Method to the Madness co-author BH James has an essay on Shakespeare’s Five-Act Structure in the February issue of California English. Here’s a link: https://cateweb.org/journals/february-2019/
high school ela
Childish Gambino’s “This is America” and Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”
We have a new lesson available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store that uses Childish Gambino’s “This is America” as part of a larger teaching unit on Junot Diaz’s “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”.
Students will examine Donald Glover’s video, “This is America” and close-read its authorial choices, looking for examples of subversion and dictatorship–themes aligned with Diaz’s own work.
Students will create a brief presentation examining how these themes become apparent, while discussing their importance.
Lesson Plan for “This is America” and “Oscar Wao”
We have a new lesson plan available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store that uses Childish Gambino’s “This is America” as part of a larger teaching unit on Junot Diaz’s “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”.
Students will examine Donald Glover’s video, “This is America” and close-read its authorial choices, looking for examples of subversion and dictatorship–themes aligned with Diaz’s own work.
Students will create a brief presentation examining how these themes become apparent while also discussing their importance.
Symbolism, Diaspora, and Binaries in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
We have a new lesson on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
The lesson includes two major assessments:
One, a 24-hour project for applying knowledge of major concepts in the book, such as diaspora and binary oppositions.
The second, a group presentation wherein students create a rigorous lesson to be presented on one of the symbols in the text. Students will have to trace their assigned symbol throughout the text in order to create sufficient arguments.
Bildungsroman in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
We have a new lesson available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store. It is titled: Bildungsroman and Oscar Wao, and it is part of a larger unit on Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
This is an assignment in which students get to reflect on their own personal moments of bildungsroman–where they grew up and couldn’t go back. A powerful assignment in appreciating both the necessity and tragedy of growing up.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Midterm Exam
We have an exam on Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
The exam can be given orally or in written form. Students will need to show a depth of understanding of tricky subjects in order to score well. The teacher can allow them to use their texts during the exam in order to supply sufficient textual evidence.
The Great Gatsby Teaching Unit
We have a complete teaching unit for The Great Gatsby available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
This unit can be used over the course of 4-6 weeks. Students will close-read, do a ton of writing, and apply nonfiction research to the study of Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.
This hits all Common Core Anchor Standards and provides excellent skill development for your students.
Hamlet Assessments
We have a series of Hamlet assessments available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Hamlet Act I Test
We have a test on Act I of Shakespeare’s Hamlet available in our Teachers Pay Teachers store. Please check it out!
Romeo and Juliet: The Tragedy of Growing Up
We have a new PowerPoint lesson available in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. It is titled “Romeo and Juliet: The Tragedy of Growing Up.”
Focusing on the more universal tragedies within the text, this lesson examines growing beyond your friends and family–a more accessible aspect of the tragedy within the play.
