ALEX Resources

Title: More than The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Description: Although Christopher Paul Curtis 's The Watsons Go to Birmingham is a read for Social Studies and English Language Arts in Grades 6-8, it can easily addressed as a reading assignment for grades 9-12 depending on the end result(s) desired of the teacher.  The study of Curtis' novel can be the primary text to foster a journey from poetry to fiction to music to history to food and finally, to writing.  This novel makes references to the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church and the four little girls who perished that Sunday morning.  This is a good lesson to study history, geography, and writing. Various discussions may arise in relationship to bullying, sibling rivalry, growing up, and Civil Rights. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan. 
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 31:

Title: Never Forget Birmingham's Morning Glories
Description: Although The Watsons Go to Birmingham is a great read for Social Studies and English Language Arts students in Grades 6-8, it can easily be addressed as a reading assignment for Grades 9-12 depending on the end results desired of the teacher. Here, the teacher can travel back and forth from poetry to fiction to music to history to food, and finally to writing. This novel has references to the 16th Street Bombing and the four little girls who perished that Sunday morning. This is a good lesson to study history and geography with regard to writing.  This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 31:

Title: Understanding Stream of Consciousness in "Bread" by Margaret Atwood
Description: In this lesson students will explore the impact of narrative technique on a work of stream of consciousness in a modern essay.  By the end of the lesson, students will evaluate how an author uses stream of consciousness and shifts from scene to scene extending the meaning and significance of a motif. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 21:

Title: How will you face DEATH?
Description: This lesson can be tied to "Story of an Hour" through theme and connection to death. This lesson allows students time to think about the inevitability of death, life itself, and the survival extinct. The story is "The Law of Life" by Jack London. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 39:

Title: The President's Great Idea
Description: In remembering President Kennedy's death, his quote, "A man may die. nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on," has become the theme for this year's celebration.  Banners with the end of that quote are hanging on street corners all over Boston, Massachusetts.  The JFK Library has a number of good resources reflecting on Kennedy's life.  This lesson may will address rhetorical strategies he used in his inaugural address in 1961.  This reading can come to life and address some good writing. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 25:

Title: Roles of Women: "Story of an Hour"
Description: This lesson explores the idea of constraints and women's role in society in the late 1800s. Students will be expected to draw their own conclusions about theme and note the various stages of plot throughout the short story. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 27:

Title: Nothing's Great About Daisy
Description: Students will learn about life during the 1920s in the United States. The students will analyze how the setting, the characters and the plot of The Great Gatsby impacted the overall novel. At the completion of the lesson, the students will be asked to write a character analysis. By teaching the acronym “STEAL” which stands for Speech, Thoughts, Effects on Others, Actions, and Looks, students gain a tool they can use to analyze characters and the methods an author uses to develop the character. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.  
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 20:

Title: The Challenges and New Inventions of the Great Plains Farmer.
Description: Students will work in groups of four to create presentations using their research on a particular farming invention that was created from (1837-1867) and also research specific elements about life on the Great Plains. Each group's presentation will be merged into a final class presentation.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] US10 (10) 16:

Title: A Creative Twist to The Tragedy of Macbeth
Description: A Creative Twist to The Tragedy of Macbeth is a project that gives students an opportunity to express their understanding of Macbeth through their artistic ability. The activity appeals to the learning style of all students by allowing the students to establish their position as the reviewer of the play The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 4:

Title: Constitution or Articles? the Question or the Millennium
Description: In this lesson,students will observe the political climate at the time of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and read the writings of the delegates who refused to sign the proposed Constitution,as well as, those who supported it. Taking on the role of Mason, Gerry, Randolph and others, students will work together to create a modern-day document - a press release, advertisement, bill ,or declaration on PowerPoint that summarizes their objections or support of the proposed constitution. Students will be asked to quickly communicate thier position to the majority of state legislatures and to the citizenry.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] USG (12) 3:

Title: Is Romance Dead?
Description: As an introduction to the medieval romances, students compare and contrast the medieval rules of courtly love to the modern "rules" of courtship and romance. Students write a compare/contrast essay after group work and class discussion.
Standard(s):
[TC2] CA2 (9-12) 11:

Title: Interpreting Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Description: After a study of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, students working in small groups conduct research and create a slideshow presentation that emphasizes key aspects of the play and/or new ideas generated by the play.
Standard(s):
[TC2] CA2 (9-12) 11:

Title: Faulkner's ''As I Lay Dying'': Form of a Funeral
Description: This unit of five lessons, from EDSITEment, features lessons exploring the narrative voices and social concerns in William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying. In these lessons, students explore Faulkner's place in American literary history, research Faulkner's Southin the context of the historical South, and understand the use of multiple voices in narration.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 9:

Title: Chaucer's Wife of Bath
Description: This lesson from EDSITEment introduces students to one of the most admired characterizations in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath. Students read Chaucer's description of the Wife in the General Prologue to consider how he represents her, both as the poet of The Canterbury Tales and as a character in his own poem, then read the Wife of Bath's Prologue, where he has her speak for herself, to gain additional perspective on her character. Next, students investigate some of the literary sources that Chaucer drew upon as he created this portrait of a woman with her own ideas about matrimony, and examine evidence about marriage in the Middle Ages and the role that women played in medieval society. Finally, students read the Wife of Bath's Tale and explore the alternative readings of the tale in relation to the character of the Wife of Bath.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 19:

Title: Unlocking the Underlying Symbolism and Themes of a Dramatic Work
Description: This lesson plan invites students to consider characters from Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. Students explore a selected character and write poems about objects associated with that character.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 22:

Title: Families in Bondage
Description: This two-part lesson from EDSITEment draws on letters written by African Americans in slavery and by free blacks to loved ones still in bondage, singling out a few among the many slave experiences to offer students a glimpse into slavery and its effects on African American family life. In Part I, students examine the letters of Hannah Valentine, an enslaved woman who lived on a Virginia plantation. In Part II, students read letters from a fugitive slave to his still-enslaved wife and from a black Union soldier to his still-enslaved daughters, confronting directly the anguish of separation that was a constant factor in African American family life during slave times, when children and parents, husbands and wives, were routinely sold away from one another. Students explore the emotional terrain revealed in these letters by comparing the response to separation voiced by Valentine with that voiced by the Union soldier and the fugitive slave.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] US10 (10) 9:

Title: Weaving the Multigenre Web
Description: Students analyze the elements of a novel in many different genres and then hyperlink these pieces together on student-constructed Websites.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 9:

Title: Novel News: Broadcast Coverage of Character, Conflict, Resolution, and Setting
Description: This twist on readers theater has students prepare original news programs based on incidents in a recent reading, as they explore standard literary elements of character, conflict, resolution, and setting.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 34:

Title: Walt Whitman's Notebooks and Poetry: The Sweep of the Universe
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students read the poetry of Walt Whitman to determine how he attempts to combine universal themes with individual experiences and feelings. Additionally, students reflect on how Whitman used his experiences in the Civil War in his poetry.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 33:

Title: Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students explore the idea of democratic poetry by reading Whitman's words in a variety of media, examining daguerreotypes taken circa 1850, and comparing the poetic concepts and techniques behind Whitman's I Hear America Singing and Langston Hughes Let America Be America Again. Finally, using similar poetic concepts and techniques, students have an opportunity create a poem from material in their own experience.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 30:

Title: The ''Secret Society'' and Fitzgerald's ''The Great Gatsby''
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students explore the nature of the secret society implied in The Great Gatsby through a close study of the text, an examination of Fitzgerald's letters and other statements, and a consideration of class, wealth, and status during the turbulent 1920 s. Students combine critical thinking, textual analysis, and imaginative writing skills to write a credo for the secret society implied in The Great Gatsby.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 32:

Title: Renaissance Humanism in Hamlet and The Birth of Venus
Description: After reading Shakespeare's Hamlet, students identify, analyze, and explain how elements in Botticelli's painting Birth of Venus and examples from the play illustrate the philosophy of Renaissance Humanism.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 40:

Title: Charlotte Perkins Gilman's ''The Yellow Wall-paper''-The ''New Woman''
Description: In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from EDSITEment, students study the historical context of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, The Yellow Wall-paper. Students focus particular attention on the economic conditions and social roles of 19th-century middle-class women.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] US11 (11) 2:

Title: Annotate That! (Song Starter for
Digital Tool: No Doubt - Just A Girl YouTube Video
Web Address URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzOOQfhPFg
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 6:

Digital Tool Description: Before reading Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour, students practice annotating song lyrics that echo the short story's theme regarding gender inequality. Annotation is an effective way of having student engage with a text for close reading. By having students annotate song lyrics first, the task seems less daunting or overwhelming to students. Also, the pop culture aspect peaks student interest and makes the literature more relevant as students discover that contemporary songs and classic literature share common, universal themes.   This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

Title: Get ready to celebrate Banned Books Week!
Description: Students brainstorm reasons why certain books might have been banned and discuss common reasons why books are challenged.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 25:

Title: Poet Emily Dickinson was born in 1830.
Description: Students discuss Dickinson's poem '' This Is My Letter To The World'' and use it to focus on how audience affects voice.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 24:

Title: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on this day.
Description: Students compare the film versions of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's novels. Students then imagine how a scene in a current novel that they are reading would be filmed.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 9:

Title: Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm, was born today.
Description: Students compare different versions of the fairy tale Cinderella and then rewrite a lesser-known Grimm story and explain the changes they made.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 21:

Title: Poe's '' The Raven'' was published in 1845.
Description: As Poe's '' The Raven'' is read aloud, students note their reactions and discuss the changes or development of their first impressions as the poem continues.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 22:

Title: Poet Robert Burns was born in 1759.
Description: Students read examples of traditional Scottish ballads and use this information to write and perform their own ballads.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 22:

Title: Today is World Poetry Day.
Description: Students read and respond to Billy Collins' poem '' Introduction to Poetry.'' Students then write about a favorite poem and imagine the perfect way to read it.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 28:

Title: Black Poetry Day is celebrated.
Description: Books and webpages are gathered that focus on the work of African American poets and students explore the resources and find a poem to contribute to a poetry reading.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (11) 32:

Title: The Importance of Being Dad
Standard(s):
[TC2] CA2 (9-12) 12:

Unit Plan Overview: In this unit, students will explore the important role that fathers play in a child's development.  Students will research the impact a father can have, whether positive or negative, in his child's life.  Students will then compete in a "Digital Stories for Change" STAR Event.