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Lessons

Stolen Seconds

A comprehensive lesson exploring Tanith Lee's 'Awake,' a subversion of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on structural choices and source material transformation (RL.5 and RL.9). Students will analyze character conflict and the concept of 'the gift of time.'

V

vivianbelarmino

25

Journal Journey Cultural Bridge

An advanced 8th-grade ELA lesson exploring the intersection of Filipino and American identities through personal narrative. Students analyze the immigrant experience, master advanced vocabulary via a 'Quiz Bee,' and draft narratives that bridge their cultural heritage with their current journey.

V

vivianbelarmino

13

The Illusion of Tomorrow

A comprehensive 10th-grade ELA lesson analyzing Macbeth's famous 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' speech from Act 5, Scene 5. Students explore Macbeth's psychological state—whether he is depressed, defeated, or finally realizing the truth of his ambitions—using textual annotation, group evidence organizers with scaffolded sentence stems, a Philosophical Four Corners debate, and a reflective exit ticket.

EC

Erin Cloutier

5

Needle and Claw

A creative story outline and character guide for a high-interest, low-readability (Hi-Lo) novel featuring an elderly protagonist in a fantasy world.

AP

Alexis Paolini

27

Duke's Hidden Heart

Students analyze the Duke's personality in Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess' through evidence gathering and a 4-square pre-writing strategy.

MC

Mary Callender

10

London Shadows

An introductory lesson for HS English 4 exploring Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, focusing on historical context, literary techniques like the Bildungsroman, and the novel's initial setting.

MC

Mary Callender

4

Mind Map Masterclass

An 8th-grade ELA lesson connecting Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences to the story 'Flowers for Algernon'. Students explore media analysis, vocabulary, and literary characterization through a differentiated choice board and a self-assessment of their own learning strengths.

V

vivianbelarmino

9

The Price of Freedom

A collection of resources for teaching chapters 19-25 of Amal Unbound, focusing on character evolution, the concept of the "debt trap," and literacy as power.

I

isaac_daigle

17

Rez Ball Breakthrough

A reading guide and comprehension worksheet for Chapters 16-21 of 'Rez Ball', designed for 7th-grade Resource Room students to use during a class read-aloud.

MR

Melissa Ramirez

10

Briar Thorns

A quick exploration of theme and moral within the classic Brothers Grimm tale 'Briar Rose', featuring a focused bell ringer and exit ticket.

V

vivianbelarmino

45

The Bards Cipher

A hands-on activity where students learn to decode and encode Shakespearean language by writing secret messages or insults, then swapping them with peers to translate.

AP

Alexis Paolini

17

Eye of the Storm

A lesson exploring the encounter between Odysseus and Polyphemus, focusing on character traits and cleverness through differentiated readings and assessments.

CG

Candace Ghelfi

8

Materials

Gatsby Loathsome Character Blueprint

A two-page printable graphic organizer and quote bank in a high-contrast black-and-white theme with zero color or gray fills. Page 1 presents the 'Suspect Dossier' with clear borders, white backgrounds, and pure black text, while Page 2 features the highly structured essay outline and sentence starters with solid black-and-white print-friendly writing guides and page numbers.

KR

Kirstin Reed

Giver Chapters 14-15 One Pager-REVISED-v2-FINAL

A final, refined one-page workbook for Chapters 14-15 of The Giver. This version has been strictly optimized for height by reducing margins and padding to ensure everything fits perfectly on a single page, while featuring a vibrant full-spectrum rainbow theme to represent Jonas's awakening to color and deep memory.

BC

Brenda Coombs

Peter Pan Paradox Exit Ticket

An updated 3rd-grade friendly exit ticket with a large, beautifully aligned Venn diagram where the text and writing lines are positioned in non-overlapping columns. Writing lines are now darker, wider, and increased to 5 lines per column.

SW

Shelley Waller

Myrtle Postcard Project Worksheet Expanded Final Balance Plus Plus Plus Plus Plus Plus

A print-perfect two-page postcard project. Page 1 contains instructions, compact scaffolding, and a 300px drawing box guaranteed to stay on the first page. Page 2 features the postcard back with 16 writing lines. This version ensures Page 1 content is perfectly contained with a significant bottom margin to prevent accidental page splits during printing.

KR

Kirstin Reed

Verona Roster Handout Final

A specialized character list for Romeo and Juliet, optimized for dyslexia and vision impairments. Reverts to the two-column layout with 1-2 word descriptions, and is structured for front-and-back printing with family houses on the front and neutral characters with a large note area on the back.

C

ckroeker

Community Log Worksheet One-Pager

A condensed, single-page version of the Community Log worksheet for 'The Giver' chapters 2 and 3, maintaining the clean aesthetic and selective icon colors while ensuring all content fits efficiently.

BC

Brenda Coombs

Theme Navigator Reference Sheet

A printer-friendly, ink-saving version of the one-page Theme Navigator Reference Sheet for 'Prisoner B-3087'. It replaces heavy dark blocks and rich colors with clean white backgrounds, high-contrast borders, and grayscale-optimized typography, ensuring perfect clarity in black-and-white printing while preserving all rich structural scaffolds.

EV

Erin Venuti

Memory Keeper Theme Worksheet

An updated two-page theme analysis worksheet for 'The Giver' featuring a more colorful layout and illustrative icons. Each topic now has its own subtle color coding (Individuality, Memory, Freedom vs. Control, Human Emotions) and specific icons to aid student engagement.

BC

Brenda Coombs

Janie Characterization Chart

An optimized one-page characterization chart for Janie from Chapters 3-4 of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', featuring a 2-column SLATE method grid and a lined response area for student analysis.

MR

Mary Roche

Breach of Trust Reading Handout

A 2-page schema-building informational reading handout designed as a literary companion for Charming as a Verb. It uses curated excerpts from Craig Lambert's Harvard Magazine article on behavioral economics to help students analyze the psychological drivers behind Henry's risky decisions, temptation, and breach of trust.

AP

Alexis Paolini

Truth Lab Answer Key

A teacher answer key for the 'Truth Lab' Gatsby worksheet, providing specific text-based answers, reasoning for Nick's shifting trust in Chapter 4, and analysis of character reliability.

KR

Kirstin Reed

Muck End Resource

A comprehensive graphic organizer for Chapter 19 of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', featuring chapter summaries, in-depth analysis of the 'mad dog' symbolism, and targeted commentary on key quotes. Designed for middle school level analysis with clear visual hierarchy and thematic breakdowns.

Sequences

Frindle Frenzy Novel Study

A 9-day novel study for 'Frindle' by Andrew Clements, aligned to 3rd Grade ELAR TEKS, focusing on character development, vocabulary, and plot analysis.

LH

Lucy Hellerman

56

Metamorphosis Mastery

An 8-week deep dive into Kafka's Metamorphosis for special education students, focusing on abstract thinking, social value, and the human condition through high-engagement activities and visual organizers.

C

Ceeasia.walker

58

Shadows and Crowns

A series of lessons exploring Shakespeare's Macbeth, specifically designed for 10th-grade emergent bilingual students to master complex characterization and thematic elements.

DC

Dylan Clark

30

Resistance Chronicles

A 9-day novel study for Number the Stars centered on 5th Grade ELAR TEKS, focusing on character development, plot analysis, and historical context through the lens of a Resistance Secret File.

LH

Lucy Hellerman

79

Testing Our Limits Unit Sequence

A 27-day instructional sequence for 6th Grade ELAR Unit 1: Testing Our Limits, featuring dual blocks for Reading and Writing with daily grammar and skill scaffolding.

DM

Dawn Mustian

81

Literacy Mastery Lab

A comprehensive year-long intervention sequence for 8th-grade literacy, focusing on STAR 360 and OSAS benchmark skills. The sequence follows a 3-day weekly instructional cycle (Instruction, Practice, Application) to supplement 2 days of choice reading.

SA

Senta Agnello-Shelton

60

Testing Our Limits Unit

A 25-day comprehensive unit for StudySync Grade 6 that explores the theme of courage and resilience through isolated reading and writing tracks, aligned to ELA TEKS.

DM

Dawn Mustian

79

Orbiting Wonder

A comprehensive six-week English Language Arts curriculum for high school freshmen centered on R.J. Palacio's 'Wonder'. This unit analyzes how shifting narration, point of view, and multi-perspective characterization impact reader empathy and character development, culminating in evidence-based thematic essays on kindness and identity.

MC

Makaela Carias

26

Word Factory Frindle Study

A comprehensive 9-day novel study for Andrew Clements' 'Frindle', focusing on character development, plot progression, and word study aligned with 3rd Grade TEKS.

DF

Denisse Flores

36

Gatsby Echoes of an Era

An 8-lesson unit for 11th-grade students exploring F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' through close reading, literary analysis, and historical context. Students investigate themes of wealth, the American Dream, and social class while mastering concepts like tone, point of view, and symbolism.

LF

Lindsey Foulks

60

Reading Power Pack

A comprehensive literacy intervention sequence for high school TESOL students (Lessons 16-25) focused on morphology, academic vocabulary, systematic decoding, and vowel mastery.

AP

Alexis Paolini

30

Resistance Chronicles

A 9-day novel study for Number the Stars centered on 4th Grade ELAR TEKS, focusing on character development, plot analysis, and historical context through the lens of a Resistance Secret File.

LH

Lucy Hellerman

38

Videos

When to Quote vs. When to Paraphrase in Essays

This instructional video guides high school students through the critical writing decision of when to use a direct quote versus a paraphrase in analytical essays. Using Toni Morrison's novel 'Beloved' as a case study, the presenter demonstrates how to integrate evidence effectively to support a thesis statement about literary motifs and character memory. The video distinguishes between analyzing specific language (which requires quotes) and summarizing events (which uses paraphrasing). The content covers key writing concepts including thesis statements, full direct quotes, partial quotes, paraphrasing, explanation sentences, and analysis sentences. It provides visual examples of how to structure a body paragraph, showing text on screen that integrates evidence with the student's own voice. The lesson emphasizes that the choice of evidence format depends entirely on the writer's purpose and what they intend to analyze. For educators, this video serves as an excellent model for teaching evidence integration and literary analysis. It moves beyond simple definitions to show the *why* and *how* of writing. Teachers can use this to help students move away from "quote bombing" (dropping quotes without context) and towards sophisticated embedding of partial quotes and meaningful analysis of diction and syntax.

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

10mins 30s

How Ancient Philosophies Shape Modern Asian Literature

This educational video introduces students to four major Asian philosophies—Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism—and explores how these ancient belief systems influence contemporary Asian literature. Using a narrative framing device involving a writer named Liu Hao who has lost his memory, the host guides viewers through the definitions, key texts, and core tenets of each philosophy. The video emphasizes that philosophy is the study of life's important questions and encourages students to reflect on their own guiding principles. The lesson provides a structured comparison of the four philosophies, highlighting their unique focuses—from Confucianism's emphasis on social order and respect to Taoism's connection with nature. It explains the concept of "philosophical literature" and demonstrates how to identify philosophical themes in modern texts. A specific analysis of an excerpt from Cao Wenxuan's novel *Bronze and Sunflower* serves as a model for how students can spot Taoist influences like appreciating nature and "going with the flow" in character actions. Ideally suited for middle school Language Arts or World History classes, this video bridges the gap between abstract historical concepts and concrete literary analysis. It provides clear definitions, opportunities for student interaction through pause-and-think moments, and real-world examples of authors like Linda Sue Park and Grace Lin who incorporate these traditions. Teachers can use this resource to introduce a unit on world mythology, Asian literature, or to teach the skill of analyzing theme and cultural context in fiction.

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

8mins 57s

Controlling Time and Pacing in Creative Writing

This engaging video lesson explores the concept of "pacing" in creative writing, teaching students how authors manipulate time to influence a reader's experience. Using a thematic hook of escaping a room with a ticking clock, the presenter draws an analogy between film direction and writing, explaining that while time in real life is constant, writers have the unique power to speed up or slow down time within a story. The video defines pacing as the speed and flow of a story's events and demonstrates how different paces create different emotional impacts—excitement and suspense versus reflection and character development. The lesson breaks down specific, actionable strategies for controlling pacing. For fast-paced scenes, students learn the "less is more" approach: using short sentences, fragments, rapid dialogue, and minimal description to create urgency. Conversely, for slow-paced scenes, the "more is more" strategy is introduced: utilizing longer sentences, extended dialogue, and rich, sensory details to encourage readers to linger. The video uses excerpts from *A Wrinkle in Time* as mentor texts to illustrate these concepts in practice. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms, specifically for creative writing units and literary analysis. It moves beyond abstract definitions to provide concrete tools students can use during the revision process. By understanding how sentence structure and detail affect mood, students can make intentional choices to keep their readers engaged, whether they are crafting an action-packed climax or an emotional character moment.

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

9mins

Building Your Essay Around a Strong Thesis Statement

This engaging video lesson uses an extended metaphor of a solar system to explain the relationship between a thesis statement and the body paragraphs of an essay. The narrator guides students through the definition of a thesis statement, emphasizing that it must be the central argument around which the rest of the paper revolves. The video breaks down the criteria for a strong thesis—specifically that it must be arguable and specific—and demonstrates how to construct one using Sandra Cisneros's novel "The House on Mango Street" as a case study. The content dives deep into the structural mechanics of essay writing, showing how a thesis statement serves as a roadmap for the entire paper. It explicitly models how to extract key points from a thesis to create distinct topic sentences for body paragraphs. Through a step-by-step example, the host shows how specific experiences of the protagonist, Esperanza, translate into focused arguments for individual paragraphs, effectively teaching students how to outline their writing before they even begin drafting. This resource is highly valuable for high school English classrooms as it demystifies the abstract concept of "essay flow." By visualizing the thesis as a planet and body paragraphs as moons, it provides a concrete mental model for organization. The video includes built-in pause points for reflection, checks for understanding, and a "growth mindset" check-in, making it an excellent interactive tool for introducing literary analysis essays or argumentative writing units.

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

9mins 51s

Exploring the Life and Legacy of Toni Morrison

This educational video provides a comprehensive biography of Toni Morrison, one of the most celebrated authors in American literature. Hosted by Clint Smith, the video traces Morrison's journey from her childhood in Lorain, Ohio, as Chloe Wofford, to her transformation into a Nobel Prize-winning author. It covers her academic background at Howard and Cornell Universities, her pivotal role as the first Black female senior editor at Random House, and her prolific writing career that challenged the traditional literary canon. The video explores the central themes of Morrison's work, including the Black American experience, the psychological impacts of racism, and the complexities of memory and trauma. Specific attention is given to her major novels, such as 'The Bluest Eye,' 'Sula,' 'Song of Solomon,' and her masterpiece, 'Beloved.' The narrative highlights how Morrison centered Black lives and perspectives in her storytelling, refusing to let her work be defined or limited by the white gaze. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent introduction to Morrison's literary contributions and the historical context of her work. It bridges English Language Arts and Social Studies by connecting literature to real-world history, such as the story of Margaret Garner which inspired 'Beloved.' The video also discusses the importance of representation in publishing and the cultural impact of figures like Oprah Winfrey in bringing Black literature to the mainstream.

CrashCourse

12mins 1s