English Lessons
Quote Illustrations
English language arts classes have so much to cover, so it is important to design activities that combine many of the objectives. I was working with 8th graders on figurative language and imagery, and as we began studying Maya Angelou, I created an activity to integrate these three topics. For this assignment, students were given quotes by Angelou at random; each quote contained some instance of imagery or figurative language. Students were to illustrate the quote on a large piece of paper, pulling in the images that the quote inspired. After illustrating these, students identified the type of figurative language and related the quote to their own lives and Angelou's life. This activity helped connect the idea of figurative language to the life and value of an important author.
English language arts classes have so much to cover, so it is important to design activities that combine many of the objectives. I was working with 8th graders on figurative language and imagery, and as we began studying Maya Angelou, I created an activity to integrate these three topics. For this assignment, students were given quotes by Angelou at random; each quote contained some instance of imagery or figurative language. Students were to illustrate the quote on a large piece of paper, pulling in the images that the quote inspired. After illustrating these, students identified the type of figurative language and related the quote to their own lives and Angelou's life. This activity helped connect the idea of figurative language to the life and value of an important author.
Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
I first learned about the concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos in high school, and I think these devices are invaluable tools when it comes to creating a compelling argument. I decided to teach these ideas to the students I had in my Supplemental Instruction class for English 101 so they could utilize them in their essays. I first had them do a jigsaw activity where each group researched the meaning of one of the terms to explain to the rest of the class, and then we watched popular commercials to find instances of these within them. I then set up stations where each station contained transcripts of a famous political speech along with a QR code that would link them to a YouTube video of a reading of that speech. Students could progress through the stations at any speed and in any direction, and at each station they recorded the uses of logic, credibility, and emotions within the speech to discuss with the class at the closing discussion.
Word Choice
I noticed that many of the students in English 101 did not exhibit a broad use of vocabulary in their essays, so I devised some activities to begin to remedy this issue. First, I gave small groups bags with words printed on cards, where each word was a synonym of some basic word such as "happy " or "sad." Students had to place these cards on spectrums, determining where each word was on the formal to informal scale and the positive to negative scale. The second activity was designed to help them create better entire sentences. Sitting in a large circle, each student had a sheet of paper with a simple sentence printed on it. They had a designated amount of time to rewrite this sentence using better descriptors or stronger words. After they wrote their sentence, they folded the paper in such a way that the sentence they wrote was not visible, and then passed it to the next person. This was repeated until everyone had modified every sentence. At the end of this activity, students had a dozen examples of how to make a dozen different sentences more concise and exact.
I first learned about the concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos in high school, and I think these devices are invaluable tools when it comes to creating a compelling argument. I decided to teach these ideas to the students I had in my Supplemental Instruction class for English 101 so they could utilize them in their essays. I first had them do a jigsaw activity where each group researched the meaning of one of the terms to explain to the rest of the class, and then we watched popular commercials to find instances of these within them. I then set up stations where each station contained transcripts of a famous political speech along with a QR code that would link them to a YouTube video of a reading of that speech. Students could progress through the stations at any speed and in any direction, and at each station they recorded the uses of logic, credibility, and emotions within the speech to discuss with the class at the closing discussion.
Word Choice
I noticed that many of the students in English 101 did not exhibit a broad use of vocabulary in their essays, so I devised some activities to begin to remedy this issue. First, I gave small groups bags with words printed on cards, where each word was a synonym of some basic word such as "happy " or "sad." Students had to place these cards on spectrums, determining where each word was on the formal to informal scale and the positive to negative scale. The second activity was designed to help them create better entire sentences. Sitting in a large circle, each student had a sheet of paper with a simple sentence printed on it. They had a designated amount of time to rewrite this sentence using better descriptors or stronger words. After they wrote their sentence, they folded the paper in such a way that the sentence they wrote was not visible, and then passed it to the next person. This was repeated until everyone had modified every sentence. At the end of this activity, students had a dozen examples of how to make a dozen different sentences more concise and exact.
Plot Pyramid Wall
The Plot Pyramid Wall is an activity that works with virtually any story or novel. First, students each draw a scene from a story on a sheet of paper. The scenes are mixed up and then students work together to get them in order. Each scene is taped to the wall in the shape of the plot pyramid - introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. This gives students a large visual of the story and also helps them be a part of the creation of and stay engaged in the layout of the story. This activity is good for showing how each part of the plot is crucial to the story, and it can also help highlight character and setting.
The Plot Pyramid Wall is an activity that works with virtually any story or novel. First, students each draw a scene from a story on a sheet of paper. The scenes are mixed up and then students work together to get them in order. Each scene is taped to the wall in the shape of the plot pyramid - introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. This gives students a large visual of the story and also helps them be a part of the creation of and stay engaged in the layout of the story. This activity is good for showing how each part of the plot is crucial to the story, and it can also help highlight character and setting.