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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
A teacher's guide to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness proves that it is not impossible to delve into the heart of darkness. Containing a wealth of information about Conrad, the Scramble for Africa, and the history of the Belgian Congo,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespearean Comedy on Film

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
This activity will focus on the aspects of Shakespeare's comedy that become more evident in performance. By viewing clips of the same Shakespeare scene in different film versions, high schoolers have the opportunity to engage in a close...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Shopping Spree

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars demonstrate the ability to evaluate authors' use of literary elements such as metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, and onomatopoeia. They are provided with a checklist and must shop for poems that contain the poetry terms...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The 1,000,000 Pound Bank Note" by Mark Twain

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Compare real events from Mark Twain's life to events in the story. Middle school readers identify point-of-view, its purpose, and its reliability by citing two examples. They describe the tone of the story using four examples and...
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Interactive
Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Close Reading of Prose: Practice 2 (English II Reading)

For Students 10th Standards
The tone is easy to hear but more challenging to detect in written texts. Users of this interactive learn how to closely observe the diction and words writers use to convey their feelings about their subject. They examine passages that...
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Interactive
Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Syntax (English II Reading)

For Students 10th
Lesson five in the series focuses on syntax and the elements that make sentences enjoyable. Learners practice building different clauses and phrases and using figures of speech and rhetorical and literary devices.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

"The Interlopers": Are You Ready to Rumble? Conflict, Motivation, and Setting

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Capulets and Montagues. Sharks and Jets. Nortenos and Surenos. Gradwitzes and Znaeyms? Hector Hugh Munro's short story "The Interlopers" invites high schoolers to consider the causes of conflicts and reflect on what it takes to resolve...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Where I'm From: Poetry

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
We carry memories of where we're from; tweens and teens can capture these memories by first listening to several memory poems and then crafting their own. They analyze literary devices other poets use, brainstorm a list of images they...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Monkey's Paw - Be Careful What You Wish For: Foreshadowing

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
W. W. Jacobs' horror story, "The Monkey's Paw," is used to introduce foreshadowing. As they advance through the story, young readers make predictions about what might happen next and how the story might end. Pairs work through the story...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

"The Story of an Hour" Lesson 2: Teacher's Guide and Notes

For Teachers 8th Standards
After reading background information about Kate Chopin, pupils complete their shared reading of her short story, "The Story of an Hour."  Participants then consider the irony of the ending.
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Lesson Plan
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K20 LEARN

Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 1: I'm A Survivor

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
What three readily available things would you grab in case of an emergency? That's the question that launches a unit study of William Golding's The Lord of the Flies. After sharing their choices, class members read Golding's rationale...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Criminal Motivations: Irony and Characterization In "The Cask Of Amontillado"

For Teachers 9th Standards
Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" is a bit of a puzzle. Critics have long debated Montresor's motives for killing Fortunato. Young scholars examine examples of the three types of irony (verbal, dramatic, and...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Penguin Edition of John Steinbeck's The Pearl

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The guide to John Steinbeck's The Pearl suggests ways instructors can help readers see below the surface of the novella to the parable beneath. Through a variety of activities, readers come to appreciate the complexity of the tale.
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Lesson Plan
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Merlyn Education and Climate Protection Project

Short Story Lesson Plan: "Ghostwriter" By Kyle Downey

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Frankenstein, Mr. Data, Hal, and DEFCON, the computer featured in Kyle Downey’s tale, “Ghostwriter,” all illustrate the dangers of creating intelligent life. After reading Downey’s story, class members craft their own narrative in which...
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Curriculum Guide to: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Five lessons make up a curriculum guide to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Readers find examples of Twain's use of irony, closely examine Huck's colloquial language, as well as his sense of morality, and identify themes in the novel....
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Three lessons based on "The Wife of Bath's Prologue" from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales offer scholars an opportunity to examine literary satire, medieval attitudes towards women, and the form and function of a frame story.
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Unit Plan
University of Wisconsin

Don Quixote in Wisconsin

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are you looking for background information on Cervantes and his Don Quixote? How about a study guide and discussion questions or project ideas? Even journal prompts, tests, and quizzes? A 98-page teaching guide simplifies the quest with...
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Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Tea with Penelope: A 2-Point Perspective of the Edenton Tea Party

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
A brief introduction to Penelope Barker sets the stage for a discussion about political cartoons and the persuasive technique used to create them. A graphic organizer aids scholars in the analysis of a piece of work using a 2-point...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Catch-22: What It Means to Be a(n Anti)Hero

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Catch-22, Joseph Heller's send-up of military organizational bureaucracy, provides readers with an opportunity to consider the importance of the anti-hero. Class members fill out a worksheet comparing and contrasting the qualities of...
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Lesson Plan
Literacy Design Collaborative

Irony in Short Stories

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars read three texts and analyze the dialogue of the characters to find examples of humor and irony that contribute to their characterization. They then walk through the writing process to create a final essay.
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Activity
Prestwick House

Fahrenheit 451—Activity Pack

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
The burning questions is at what point do readers of Fahrenheit 451 recognize the many literary devices Ray Bradbury employs in his dystopian classic that warns of  a society that uses media to indoctrinate the public and denigrates...
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Handout
Brooklyn College

Irony, Sarcasm, Satire

For Students 9th - 12th
Irony, the discrepancy between what is expected and what occurs, is the focus of a reference sheet that provides young writers with models of this literary device.
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Mini-Lesson B: Satire

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Hey, what's so funny? Explore the use of satire in a variety of media with a hands-on lesson. Fourth in a five-part journalism series from iCivics, the activity introduces satirical language in print and online. Pupils work alone or in...
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Handout
California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc

Poetic Devices

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Have everything you need to know about the elements of poetry with a nine-page handout. Split into four categories—word sounds, meanings, arrangement, and imagery—budding poets may reference terms, read definitions, descriptions, and...