FUN POEMS FOR KIDS-Teaching poetry should ALWAYS be fun, especially when it comes to introducing poetry analysis to kids! If we start off by reading old poems with little to no context, focusing on high level language, or defining literary devices, we may turn kids off before we can get them excited about just having a good time listening to fun rhythms and rhymes. Don’t get me wrong; I want students to learn, but I want learning poetry to be fun. We can achieve both by connecting to various elements of poetry while teaching the standards and captivating our students! Let’s look at these 5 Fun Poems For Kids that will engage any student!
5 Fun Poems For Kids that will ENGAGE, ENTERTAIN, and EDUCATE!
This poem is fun and relevant as it gets kids thinking about who they want to be! You can teach character traits, rhyme, alliteration, etc. Plus, who doesn’t love unicorns?
This poem encourages kids to think about motivation! Why does the frog not move out the way for heaven sakes? You can also review internal rhyme, repetition, imagery, conflict, dialogue, and alliteration!
This awesome poem follows the speaker as he discovers his own shadow and how it changes in various situations! You can teach characterization, theme, rhyme, personification, and imagery!
This poem challenges students to figure out the answer to the riddle! Using free verse with a first person point of view, this riddle will engage students as the work to discover the solution! You can add in other riddles or different types of poems!
Creating Reading Comprehension High School Practice Worksheets takes tons of time and effort. They are not simple, nor are they easy, yet they are necessary! I don’t know about you, but it can seem overwhelming to constantly try to connect every activity with the standards and make them rigorous!
When it comes down to it though, students need to consistently come into contact with what they will experience on test day. They will never get a question about identifying a protagonist, a type of conflict, or a literary device. Instead, students will be questioned about how the characterization develops the theme, the impact of the conflict on the meaning, and the purpose for a specific description. You can help students by providing critical thinking questions with reading comprehension stems that mirror the standardized test. That way they will feel and actually BE more prepared when they see the questions on the exam!
Tips for Creating Reading Comprehension High School Worksheets
1. INCLUDE TEXT VARIETY
Make sure you include literary texts: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, novels, etc. Literature is fun to use as reading is one of the main reasons we became teachers! We love literature and reading in general! You can also include informational passages that link to literary passages, instead of rote information test prep passages. For example, you could choose excerpts from The Declaration of Independence or the speech Ain’t I a Woman? instead of random articles that you find across the internet. Additionally, be sure to include PAIRED PASSAGES that link 2 types of texts together as these seem to be the most difficult for students to read and comprehension; they require synthesis, which is a higher level skill! As William Cowper once said, “Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all it’s flavour.”
2. USE GOOD LITERATURE
Instead of preparing for state tests throughout the year, there is usually a push to begin test prep in January. I am not a fan of that, usually because teachers are “encouraged” to use district test prep materials. I like doing the unconventional as I have seen HUGE results by avoiding what other people are told to do. Why not incorporate test prep throughout the year by using literature students enjoy and love? My favorite texts are usually poems and short stories from Poe, Jack London, and O. Henry as well as my own narratives!
3. INCORPORATE WRITING WHENEVER YOU CAN
Typically, students who can respond in writing can answer any question! Think about it; if I can respond in a paragraph or a couple of paragraphs, I am thinking critically beyond what even a multiple-choice question might even present. Whether you ask for a couple of sentences or a paragraph, make sure students are ALWAYS writing and providing TEXTUAL EVIDENCE for all of their responses!
4. ASSIGN PRE-QUIZ QUESTIONS
Before you expose students to the reading comprehension questions AND answers, how about just giving them the questions? If they can answer the questions before they see possible responses, they will usually have a better idea of what the actual answer will look like!
5. PROVIDE ANSWERS IN DIVERSE FORMATS
Most standardized tests are NOT simple multiple-choice questions and answers anymore. Now, they typically include multiple-choice, multi-select, HOT text, 2 Part, 2 Part HOT text, and open / short responses. Plus, there may be a writing prompt for a full essay! Students need to see all types of questions and answers; they don’t have to see all of them every day, but you may want to take a day or week to go over each for practice. Even if you only do 2 of each per day, students will become old-hats by the time the state test arrives!
6. MAKE STANDARDS-BASED READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
Unlike many quizzes that students see, there is no “studying” in the traditional sense for a reading test. Students can only practice with various standards, skills, and strategies. Because of the nature of the standardized test, the focus of questions should be on the standard. See below for question types for Citing Evidence, Central Idea, Words & Phrases, Structure, and Purpose!
5 Types of Questions with Answers for Reading Comprehension High School Worksheets
Citing Evidence-At all times, make sure students are citing evidence for EVERY answer! They can use details from the text for a paraphrase or direct quotations. Be sure to include both in your reading comprehension high school worksheets. Also, make sure to include multiple-choice, multi-select, open responses, HOT Text, and/or 2 Part Questions. Here is an example from my Paired Passages: Death and Plague Pack!
Ex. Which 2 quotations highlight how Edwin challenges Hare-Lip’s views in Passage 1?
“I tell you I seen ’em, last winter, when I was wolf-hunting with dad”
“Look here, Hare-Lip, you believe in lots of things you can’t see”
“And you can’t see these germ-things, Granser”
“You’re just as bad as Granser and his germs”
“’My feet! All sensation has left them”
“That’s to keep off bad luck”
2. Central Idea or Theme-The biggest issue with Central Idea or Theme seems to be the complexity required. You can’t just let students say “Love” is the theme of Romeo and Juliet or “Feuding Families” is the central idea of this iconic play. The central idea and/or theme should contain a complete sentence that captures the main idea or message of the text. Here is an example from my Romeo and Juliet Digital Quiz Pack!
Ex. What is the central idea of Romeo’s speech when Juliet appears at the window?
A. He ponders the beauty of Juliet and his love for her.
B. He recognizes that he and Juliet can never be together.
C. He understands why Juliet might reject his declaration of love.
D. He recounts the many girls who came before and wishes they were Juliet.
3. Words & Phrases-This type of question can be tricky as there is no ONE type! There are so many parts to this standard from meaning and tone to description and context clues. With this type of question, you really want students to hyper-focus on the word choice or diction. Whatever the author says, there is a purpose, and it is our job to figure it out! Plus, you want to be able to use textual evidence to support your ideas. For instance, if you are asking students to analyze tone, you should ALWAYS encourage them to find the evidence. I mean, they should cite every word that indicates a specific tone. Here is a 2-Part Question & Answer from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” Quiz Pack!
Part A: What is the speaker’s tone at the beginning of the poem?
A. Mournful
B. Comical
C. Joyous
D. Kind
Part B: Which 2 quotations support your answer to Part A?
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary”
“From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore”
“While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping”
“As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door”
“Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore”
“Only this and nothing more”
4. Structure-This type of question can focus on order of events, tension, meaning of organization, etc. Most students struggle with these questions because they typically ask for the purpose of the structure. You will rarely see a question like “What is the first event?” Instead, students will be asked to analyze the purpose for a specific event. We need to cover the various types of structures, but knowing chronological, cause/effect, comparison/contrast is not enough. What is the purpose for each type of structure? How does it contribute to the meaning or theme? This situation is why students need exposure to a variety of texts. Here is an example from Sailing Paired Passages Pack!
Ex. How does the author develop his ideas in Passage 1?
A. He uses descriptions of various places he has lived.
B. He incorporates comparisons of experiences on different ships.
C. He presents varied details about difficulties sailing with his father.
D. He writes about the process of becoming a shipbuilder since he was a kid.
5. Author’s Purpose-I don’t know about you, but before teaching, I thought Author’s Purpose consisted of INFORM, PERSUADE, and ENTERTAIN! Boy, was I in for a shocker when I saw the answers had NOTHING to do with these words. But that is what I had been taught! Rather, I saw explain, emphasize, and clarify. I saw convince, argue, and influence. I saw illustrate, highlight, and depict. These verbs are clearly synonyms, but these are the words my students encountered. Check out my FREE Verb List for a list of purpose words! Here is an example from the reading comprehension high school worksheets Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi” Pack!
Ex. What is the author’s purpose in this passage?
A. To relay his amazing adventures on the Mississippi River.
B. To share his experiences traveling on the Mississippi River.
C. To convey his story of taking a boat ride on the Mississippi River.
D. To illustrate the incredible characteristics of the Mississippi River.
Although making and incorporating Reading Comprehension High School Practice Worksheets is a tough task, it is well worth it! Ultimately, we want our students to be successful, and STANDARDIZED TEST PREP is a necessary evil. When we include test prep into a small part of our instruction instead of making it the focus, we kill two birds with one stone without sacrificing our students’ educations and love of literature.
Teaching writing is tough! We live in a world with a multitude of resources available, but so many times, it’s just not enough. Students need simple ways to analyze rhetoric. By simplifying the process of Rhetorical Analysis, we can work to ensure that all students can, to some degree, master the writing process. More than anything, they need a plan! With a Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline, every student has the opportunity to write an essay that works through the difficult process of rhetorical analysis!
1. ANNOTATE WHILE READING-Preparing for the rhetorical analysis Essay
Many students believe that they can just read something without interacting with a text in some way. With a focused annotation strategy, writing rhetorical analysis will be much easier! Model how to underline textual evidence for each of the ideas below, label the concept near the evidence (ex. Speaker), and then write a note about the meaning and relevance of the evidence.
Speaker: As students read, help them to examine the speaker and his/her traits. Who is the speaker or author? What are some traits that describe the speaker? What is the speaker’s motivation?
Purpose: Usually, the author will state the purpose somewhere in the introduction and/or conclusion. The body paragraphs will support that purpose with examples throughout. At the end of the text, the author will reinforce his or her purpose and, most likely, challenge the audience in some way. By identifying the purpose, students will be much more successful in achieving rhetorical analysis!
Audience: Students also need to be sure WHO it is the author/speaker is writing for. No, the AUDIENCE is NOT the READER or EVERYONE. How many times have we heard this as teachers? Instead, we need to allow students to break down the text first and then think about the audience. What does this audience look like? What are their thoughts and/actions? What does the speaker want the audience to accomplish? In identifying the audience, the students should be better able to pinpoint the purpose.
Universal Idea: In order to really go beyond the purpose of the rhetoric, students must connect to a higher idea. Why is this text important? Why is the text necessary? How is the rhetoric effective or ineffective? Why? Should the audience take action in some way beyond what the speaker is asking? *Encourage students to think about the significance of the rhetoric in connection to universal ideas/messages.
Tone: Ascertaining the actual tone of a piece of rhetoric is vital! Sometimes a speaker/writer comes off as quiet or frustrated or lighthearted, when in fact, the tone is much more forceful or even the complete opposite. As you expose your students to satire and higher levels of rhetoric, it may be tough for students to identify the true emotions of the speaker. Help students to triangulate the actual tone in more specific, rather than vague, terms. For example, is the tone upset>irritated>frustrated>resentful>angry>infuriated>livid? Acknowledging tone is the first step, but having students locate evidence will help in supporting a specific tone!
Strategies: Knowing literary or rhetorical analysis terms helps students as they break down the rhetoric. You can encourage them to use a Rhetorical Appeals Chart to examine Logos, Pathos, and Ethos in a meaningful way, or they can always examine the diction (be sure to encourage specificity), figurative language, etc.
Pathos-an appeal to the audience’s emotions through the use of emotional language
Ethos-an appeal to the audience through a belief in the speaker’s authority
2. organize ideas in whatever way makes sense
I prefer having students use an organizer of some sort. Most beginners struggle with making sense of rhetoric. Helping students organize their ideas will ultimately benefit them as they work to write their essays.
You can start by encouraging students to identify the purpose.
Then, help students to locate evidence that connects to the purpose.
Next, identify the type of evidence used.
After each piece of evidence, write down the annotations as well as more developed analysis with a connection to the overall purpose of the text.
*These ideas will aid students in the overall writing process!
3. Create a thesis based on the ANNOTATIONs & ORGANIZER
Most students need a starting place for writing a thesis. Here are some thesis starters your students can use: (Make sure to focus on SPEAKER, TECHNIQUES, AUDIENCE, & PURPOSE for each thesis!)
Ex. _________________ uses _______________ and _____________ in order to __________________________________________________________________________.
Ex. Through the inclusion of ______________, _____________, and _________________, ___________________ works to ________________________________________________.
Ex. In order to ________________________________, _____________________incorporates _________________________ and ________________________________.
4. Focus on a step-by-step process (at first)
Like a basketball coach, you will need to practice basic skills with your students. Most come to us from elementary or middle school with a set of skills that mirror process writing; however, rhetorical analysis requires much more of students. Instead of using a piece of evidence and explaining it, students need to consistently practice analysis of how the device works to contribute to the purpose. Here is a Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline that may help your students who struggle through writing their VERY FIRST rhetorical analysis paper!
Topic Sentence-Students may struggle with this part because they need to be shown that their ideas need to connect throughout the entire rhetorical analysis in order to make sense.
Evidence-Students will need to use evidence to support their ideas; you may need to model what this looks like.
Analysis-After providing evidence, we need to PRACTICE showing our students how to connect to the purpose through analysis. The BEST way to do this is continual practice through every type of rhetoric 🙂 Check out rhetorical analysis essay texts below!
REPEAT with MORE Evidence and Analysis-This is the part where we might lose students. They may have been told that a paragraph is 3-5 sentences (which teacher told them this, I do not know). They might also have been taught to use ONE example, but we are asking them to write with TWO or MORE….I know, I get funny looks from my students too!
Ending Sentence-For this last part, I model how to connect to the topic sentence without sounding redundant. You could also have students discuss the effectiveness of the strategy concerning the overall purpose. This last part should reinforce the device and message. So many students don’t realize that this part is necessary, because it leads to clarity as well as coherency.
When it comes to putting it down on paper, why not have students use the outline? That is what it is there for. So often, my students think it is absolutely crazy that they can copy and paste their ideas from their own annotations, organizer, and outline to use in their rhetorical analysis papers. The body paragraph outline reflects that is required. The only paragraphs left are the introduction and conclusion.
the introduction in the rhetorical analysis Essay outline:
The introduction is simply meant to introduce the speaker, text title (students forget the title all of the time), the context (encourage students to do a bit of research), the audience, purpose, and strategies/techniques. It does not need to have a hook with a question or description. I think we have all read these, and I believe we can all agree that a traditional hook is unnecessary for a rhetorical analysis 🙂
Conclusion in the rhetorical analysis Essay outline:
The conclusion is usually an afterthought for most students. Many simply restate the thesis or summarize the text. To be fair, this is what students have been taught throughout the years. Instead, let’s have students answer the following questions:
How are the strategies, techniques, or appeals effective?
Why is this rhetoric important or unimportant?
What makes this text a valuable (or useless) part of academia, culture, or society as a whole?
More than anything, students need constant practice. Like developing in a specific sport or becoming a better baker or learning how to interview for a job, continuous exposure to specific skills, even the most basic of skills, is vital! We need to model, practice, and let students struggle and grow; then, they need to rinse and repeat the process over and over.
Afterward they effectively analyze rhetoric, the real fun begins…they can begin writing their own rhetoric!
Teaching with movies can be fun, yet tricky in the classroom. Maybe it is the end of the year with testing finally completed after weeks and weeks of state exams. Or maybe you are two days from Winter Break, and YOU just need a break… Instead of starting something entirely new, you simply want your students to watch a movie. It can be tempting, but when an administrator stops by, it can be hard at times to justify. Most administrators might see students watching movies and think the teacher is trying to avoid teaching. Instead, think of teaching with films as a vital part of the educational experience!
Most students watch more television shows and movies nowadays than read books. I am NOT saying this is good or bad, but it is true. Movies help us see stories, and let’s face it, they are fun to watch! Their impact is undeniable. (I think we all have a top ten list of movies we would take with us to a deserted island…) One of the biggest issues with watching movies seems to be that students don’t tend to truly examine what they are viewing. So let’s give them something to think about and critically analyze as they watch!
Teaching with MOVIES in 5 WAYS:
1. TEACH MOVIES As TEXTs:
My NUMBER ONE way to use movies is to think of them as reading texts unto themselves. Some movies take years to create, produce, and present to the general public. Many of them have something valuable to say about culture, identity, values, patriotism, responsibility, etc. Because of their noteworthy and diverse ideas, we can teach through movies as texts in several ways.
Theme-Every movie has a message, so teaching theme can be enjoyable and engaging. You can use entire movies or small clips. Remember though, analyzing themes requires students to discern the entire message, not just a topic. For example, “love” is not a theme. “Love requires sacrifice” is a theme. Click here for a THEMES MADE EASY Activity Pack!
Characterization–As you watch a film, students can also analyze how a character changes from start to finish. You may need to help students identify traits of that character at the beginning. (Check out this MY TRAITS FREEBIE for an activity to help students connect to their own personal character traits!) Be sure to model how to locate support from what the character says or does or even how the director depicts the character. After they gather their evidence, students can write about how that character changes from the beginning to the end of the film.
Mood–For a more basic approach, you could have your students examine the mood of different parts of a movie or how mood changes within a single scene. We all know that some stories start with a lighthearted, fun-filled atmosphere and quickly devolve into a horrifyingly chilling mood. The biggest element of teaching mood is having students examine HOW mood is created. You will want to encourage students to note what they see throughout the film to support the mood. (*Try out Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Notorious, or Lamb to the Slaughter for AWESOME mood analysis!)
Edward Scissorhands: Ice-Carving scene near the end of the movie
Rear Window: Opening scene with the view of the apartment complex
Jaws: Beginning scene with the girl on the beach
12 Angry Men: Last scene before the verdict
To Catch a Thief: The car chase
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The beginning scene with the idol and boulder
Back to the Future: The prom
Forrest Gump: The Run-Forrest-Run scene
West Side Story: The school dance
Singin’ in the Rain: The dream sequence near the end
Ben-Hur: The chariot race
Rocky: The steps scene
To Kill a Mockingbird: The courtroom scene with Mayella
Jurassic Park: When the characters first see the dinosaurs
2. TEACH MOVIES AS PARALLEL TO ANOTHER TEXT:
Another way to teach a movie is by pairing it with another text. For example, you could have a short story connect to the movie version. You could also have students compare and contrast major ideas from a traditional fairy tale like The Little Mermaid to a movie version. Be prepared with an actual assignment though. Simply sitting students in front of the screen and afterwards discussing the movie and text is NOT the purpose. We MUST have a goal in mind. Check out some assignment ideas for teaching PAIRED PASSAGES:
Equilibrium and Brave New World (Dystopic Literature)
Othello movie and play
3. TEACH MOVIES AS ELEMENTS OF HISTORY:
For using film to teach about history, you have to be careful. Some movies massively depart from the actual time period in terms of language, values, technology, etc. Now, Pride and Prejudice as well as Little Women both have film versions which, on the whole, adequately illustrate the time period. Other films like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or anything dystopic merely connect on a surface level, but they are not supposed to accurately illustrate a real time period. You could focus on these ideas and compare/contrast the film to other depictions from similar or even different time periods.
4. TEACH MOVIES THROUGH FILM TECHNIQUES:
I love having students examine FILM TECHNIQUES. Like poetry, short stories, plays, and novels, movie directors utilize various techniques to convey the story. Once students begin to see these techniques, they won’t be able to escape into movies like they did before. Instead, they will see purpose beyond what is happening. They will look into how the director constructs the film and see the film more deeply instead of merely accepting it without thought.
Here are some FILM techniques you could have students analyze FOR TEACHING WITH MOVIES:
Types of Lighting
Camera Shots
Camera Movements
Camera Angles
Editing
5. TEACH MOVIES AS RHETORICAL ANALYSIS:
Documentaries are the BEST for teaching movies as a source of rhetorical analysis. The best documentaries leave the audience guessing who the director sides with. They present both sides of the argument with interviews and stories from many sides. There are so many films on politics (be careful with this), health, sports, etc. that students can examine rhetorically. You teach rhetorical appeals within these films as well as the entire rhetorical situation, as any movie can be viewed the lens of RHETORICAL ANALYSIS! Check out these appeals you could have students focus on as they watch:
By incorporating film into your classroom, your students will grow in their reading comprehension, writing skills, and critical thinking. Integrate teaching with movies, and your students will thank you EVERY time!
By Kristin Menke, The Integrated Teacher When it comes to Teaching Rhetorical Analysis, we need to start out with the Definition of Rhetorical Appeals. Rhetorical Appeals Definition: techniques and strategies used for a specific purpose in language (rhetoric) that focus on logic, emotion, and credibility. Students need this starting point as rhetorical analysis is complex, difficult, and time-consuming, but it is also necessary. We live in a world motivated by emotions, and some rhetoric definitely utilizes emotional language; however, argumentation should be built on the foundation of Logos, the logical appeal.
Check out my store Integrated ELA Test Prep for more help as you teach the Rhetorical Appeals Definition and Rhetorical Analysis Writing!
When you teach the Rhetorical Appeals Definition, also be sure to define Logos. Logos is an appeal to the audience’s rational thought by using facts and statistics, but it can come in many forms. Helping students to identify these forms is vital as they should not simply say “LOGOS” a million times when they are analyzing rhetoric….which they are apt to do 🙂
1. Facts: When examining an argument or a piece of rhetoric, students need to look for facts. Facts are true things that happen: events, stories, examples, etc. They must be completely true, unbiased, and tested. You many need to help students as they research “facts.” You should be able to certify that facts are true by fact-checking. Just making a statement is not a fact; facts require EVIDENCE. This evidence should be reliable, meaning it has been tested time and time again. One instance in a random article does not a fact make. You can help students to discover facts by teaching them to research by using various sources from multiple viewpoints.
2. Statistics: Statistics represents a collection of data and information. It is organized and relayed in a way people can understand. Unlike a single instance, statistics is a group of multiple instances and facts that allow us to see trends. You can’t argue with statistics, but you can analyze what they mean. Too often statistics are arranged in a way that promotes a certain perspective; instead, students should be taught to examine and analyze the numbers deeply and not accept conclusions. We need to teach our students to think beyond what is merely presented; correlation does NOT equal causation. Checking out analysis of statistics from multiple sources allows for better understanding of the data’s meaning.
3. Citations from Specialists (those with authority): Citations from experts can be a form of logic; however, we must be careful. Simply accepting a citation just because someone has a certain type of education, certification, or experience is not at all logical. You can cite experts, but those people should use evidence, not merely speculation.
4. Explanations/Definitions: Using a definition from a specific text can be helpful when creating an argument. It helps the audience to understand what the speaker or writer is trying to say. Now, checking out the definitions is part of the rhetorical analysis. Someone could provide a good solid definition that has been verified over time, or someone could utilize a definition that has changed over time. Definitions can change, because language changes. More than anything, the use of definitions can help the audience get on the same page of the person creating the rhetoric.
5. Quotations from Valid Sources: By valid, I mean correct and verifiable. Valid sources have been tested as true over a specific time-span, and the validity should be buttressed by evidence. Using a quote from a famous historical figure, a philosopher, or an everyday teacher can further the rhetoric as it helps to connect the audience with the ideas of people who have relatable ideas. Those ideas, however, should be logical and supported by facts. Additionally, the quotations should be correctly quoted and cited. So many times, the quotes are taken out of context or incorrectly worded. Solid rhetorical analysis requires in-depth examination and documentation.
6. Informed Opinions: One could interview me about teaching English as I have the experience, data, and knowledge to say something concerning this topic. I do not, however, have vast knowledge about basketball or basket-weaving. I would not be a source of an informed opinion on these topics. Verifying what I am saying by using factual evidence in conjunction with my views remains integral to maintaining a logical appeal throughout the rhetoric.
7. Direct References: One of the great things about formulating an argument built on the rhetorical appeal of LOGOS is that we can cite and reference everything we say instead of having to rely on someone’s emotional state. More than anything, we need to teach our students to examine every piece of evidence they encounter and ensure that the textual evidence can be actually found in places other than a piece of rhetoric.
The Case for the Rhetorical Appeal Logos
Despite what the world may say, logic is the most important rhetorical appeal, at least for a critical-thinking audience. It requires actual research and level-headed thought. Instead of appealing to an emotional state, which can change at a whim, it relies on just the facts.
Ultimately, research requires time and energy. It challenges students to think beyond their presuppositions. It necessitates careful thought and commands reason. Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, once said, “Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.” I want my students to question everything. Their questions, however, should lead to actual research beyond the first page of a search engine result.
The Value of Knowing the Rhetorical Appeals Definition and Specific Appeals…
As writers regularly engage with rhetorical appeals and strategies as they create their own arguments, we must teach our middle and high school students the value of studying rhetoric for what it is. We need them to read the text, listen to the speech, and dig more deeply into the news article. Simply seeing a title does not lead to greater knowledge or factual information. Otherwise, they will succumb to whatever is dictated to them first or the most emphatically…
7 Steps for Incorporating the Analysis of Rhetorical Appeals: Logos
Read the rhetoric thoroughly.
Annotate for logos.
Determine the type of logos used.
Check the sources.
Actually read the cited sources.
Verify over multiple sources.
Formulate your thoughts based on the ACTUAL Evidence!
“Tips for Online Learning” by Kristin Menke, The Integrated Teacher
For the past year and a half, I have been a 9th Grade English 1 Teacher for an online virtual school in my state. I absolutely love the freedom, flexibility, colleagues, and, most especially, my students. They are awesome! I get a range of students from full-time home school students to seniors who need one last credit to graduate. Some play sports overseas and others enjoy selling art and poetry online. My students teach me so much every day, and teaching them online has been a huge blessing in my life. Before becoming an online teacher, I taught in local public schools in Jacksonville, FL for 13 years. I have taught everything from Intensive Reading to College English Composition. Making the transition to teaching online, however, has NOT been an easy one. Don’t get me wrong; I love so many things about online learning, but there is a transition period for most teachers. My goal is to share with you 5 Tips for Online Learning, so you too can grow with your students in their Distance Learning Experience.
7 Tips for Online Learning
1. Be flexible.
Now, I get it. Teachers have been told since the beginning of time to be flexible; however, do we really take this mantra to heart? When I first began teaching, I was told to be flexible about everything. This included grades, students’ behavior, my working conditions, my pay, etc. As I started to leave the traditional school setting, the term flexibility came with a whole new meaning. My day went from 7:15am-2:25pm to 8am-8pm using a schedule of my own. At first glance, you might say, “That is awesome!” Then, you start to live in your place of work. All of the things from student calls and messages to continuous grading can overtake every thought of every day. Instead, I live by this motto: I will do my best to get everything done in a flexible way. For example, if a student calls and I am in the middle of grading, I may wait to call the student back. It’s okay; the call can wait 5 minutes. If a particular student needs more help than I can give on a certain day, I will encourage him or her to schedule an appointment with me for the next day. If I am about to sign off to have supper with my family, and I see an assignment uploaded, I just might wait until the next day to grade it. It is okay! Things will get done. Just give yourself grace, especially during this time of chaos.
Tips for Online Learning
3 Ways to Be Flexible for Online Learning: (Tips for Online Learning)
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF- If a student doesn’t submit something on time, or if you called a student a million times and he/she wants to talk right as you are about to leave for a dinner out with your sweetheart, let the phone call or text wait. Let it go…and let it wait.
DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY- When my husband transitioned to becoming an intensive reading teacher, the struggle was real. He would get emails from parents at the end of each quarter asking why students were failing and what he was going to do to help. Now, you can come at the situation with a prideful heart. I already texted you. I already called you. I already emailed you. About 100 times each. Now, you want help? (I am not at all saying my hubby responded this way, but he could easily have.) This mindset does nothing to help the situation. It is not personal. People get overwhelmed by….life. When parents contact you with this mindset, all they are asking is “How can you help me to solve my problem?” They don’t want to hear that they avoided you or forgot to respond or that their child has not done any work yet. What can you do to help now? Trust me; humility goes a long way and costs us nothing but our pride. After falling off a desk my fourth year of teaching in front of a classroom of 9th graders, I have no pride 🙂
DON’T MAKE IT HARDER THAN IT HAS TO BE-If there is a shortcut, take it! With awesome colleagues, you can tag-team on creating resources together. Also, read up on other articles that offer “Tips for Online Learning” as more information can help you create a plan that works best for you! Be sure to check out materials online that you can use for your own students, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
2. Communicate as much as you can.
Students and parents may struggle with transitioning to online learning. Because of this difficult transition, our whole job is motivating and encouraging students to get to work and improve as they go along in the course. In my English 1 class, we can communicate via phone calls, texts, and emails. Just recently, I have started texting a couple of days before an assignment is due and then a reminder the day an assignment is due. This process has cut my non-workers in half. I always text a parent with the student in the same thread solely for accountability. A quick text will motivate the parent to check in with his or her student. It can’t hurt. If you can’t text or call a student specifically because of school restraints, I encourage you to text/phone the parent and post updates a lot on the online forum/platform. Too much communication is way better than not enough.
3. Set boundaries for work time.
When I first started teaching online, I noticed that I could work 12 hours a day if I really wanted to. But who wants to do that? We have a 1200 square foot house, so it is really easy to hop on the computer and start texting; then, the texting becomes calling, calling becomes “I am going to call just 5 more students” and so on. I encourage you to create a schedule. If you are on a schedule for your local school for the next school year, still do this. No one is requiring you to sit at your computer for 8 straight hours. At least I hope not. You have the right to have a lunch time, bathroom breaks, a planning period to work on other things, etc. Here are 2 schedules based on a 12 or 8 hour workday:
12 Hour Flexible Schedule/8 Hours of Working
8-9am: Grade
9-9:30am: Take a break; go for a walk; whatever 🙂
9:30-11am: Contact students and parents through Phone, Text, or Email
11-12pm: LUNCH
12-1pm: Check Email & Grade
1-2pm: Contact more students/parents
2-2:30pm: Take a break
2:30-4:30pm: PD, Plan, Grade, Do a Live Lesson
4:30pm-6:30pm: Family Time
6:30-8pm: Check in 1 more time to catch up on grading, return calls/texts
8 Hour Schedule
7:30-9am: Grade, Plan
9-9:15am: Take a break; go for a walk; whatever 🙂
9:15-11:30am: Contact students and parents through Phone, Text, or Email
11:30-12pm: LUNCH
12-1:15pm: Check Email & Grade; PD, Plan, Grade, Do a Live Lesson
1:15-1:30pm: Take a break; go for a walk; whatever 🙂
1:30-2:20pm: Contact more students/parents
2:20-2:30pm: Small Break
2:30-3:30pm: Check in 1 more time to catch up on grading, return calls/texts
4. Plan ahead.
Knowing what you are going to do a couple of weeks ahead of time can be an amazing way to ensure you don’t lose your hair with online learning. My students are on a flexible schedule, but I like to know where they currently are at all time, so I can prepare for discussions, send final exam information, recommend a specific live lesson to attend, etc. Having an outline for each quarter is vital, and if you can set up your entire quarter with all of the assignments ahead of time, it will make your job that much easier. Yes, it takes time, but really 2 hours a week of meaningful activities is enough for most students for a specific subject area. I have noticed that as many teachers transition to online learning, they are suddenly asking students to write entire research papers with a week or two or complete a packet of 50+ pages. When it comes to teaching online, if students know what is expected in terms of what is due and when it is due way ahead of time, it makes your job easier. Include relevant assignments and offer live lessons, but don’t expect students to do things at the last minute just because you posted the assignment the night before.
5. Have a heart to serve.
My views of teaching have changed dramatically since becoming an online teacher. I now see myself as a servant in the very best sense. My goal is to serve my students to the best of my ability. They don’t have a traditional timeline like many students in public, private, or charter schools, but they do have goals. We set goals based on their own timelines, create schedules that work for them, maneuver times to chat they work for both of us, and allow for more time and help if needed. If you think of your students like customers, it might help with the transition to online learning. Now, this does not mean that they get to say whatever they want or do whatever they want, but we get to create the best individual experience for each student!
6. Create a place to work.
Like I said before, we have a smaller home. We have 3 bedrooms in a 1940’s house, but one of the rooms is a dedicated office. You may not have that spare room (our daughters sleep in the other bedroom together) to use, so you might have to get creative. You do, however, need to create a space for you to actually work. If your kids are home with you, as mine are, you need to be sure it has the following qualities:
Quiet: You can sequester yourself away from everyone else, or use headphones to drown out the noise 🙂
Calm: Close the door if you can or put on music with/without lyrics to manifest a peaceful environment.
Organized: I have pens, post-its (I am a big list writer), all of the technology, chair, desk, etc. However you organize yourself, do it. Get rid of the clutter if you need to.
Productive: Individualize your space, so you can be the most productive. If this requires a window to look out of for momentary reflection or putting your personal phone in another room to avoid a technology obsession, do it! Have fun! You get to be your own boss in a sense!
7. Make sure your assignments are digital friendly.
If you choose to have students complete work online (or the choice has been made for you), make sure that every assignment easily transitions to the online space. I have my curriculum available for me, but I sometimes may have to add something in or modify the wording to help students. Additionally, creating a links page for you to text assignments may be incredibly helpful as your students communicate with you. Most importantly, check out online resources that you can purchase easily and cheaply to make your teaching easier! Check out my store Integrated ELA Test Prep for help finding digital resources!
Tips for Online Learning-by Kristin Menke (The Integrated Teacher)
Overall, as you temporarily transition to Online Learning, give yourself some grace in this difficult time! Or if you are transitioning permanently, give yourself some grace in this difficult time 😉 Most things will get easier, and some things will get harder, but it is not the end of the world if everything doesn’t get done. You are the most important person to your students, and helping them succeed to the best of your abilities is all that matters.
Typically, people know Edgar Allan Poe as the “Father of the Modern Detective Story” or the “American Horror Short Story Master.” Because of his notoriety, most of us grew up with an English teacher who pined for Poe! She or he would demonstrate this love through reading his works, usually in the month of October. Around Halloween time, his texts prove compelling. His obsession with death culminates in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Fortunately, we have more to thank Poe for; his poetry is filled with death as well as love. There are several poems we can consider to be Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems that would a FANTASTIC addition to any poetry unit!
4 Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems for any Middle or High School Classroom:
“Annabel Lee”
Annabel Lee is a tragic story of a man obsessed with his ultimate love “Annabel Lee.” He spends his time lamenting the loss of his true love. After describing her death, he supposedly chooses to live the rest of his life by her side. One might assume that he is metaphorically with her in “spirit” or….we could also hypothesize that he literally is going to lay down beside her for eternity. I prefer to think he is not a necrophiliac, but who knows with Poe?
Short Response: Write about someone you love. Why do you love that person? What makes that person special to you?
Emotional Language Analysis: Examine what emotions (ex. hate, anger, happiness) the speaker displays throughout the poem; use textual evidence to support your ideas.
Draw the scene: Visualize a scene from the poem using 3-5 pieces of textual evidence.
“The Raven” is the consummate Edgar Allan Poe Love Poem. It highlights a man obsessed with the absence of his love “Lenore.” He hopes to see her again, although we don’t know if she is dead or has merely left him. I don’t know that I can blame her 😉 As he is quite mad, we might assume she has absented herself from his presence. His use of repetition and tone to build suspense makes this one of the must-read Edgar Allan Love Poems in your classroom!
1-Sentence Summaries-Because this poem can be a little confusing for some students, having them summarize each stanza can be super helpful!
Literary Analysis– While students are reading the poem, encourage them to take notes on the various types of figurative language: repetition, allusion, metaphor, hyperbole, etc. Then, encourage them to examine the effect of each device.
Characterization-Have students examine the traits of the speaker in the poem: Internal and External. Then, they can use textual evidence to support their ideas!
“The Bells” is a rarely taught poem, but it is an Edgar Allan Love Poem that is a MUST-TEACH! I actually remember singing this poem as a song in high school. The poem’s onomatopoeia and rhyme captivate the reader as it tells a story of a couple’s first outing to the wedding to difficulties of life and, ultimately, to death. Now, one could interpret this poem in several ways:
1) A couple experiences love throughout their lives in various stages, but as we all eventually die, so will our love.
2) A couple’s love initially represents hope for the future but eventually dies over time.
Film Analysis Activity: You can play the song “I Can Hear the Bells” from the movie Hairspray and compare/contrast it to the poem. Using a piece of film is always a fun way to engage your students!
1-Sentence Summary Activity: There are 4 stanzas in the poem, so assigning students a 1-Sentence summary for each stanza is rigorous but not too difficult for the average student. Plus, students can underline textual evidence to support their summaries.
Literary Analysis: Because Poe is a master of figurative language, finding repetition, alliteration, allusion, and imagery is an engaging way to make this poem interesting! Then, you could have students analyze how Poe uses these techniques to achieve a specific meaning about love!
“A Valentine” is an epic Edgar Allan Poe Love Poem! Poe dedicated it to his friend, Frances Sargent Osgood. Students can have a good time finding the hidden message in this poem. By circling the first letter of the first line, the second letter of the second line, and so on, they can discover the valentine of the message! This riddle may not be the greatest of all of Poe’s poetry, but using it in your classroom is a fun way to include Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems into any literature unit in February!
Writing a Short Response: You could have students start by analyzing how Poe characterizes his valentine. While reading, students can underline and annotate to prepare to write their responses!
Visualize Your Valentine: This activity allows students to visualize what their own valentine might look like. They can include words and phrases that help to describe their true valentine on Valentine’s Day.
Create Your Own Poem: Students can use a name of someone they love to write a poem to that person! This activity can be fun for younger or older students as they explore writing their own poetry during the Season of Love. The poem could even be written to a future girlfriend/boyfriend or a movie character!
Edgar Allan Poe Love Poems really hit the poetry spot, because of Poe’s fascinating writing style and eccentric views on love itself. Be sure to integrate these unusual and eclectic poems in your own classroom as you venture into exploring poetry and themes involving love. Have fun and be ready to see and TEACH Poe in a new light!
Dystopic fiction is all the rage nowadays. From The Hunger Games to a reincarnated version of Blade Runner, everyone seems obsessed with the future. People always seem to worry about what it holds for mankind. And this fascination is not a new phenomenon. Ray Bradbury’s body of work embodies themes associated with dystopias. One of these epic yet understated stories is “The Pedestrian.” It tells the tale of a world consumed by technology, something I think we can all find relevant today. If you need short stories for teaching theme, put “The Pedestrian” on your list!
At the beginning of the story, we find ourselves involved in the life of Leonard Mead. He is an unassuming man who simply walks every day. Instead of spending his free hours watching television, he ambles outside. Unlike his neighbors, he enjoys the outdoors away from the confines of his house. Ultimately, because he does not conform, he suffers the consequences. “The Pedestrian” personifies a world we live in now, although we are not quite to the point of being sent off to an asylum.
The Pedestrian Themes
Writing about theme is quite difficult. There are several steps that make the process much easier. Here are 3 EASY STEPS for creating a THEME:
First, read the text and identify major ideas. Major ideas include topics like love, hate, jealousy, etc. When it comes to dystopic fiction, however, topics usually include time, war, technology, government, science, the future, oppression, and innocence.
Then, find evidence linked to a specific topic. Focus on the characters, the plot, the conflict, literary elements, and the setting. By analyzing these elements, you should be able to see a thread, a message from the author.
Lastly, determine what the author is trying to say through the text. Every theme is a message created in a complete sentence. You may need to model what a theme looks like for students.
CREATING A THEME BASED ON THE PEDESTRIAN (The Pedestrian Theme)
MAJOR IDEA: Technology
TOPIC: Being consumed by technology
THEME: Consuming too much technology can lead to a superficial life.
The Necklace > Personal pride can lead to unintended outcomes.
By taking the time to teach students this 3 STEP process, your students’ literary analysis skills will skyrocket! Using short stories for teaching theme can make it much easier for students as you work to develop their skills in other more difficult text formats like poetry, plays, and novels. Creating themes will over time become, dare I say it, more “pedestrian!”
We want our students to become critical thinkers who read, examine, and write about the significance of a text. But how do we do that? Literary Analysis is not an easy topic, usually because most us don’t take classes about it. We do, however, read and examine texts all of the time! We break down, analyze, and discuss what we watch, read, or listen to every day, and so do our students. Because we do this, we can teach our students the same process but for literature in our classrooms. We can use literary analysis examples to model what we want in 5 No Sweat Steps!
5 NO SWEAT STEPS for Teaching Literary Analysis
#1 START WITH THE END IN MIND
1. START WITH THE END IN MIND: What do you want your students to be able to do? Well, it depends on the students. When it comes to elementary students, you can start with a focus on theme. Say we read “The Ugly Duckling” or “The Little Mermaid.” We can focus on having students write a paragraph on how characterization leads to theme. In any fairy tale or fable, there is always a message. It makes the literary analysis quite simple then. Your short response directions can include the following: How does “The Ugly Duckling” change? How does this change contribute to the theme in the story?
IDEAS FOR A FINAL PRODUCT
ELEMENTARY: Students can write a paragraph for a Short Response. Your goal is to simply introduce what it means to think deeply about a text. Start with a fairy tale or fable, so the students have an easier time discussing the message of the story.
MIDDLE SCHOOL: Students can write 2 paragraphs with a focus on a theme using an example for each paragraph. It can be based on a poem or short story!
HIGH SCHOOL: Students can write a full-blown essay, but you can have it focused on 4 paragraphs, 5 paragraphs, or a 5 page essay 😉 It is up to you! You can even differentiate depending on what your students need!
2. CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON: You can focus on whatever you want for your literary analysis! If you want to differentiate, you can have groups of student choose their own topic, or you can assign a focus to students. You will, however, have to define and then explain what the focus is before moving on. If you want to analyze conflict, explain the 4 types (man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. nature, and man vs. self) and the 2 types (internal and external) first. Here are some ideas for literary analysis:
Literary Devices: similes, metaphors, allusions, hyperbole, etc.
Characterization: traits or development
Setting: beginning, middle, end
Conflict: types of conflict (4), external/internal conflict
Literary Criticism: gender, feminism, critical race theory, etc.
#3 READ WITH A FOCUS
3. READ CLOSELY AND ANNOTATE WITH A FOCUS: You will have to model what you want as you read by using literary analysis examples. For instance, if you are reading “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, you can focus on analyzing characterization. Read through the first part of the story and have students identify traits of the protagonist. 1. Underline the evidence. 2. Think aloud about it. 3. Annotate for meaning. What is he saying or doing? Then, explain by doing your own analysis. Answer this question: What does this MEAN?
4. USE A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER TO BREAK THE ANALYSIS DOWN: Students need help with organization. Don’t we all though? I encourage you to use a simple graphic organizer to help in this process. Have students go back to their own annotations for help. The graphic organizer should include the following: The Literary Analysis Focus, The Evidence, and The Meaning/Message/Theme Connection. Be sure to use literary analysis examples before beginning. Providing 1 or 2 examples will help students go a long way!
#5 USE A TEMPLATE
5. PROVIDE A TEMPLATE FOR THE FINAL PRODUCT: Now that students have their organizer with their literary analysis examples already written, they can accomplish whatever you want. (Be sure to look at literary analysis examples before you start having them write their own. You can use examples you have created or examples from different sources.) If you want them to write a short response, provide a sentence by sentence outline. Or if you want them to write 2 paragraphs, help them with breaking down the paragraphs into smaller parts. Additionally, if you want them to write an essay, provide an outline that will help them to develop their ideas as they go along. If students don’t have a basic template, they may not know what to write. I suggest starting with an introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion for a beginner literary analysis.
Don’t shy away from teaching literary analysis! Students need the exposure and the practice to think deeply about the meaning and message of anything they come into contact with. Through this step by step process and several literary analysis examples, all students can become literary connoisseurs!
My family and I live on an acre property in the middle of Jacksonville, FL. Actually, all of the homes on our 2 parallel blocks have an acre to their names. I guess we all must enjoy the outdoors somewhat as it’s quite a bit of upkeep to maintain that large of a property, at least for us city dwellers. We spend a fair amount of time outside whether it’s steaming hot or somewhat cold (it is Florida after all). And I am always trying to find things for my 2, almost 3, year old to do while I sit with my 4 month old underneath the grove in the middle of our yard. As a teacher, I love structure, especially when it comes to reading and writing. I typically go through lessons very methodically. But lately, I am trying to find more things to do that integrate traditional instruction into our daily lives. I also love the idea of my daughter exploring the outdoors in the safety and beauty of our own backyard. As a part of our journey into the very start of homeschooling, I created My Backyard Scavenger Hunt Printables, so we can make the outdoors into our classroom, one bug-bite at a time.
1. My Backyard Scavenger Hunt: With this activity, my daughter and I can work on our adjectives while discovering new sights in the forms of animals, plants, and other random inanimate objects in our backyard. My nephew, who comes over to hangout several times a week, is the king of exploring quite normal things, but making these things seem extraordinary. He is going to love this time of exploration with my daughter next week as they scavenge the yard for the miraculous. You can use any adjectives from green to rough to bumpy to light, whatever you want! With this activity, kids don’t realize they are really learning anything, but they will be delving deeply into language that connects to the real world.
2. My Backyard I Spy Activity: For this activity, my daughter and I will be choosing 3 objects to describe with 3 adjectives. They can relate to touch, sight, sound, smell, or taste, but I wouldn’t recommend tasting too many things in my backyard. Then, we will work to draw a visual of each object. By looking at each object closely, my goal is for my daughter to truly take the time to see what is out there in our world. Plus, we get to work on describing those things with creative adjectives. She gets to learn and play at the same time!
3. My Backyard Object Activity: This activity kind of puts all of it together with adjectives, antonyms, visualization, and writing. Together, we can work to discover how an object changes with a simple change of the description. Can you imagine if a green, thin, smooth leaf becomes a dark brown, thick, bumpy leaf? I couldn’t really think of an antonym for green, although green is lively and brown leaves are usually dying 🙂 Then, she will get to draw the new object, seeing how it changes by merely changing the words. As we all know, words matter! When words change, meaning changes.
Beyond discovering our backyard again through My Backyard Scavenger Hunt Printables, I am so excited to begin the journey of homeschooling our daughters. We are at the very beginning, but I can’t wait to see how much we learn together both inside and outside of our home!
