Words make all the difference. Use the samples in a language arts packet to model how the words writers choose (diction), and they way they arrange these words in their sentences (syntax) make all the difference in the tone of a piece...

Jump back into expository writing and analysis at the start of a new school year! Start with a review of an authors' stylistic choices in diction, syntax, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. Writers choose a text to...

Gentle sleep eludes poor King Henry IV. Uneasy under the weight of his responsibilities, Henry contemplates the darkness of the night and in his soul. To develop their skill reading difficult text, class members engage in a close reading...

What is parallelism? Novice writers learn about parallelism and practice balancing 10 sentences for better syntax and parallel structure. A clear, straightforward activity with answers included.

Young scholars of Latin review elements of Latin syntax, incorporating themes of mythological creatures (Pegasus, Hydra, Polyphemus Minotaur, Medusa, Chimaera) from Ancient Greece and Rome. The use of visuals adds dimension to this...

Help your poetry readers analyze for tone! This graphic organizer encourages learners to focus on diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax. It can be used with any poem, but consider reading a poem as a whole group and completing...

Students read and summarize a short story. In this language arts lesson plan, students will review the terms syntax and diction and find examples in the text of Eleven where these two terms have significance. They will continue to read...

Poets generally choose each word carefully, and Robinson Jeffers is no exception to this rule. Look closely at Jeffers' word choice in "Inscription for a Gravestone" and "The Deer Lay Down Their Bones" through discussion and writing....

The central argument of this presentation is that in order to create insightful critiques, young writers need to know analysis vocabulary and how to apply these terms to what they read. One slide categorizes literary terms as...

Learners visualize examples of sentence structure by creating patterns with Lego blocks. They apply terms of voice and syntax by critiquing others' writings as well as revising their own writing pieces. Revision is the key within this...

Readers answer 8 multiple choice questions by selecting the correct revisions to the paragraph provided. The focus is on prepositions, syntax, and parts of speech. A good, quick exercise for ELL classes or review for middle schoolers.

If you are looking for a worksheet to challenge intermediate English learners on verb tense, syntax, and punctuation, you might want to check out this worksheet. Readers select the correct revisions to a passage in eight multiple choice...

Learners read several magazine articles on the same topic written from different political perspectives, paying particular attention to the diction, syntax, and arguments presented in support the point of view expressed. They then select...

Hamlet's famous soliloquy (Act III, scene i) gets the close reading treatment in a group of skill building exercises. Assuming the role of a WWE wrestler, a kindergarten teacher, ninja assassin, and others, learners deliver a line from...

What is the difference between revising and editing? Allow this video and accompanying slides to instruct your class on revision so that they can find out the difference and apply that knowledge. The narrator gets into the nitty-gritty...

Show your class that sentences can be rearranged in a paragraph and so can words within a sentence. Each slide gives a set of instructions with a question and two choices; the answer is highlighted on the following slide. The last 20...

Improve syntax with this explanatory handout. It clarifies one way to make writing more precise: avoiding nominalization. This resource provides four ways to find and change nominalization problems and 10 sentences to correct. There are...

It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...

“I am. I think. I will.” Seek the secrets of words. Ayn Rand’s Anthem provides the text for a series of exercises that ask readers to analyze how Rand uses antimetabole, epistrophe, parallelism, and repetition to create meaning. Using...

Read a poem, any poem, and use this graphic organizer for analysis. The resource consists of a questions about the poem's literal meaning, a grid for noting down and analyzing poetic devices, specific questions about tone and theme, and...

What makes a good sentence? Give your kiddos some hands-on learning with this fun activity. The teacher collects sentences from magazines, stories, his or her students, and cuts them apart. Then, in pairs or independently, kids...

To demonstrate their ability to comprehend complex text, individuals analyze the details, syntax, and diction John Steinbeck uses in a passage from The Grapes of Wrath to reveal the develop and evolution of Mae's character.

Learners practice sentence combining at increasingly difficult levels throughout a week. They begin with nouns and verbs and build to contrasts, parallels, etc.