1 The Year I Was Born: An Autobiographical Research Project Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this autobiography with a twist, students conduct interviews and do research using web and print materials to find details about what was going on internationally, nationally, locally during the year that they were born. After they've gathered their research, students weave the details into a paper that they publish as a newspaper or booklet.... Career Fields: General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 2 Web Writer's Block: Investigating Internet Censorship Around the World Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: This interdisciplinary lesson promotes critical thinking through thoughtful research and discussions about the legitimacy of banning access to certain types of information on the Internet. Working in cooperative groups, students review websites banned in various countries, and investigate the reasons why particular countries would want to block information.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Business & Administrative Services, Government & Public Administration, Information Technology, Law & Public Safety Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 3 Graffiti Wall: Discussing and Responding to Literature Using Graphics Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: This literature-based project centers around a novel study. After reading a novel voted on and selected by the class, students work individually and in groups, to create visual and written interpretations.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Information Technology, Marketing, General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 4 Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: After reading or viewing a text, students are introduced to propaganda techniques and then practice identifying examples in the text. After examining these examples, students explore the use of propaganda in popular culture by looking at examples in the media.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 5 Authentic Persuasive Writing to Promote Summer Reading Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: Devote time during your last weeks of school to promote summer reading by inviting students to create brochures and flyers that suggest books and genres for others to explore during the summer months. Rather than a teacher-centered requirement, summer reading becomes a student-driven exploration with brochures such as "Beach Books" and "I Know What You Read Last Summer: Great Suspense Novels." The lesson can be customized, if desired, to promote independent reading at any time of the year.... Career Fields: General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: This lesson combines an analysis of hip hop music and lyrics to provide students with a greater understanding of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. Students analyze form in Shakespearean sonnets, then analyze hip hop music to determine common characteristics between the Bard's work and the music of hip hop artists.... 7 Exploring Literature through Letter Writing Groups Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students discuss literature through a series of letter exchanges. Though not a new idea, this lesson provides an alternative to traditional literature discussion groups.... Career Fields: General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 8 Discovering Traditional Sonnet Forms Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students read and analyze sonnets to discover their traditional forms. Students chart the characteristics of the poems then review the details for similarities, deducing traditional sonnet forms that the poems have in common.... 9 Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda? Analyzing World War II Posters Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson plan, students analyze World War II posters, chosen from online collections, to explore how argument, persuasion, and propaganda differ. The lesson begins with a full-class exploration of the famous “I WANT YOU FOR U.S.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Education & Training, Government & Public Administration Projects: Standards First 10 Book Report Alternative: Characters for Hire! Studying Character in Drama Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In the lesson, students read fictional works, use software resources, read and interpret classified ads, and write original resumes for a character they are exploring. Students focus on one character in a Shakespearean drama or other play, paying close attention to the descriptions of that character to determine the character's education, skills, extracurricular interests, previous employment,... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Business & Administrative Services, Education & Training, General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First |