes of Wrath
The
House of the Spirits
Harry
Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
Johnny
Got His Gun
Maggie's
American Dream
Old
Yeller
A
Separate Peace
The
Sun Also Rises
A
Tale of Two Cities
The
Taming of the Shrew
To
Kill a Mocking Bird
Word
Splash Bingo
Teacher
Tools:
Perpetual
Calendar and Days to Celebrate
Teacher
Web Sites
Make
Your Own Web Page
Create
Notes for homework and class information
and post them on the web in seconds using this free community service.
What
is a WebQuest?
The
WebQuest Design Process
Pre-Writing
Your WebQuest
The
GeoCities Way to Build a Web Site
The
Tripod Way to Build a Site
Writing:
Symbols
of Language Understanding Written Communication (6-11)
Using
Prominent Personalities with Identifiable Social Causes to Stimulate
Writing (8-12)
Write?
No Way! "Re-newed" Writing Activity (7-12)
Young Writer's Club
Writing about Literature Good
Instruction on Analysis and Interpretation
Writing
About Literature:
The
Summary Analysis
Three week unit based
on the summary analysis of a poem.
The
Theme Analysis Checklist.
Writing
Strategies |