Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning
There is a quote that says, “Dialogue is easy. It’s what you’ve been doing almost every day, most of your life” (Josip Novakovich). Sure, dialogue seems simple; it’s having a conversation. But what about writing dialogue? To write conversations between characters, or even for a character with themselves,... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 18th, 2022
Writing Dialogue
A necessary skill for most 21st-Century digital citizens is professional email communication. A cordial, professional email is not only a sign of respectful communication, but also clearly relays an intention or request that honors the recipient’s time and encourages a desired action, response, or feeling.... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 17th, 2022
Writing a Professional Email
There are a multitude of reasons why we offer thanks to others. Whether someone has done us a favor, given us a gift, shared their personal or professional time, or even just offered a kind word, thanking them with a sincere thank you note is a timeless and appreciated form of gratitude. A timely and... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 9th, 2022
Writing a Thank You Note
In this lesson, students will explore how the sense of touch functions in The Great Gatsby by composing poetry that makes connections between character and an associated object's texture. Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 9th, 2022
The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Touch
Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences
Sentence structure adds variety, interest, and impact to a text. Different sentence structures are composed of clauses and combinations of clauses, and these add varied sentence lengths and styles to a text. This lesson asks students to identify and practice writing simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 8th, 2022
Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences
Elements of an Essay
In this lesson students will engage in multiple independent and group strategies to both identify and analyze essential structural elements of an essay. By doing this, students will both practice and gain a clearer perspective of how to write with greater clarity and effectiveness. Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: November 8th, 2022
Willy Wonka: distant and devious or charismatic character? Like all well-rounded literary characters, Willy Wonka is multi-faceted. We can tell a bit about him by observing his quirky appearance. But, what lies beneath his eccentric surface? In this lesson, students will evaluate characters for direct... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: March 17th, 2023
Direct and Indirect Characterization
Is lettuce interesting? The answer depends on whom you ask. Whether the subject of lettuce is personally captivating or not, a good essay on the subject requires a thesis statement to organize the text and to keep the reader oriented and focused. A strong thesis statement not only helps the reader,... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: March 16th, 2023
Writing a Thesis Statement
Colloquial language is informal and consists of words or phrases known primarily to native speakers of a language. In this lesson, students will examine not only how familiar they are with English colloquialisms, but also how often these colloquialisms are used in our speaking and writing, and the effect... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: March 15th, 2023
Colloquial Language
The use of informal language and phrases in our writing and speaking is simply part of our culture. Idioms, slang, understatements, and hyperboles help characterize language by region, time period, and groups of people. Language, though, often benefits from precision, and appropriate word choice helps... Read more »
Created by: Jane Baber
Date Updated: September 15th, 2022
Word Choice
