Tag Archives : English Language Arts


Building Suspense in Creative Writing

Product Description

In creative writing, the only thing that will keep the reader engaged in your story until the last page is by building effective suspense. This resource includes a visual chart of the different types of suspense to include in writing and includes relevant examples and tips to achieve it.

In addition, also included in this resource are two suspense building activities and 4 pages of notes on how to effectively build suspense within any type of story.

Please see the preview for more details.

You may also be interested in the following products that are part of my Creative Writing Series:

Introduction to Creative Writing PowerPoint

Exploring the Elements of Fiction in Creative Writing

Creative Writing Activity

Creative Characters in Creative Writing

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 6 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


Charles by Shirley Jackson Short Story Mini-Unit

Product Description

This short story mini-unit features Shirley Jackson’s short story “Charles.” Appropriate for grades 7 to 10, the lessons focus on the development of theme and paragraphs.

Included in the mini-unit is:

• A copy of the short story

• A prediction chart

• An anticipation guide

• Activity sheet (select important passages in the text for later theme and paragraph support)

• Author’s purpose activity sheet

• How to develop a theme sheet with an example

• A graphic organizer to help student plan their paragraph

• An answer key for all activities

• 3-day lesson plan for easy planning

16 pages total

All the prep work has been done for you.

It’s teaching made easy!


You may also be interested in the following products:

Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students

Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

The Elevator Short Story Mini Unit

Intermediate Poetry Unit

Super Hero Themed Parts of Speech Posters (FREE)

FREE Parts of Speech Grammar Circles (Superhero Themed)

Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Spelling Flip Book

Rubrics Self-Evaluation

Fish Bowl Evaluation Bundle

Opinion Piece Bundle

How to Write a Paragraph

ELA Literature Study Unit to Use with ANY Work of Literature

Total Pages 16 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration 3 days


Poetry Unit (for senior students)

Product Description

Poetry Unit for Senior Students (Bundled)

I love poetry! I love reading it, I love teaching it, and I love the discussions I can have with my students because of it. May students (and some teachers) dislike poetry because they think it’s too difficult. I once had a student tell me that poetry was like a “code” that needed to be unlocked. Cringe!! Some poems are meant to be analyzed. Some poems and meant to sound beautiful, and some poems are meant to be simple and enjoyed for what they are. This unit has a little of all of those things. 

Students love this poetry unit. It is a complete unit with no prep required on the teacher’s part. This 2 and a half week unit includes a student guide, 12 detailed lesson plans, two multimedia presentations (no internet connection required), a complete answer key with annotated poems (this is a teacher favorite!) , and an end of the unit evaluation with answer key. 

Just print it and teach it. It really is that easy.

This bundle includes individual lessons devised to teach students the importance of:

• Figurative language (its uses and effects)
• How to read poetry
• How to understand and apply symbolism and imagery
• The importance of rhythm 
• The importance of tone and attitude in a poem
• Types of poetry
• How to analyze poetry
• How to appreciate poetry (even when you don’t understand it)
• Includes some Canadian poetry 

This unit’s focus is the analysis of poetry and teaches students how to make inferences, which is a skill they must learn for their other subjects as well. 

Poems include authors such as Emily Dickenson, Dorothy Parker, Maya Angelou, Thomas Gray, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Alfred Noyes, T.S. Eliot, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Frost, Pearl Jam, Langston Hughes, Margaret Atwood, and Walt Whitman. The Unit includes 21 different poems.

The unit has been conceived to last 15 days – with 65 minute periods (although they are easy to modify). 

The unit includes:

1 – The teacher guide (Contains 12 comprehensive lesson plans to teach the poems included in the unit. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS UNIT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU. )

2 – The student package (Contains students’ notes, poems, and questions) (28 pages)

3 – The answer key includes annotated poems and answers to all student activities, as well as an example of paragraph developing a theme in poetry (saving you time).

4 – Included is a test with multiple choice questions as well as one development question. All answers are included. (Word format for easy changes)

5 – 2 PowerPoint presentations – one multimedia presentation to introduce the unit (17 slides) and the second to reinforce the use of imagery and symbolism (19 slides) – NO INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED

A total of 68 pages + 36 slides are included in this package. 

This unit is complete and does all of the thinking for you. All you need to do is to print out and photocopy the student package, and you’re set.

Check out these individual lessons from the unit: 
Poetry and Imagery – Langston Hughes
Tone in poetry – Robert Frost
Rhythm in Poetry
Poetry Lesson on Sonnets (Shakespeare and Browning)
Free Poetry Lesson: Analysing Poetry (NO PREP)
Lesson on Allegory and Symbolism Analysis in Poetry is ready to teach (NO PREP).

It’s teaching made easy!

You may also be interested in the following products: 

Poetry Through Song Unit

Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)

Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)

Death of a Salesman (No prep required)

Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)

Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students

Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 68 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 3 Weeks


Hamlet Scene Summary Visual Notebook

Product Description

This resource has been created as a substitute for the traditional “questions and answers” method we are used to. As teachers, our goal is to make sure students understand the important elements from the play, but we also want to engage them in a “hands-on” fashion.

Studies demonstrate that Sketch noting and doodling help students retain information and understand concepts better than simply answering questions.

This resource allows students to complete notes during the reading process and use the images and heading provided to help them know what the focus should be on.

This is also an excellent study and review tool.

Included in this resources is:

-a note taking page for every scene in the play

-a note taking page for every soliloquy in the play

-a comprehensive answer key for all scenes and soliloquies

You may also be interested in the following products:

Poetry Through Song Unit

Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)

Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)

Death of a Salesman (No prep required)

Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)

Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)

Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students

Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

Teaching The Essay Package

Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 48 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration N/A


Hamlet Unit No prep

Product Description

NEW: You can now download this unit in Word format to customize and save it. All documents are available in PDF and Word formats.

One entire month of planning done for you – I dare you to enjoy Shakespeare.

I love teaching Shakespeare’s plays, and I want you to love it too. I’ve been teaching and improving this unit for over ten years. All of the thinking has been done for you. I love annotating my plays and books. I’ve taken all of the annotations made in my play over the years and incorporated them in a guide to help you guide students and help students understand. Many people (including teachers) get overwhelmed with Shakespeare because of the language. This unit has been created with the student in mind. The activities are thorough, but simple enough for students to understand and enjoy the play. 

This unit has everything a teacher needs to teach Hamlet. Just photocopy and teach. Seriously it’s that easy. There’s no longer a need for hours of research and piecing together bits of information and activity sheets you don’t know what to do with. 

This is a whole, complete unit, from scene summaries, important notes and annotations notes to help students understand what they are reading. I have also included an introduction to the play, a student guide, a teacher guide with detailed lesson plans, quizzes, a creative assignment, and tests (all with answers and evaluation grids), and a comprehensive answer key. Everything has its place and teaches a specific skill.

The unit is appropriate for students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

The unit includes :

– An attractive, interactive, multimedia PowerPoint presentation introducing the play (17 slides)

-A Student Study Guide (with activities, Act, and scene questions…) and various activities (14 pages)

-A Teacher Guide (with detailed, comprehensive lessons, unit plan, and additional notes to guide students.) -9 pages and 16 complete lessons. The teacher Guide also includes links to the audiobook (the exact time to cue the audio), AND it includes a list of speaking roles if reading out loud in class)to help with time management and organization.

-18 pages of comprehensive scene summaries and important notes for each scene (annotations for each scene)***THIS IS A TEACHER FAVORITE!

A creative Hamlet Guess Who? Game to help students understand the characters. (What’s fun about this game is that it can be played from the beginning of the play right to the end, and students’ answers will change depending on the act they are reading.) LOTS OF FUN!

-A comprehensive answer key for all questions and activities. (24 pages)

-Comprehension quiz on Acts 1 and 2 in Word format for easy modifications (with evaluation grid) and answer key.

-Mid-play evaluation – The Parody – creative writing and analysis (in Word format for easy modifications – with evaluation grid)

-Summary guide (highlighting the significant events from each scene with important analytical information) – Throughout my years of teaching this play, I have amounted excellent notes and annotations, listing the most significant actions throughout each scene. I have retyped these annotations to help you teach the play, so your students will understand it (and so will you). (18 pages)

-The culminating evaluation includes three different versions of the final unit test with evaluation grid and answer key (in Word for easy modifications)

Includes a total of 109 pages.

Check out this sketchnote resource to further student comprehension:
Hamlet Scene Summary Visual Notebook

You may also be interested in the following products: 
Poetry Through Song Unit
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit
Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation
Teaching The Essay Package
Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 109 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 1 month


Free: The Outline – Free Essay Writing Pack

Product Description

The Outline package has been devised as a resource to help guide students develop their essay writing skills. Seeing as the outline is the skeleton of a student’s essay, this document has been devised to help students organize their ideas within the essay format. 

The document is created using a Word format for ease of use and modification. 

It’s teaching made easy!

Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

Teaching The Essay Package
Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 11 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


I Have, Who has? Game for Teaching Figurative Language and Poetry

Product Description

The goal of this game is to help students memorize and understand FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE through the use of games. Playing rather than memorizing is a fun activity that will engage students in a classroom. 

Included in this purchase is the MASTER SHEET, which contains the answers, attractive STUDENT CARDS, which you can print and cut out in colour (on card stock and laminate for sustainable use), and A SET OF RULES explaining how the game works.

This package contains 23 cards and 12 extra blank cards in case you have a bigger class.

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 11 pages

Answer Key ncluded

Teaching Duration N/A


Thesis Writing Activity

Product Description

We all know that the thesis statement is the most important part of the essay. This is also the part of the essay with which students have the most difficulty.

When you are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a work, you are able to write better yourself.

Topic: Is knowledge good or destructive? The subject is interesting, and can be used along with many different types of literature, or on its own.

In this bundle, I’ve included an interactive PowerPoint presentation that includes the following:

-The definition of a thesis statement

-How to write a thesis statement (and the steps to take leading up to the thesis)

-5 examples of thesis statements, where students must identify both the weaknesses and the strengths

-10 slides explaining the strengths in the examples and the weaknesses in the examples

-1 example of a well-written thesis statement, and an explanation about why it’s good.

To accompany the PowerPoint presentation, I’ve included a student activity sheet with a list of all of the examples written in the PPT. (PDF format)

Also included is a lesson plan with details regarding the PowerPoint and activity sheet.

As a bonus, I’ve also included 2 posters listing the 7 essential steps to writing a great thesis. I’ve included an image format and a PDF format for easy printing.

-the first poster measures 70 cm (27.6 inches)

-the second poster, which students can actually read from far away, measures 97 cm (38.2 inches)

You may also be interested in these products as well:

– Grammar Cheat Sheet

– Rubrics: Self-Evaluation Sheets and Teacher Assessment Rubrics

– Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 22 slides, 1 page, 1 poster

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration N/A


Free: Poetry Through Song – Individual Lesson (Sound of Silence)

Product Description

This individual 2-day lesson teaches poetry through song lyrics

The lesson included in this mini bundle includes a lesson plan, student activity sheets, and a comprehensive answer key. Students will analyze the song “The Sound of Silence,” will learn the importance of allusions, will learn about theme development, and will compare both the original Simon and Garfunkle version to the Disturbed version, all while furthering the theme of the song. 

Poetry should be fun, and it can be! 

This lesson is a preview of my unit called “Poetry Through Song.” Check out the preview to the unit here:
Poetry Through Song Unit
You may also be interested in the following products: 
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit
It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 7 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration 2 days


English Grammar Cheat Sheet

Product Description

This “Cheat Sheet” was designed to help students while writing in English. This at a glance 2 page sheet is colorful and has an easy to find layout to help students remember certain important things while they write.

I allow my students to use this in class when writing a test. This is not a grammar lesson, but it will remind students about the grammar they’ve learned in the past.

Some of the reminders included:

– parts of speech

– transitional words

– quotation marks (how and when to use them)

– basic sentence structure

– spelling tips (plurals of nouns and IE rule)

– puncutaion rules (apostrophe, colon, semicolon

The other side of the page has comma rules:

– with coordinate conjunctions

-with introductory elements

– with other elements (dates, parenthetical expression, nouns in a direct address)

– with adjectives

-with appositives

It also contains tips on things to avoid, such as writing a paragraph shorter than 4 sentences. And, it contains a list of things to do, such as make sure that your paragraphs contain at least 2 pieces of evidence.

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 2 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


How to write a paragraph

Product Description

The Paragraph package is an easy to use document that will help students learn how to write effectively using the proper form.
The document includes a detailed description of the different types of paragraphs as well as how to effectively write the paragraph (with sentence by sentence instructions).

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 3 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


FREE Frankenstein Debate

Product Description

The Frankenstein Debate Package includes topics for students, a Procedure Sheet to help teachers take notes during the debate, as well as an evaluation sheet.

This free activity is part of a larger unit:
Frankenstein Unit (No prep)

I hope you enjoy this document. 

If you enjoy it, please visit my store to see what else I have to offer and leave a comment.

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 4 pages


Introduction to Creative Writing PowerPoint

Product Description

The Introduction to Creative Writing PowerPoint

is an easy way to introduce both a creative writing unit or a creative writing class. The PowerPoint includes thought-provoking questions and includes an overview of what writing should and shouldn’t be.

The PowerPoint includes 13 slides with the following titles:

-Activity on students’ expectations of the class

– All about being a writer

-Course overview (ex. Characterization, story structure, etc.)

– Stephen King on Writing

– Inspirational quotes from famous writers about writing

-The writing process

-General and realistic goals in writing

-Students’ personal goal about writing

– Ice breaking activity (So… What’s your story?)

– Grammar and spelling in writing

-Formatting

– Homework activity

Please see the preview for more details.

You may also be interested in the following products that are part of my Creative Writing Series:

Exploring the Elements of Fiction in Creative Writing

Creative Writing Activity

Buidling Suspense in Creative Writing

Creative Characters in Creative Writing

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 13 slides

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration 1 hour


Short Story Bundle Unit Plan

Product Description

The Short Story Bundle is 4 short story mini-units for the price of one. See the preview for more details.

Seventh Grade Short Story Mini Unit is a great way to start any literature unit. Suitable from grade seven to ten, this unit reviews literary elements and allows students to practice identifying all important elements.

The unit includes:

-A Copy of the short story

-An anticipation reading guide

-a two-page literary element cheat sheet

-plot graph

-word wall

-Character trait explanation sheet

-Characterization activity

-Writing evaluation (or activity) with evaluation sheet

-Comprehensive answer key for all activities.

18 pages total

“The Elevator” Short Story Mini-Unit is a one-stop-shop for teaching the short story. Other than photocopies, all of the work has been done for you.

This mini-unit is suitable for grades 7 through 10 and includes:

-a copy of the short story

-questions for comprehension

-a plot chart organizer

-activity to help students discover the author’s purpose for writing

-an instructional sheet on how to develop themes (with a practical example)

-an instructional sheet on how to develop a theme in paragraph form

-a graphic organizer to help students organize their paragraphs

-an example of a completed graphic organizer to plan the paragraph

-an example of a paragraph for “The Elevator.”

-a comprehensive answer key for all handouts

-a three-day lesson plan to accompany the story

This short story mini-unit features Shirley Jackson’s short story “Charles.” Appropriate for grades 7 to 10, the lessons focus on the development of theme and paragraphs.

Included in the mini-unit is:

• A copy of the short story

• A prediction chart

• An anticipation guide

• Activity sheet (select important passages in the text for theme and paragraph support)

• Author’s purpose activity sheet

• How to develop a theme sheet with an example

• A graphic organizer to help students plan their paragraph

• An answer key for all activities

• 3-day lesson plan for easy planning

16 pages total

The Rain Rain Go Away Mini Unit includes all materials to teach this short story. Students also get the opportunity to be creative and collaborate with others in the creative process. This unit is always a hit in my class.

The resource includes:

-An anticipation guide

-A copy of the short story

-Questions for comprehension

-Plot graph activity

-Information sheet on characterization and an accompanying activity

-A personal word wall to improve students’ vocabulary and understanding

-A comprehensive answer key for all activities

Also included are two evaluations with evaluation grids:

-An individual evaluation where the student must write an alternate ending to the story

-A group evaluation where students must work collaboratively to produce an alternate ending

24 pages total

Individual Short Story Mini-Units:

The Elevator Short Story Mini Unit

Rain, Rain, Go Away Short Story Mini Unit

Seventh Grade Mini Unit

Charles Short Story Mini Unit

You may also be interested in the following products:

Intermediate Poetry Unit

Super Hero Themed Parts of Speech Posters (FREE)

FREE Parts of Speech Grammar Circles (Superhero Themed)

Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Spelling Flip Book

Rubrics Self-Evaluation

Fish Bowl Evaluation Bundle

Opinion Piece Bundle

How to Write a Paragraph

ELA Literature Study Unit to Use with ANY Work of Literature

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 74 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 2 Weeks


The Yellow Wallpaper Mini-Unit

Product Description

The Yellow Wallpaper Mini-Unit” is perfect for teaching students to analyze literature in a meaningful way. All of the prep work and thinking has been done for you. This truly is a print-and-go resource. The mini-unit includes 5 lesson plans, an interactive PowerPoint presentation to introduce the story’s historical context, student activities, as well as a detailed answer key. The mini-unit also includes a creative writing piece which allows students to play around with voice and situate themselves within the context of the times.

This lesson is suitable for grades 9 to 12.

60 pages and 19 slides total in this unit.

See below for further details.

The PowerPoint is an interactive presentation with information about the author, the context of the time, notes on feminist literature and its history, information about Weir Mitchell and the rest cure, experts form François Poullain de la Barre’s “The Woman as Good as the Man, and an excerpt from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “Émile, or On Education” to help students understand women’s frustrations and the want for change.

The Lesson Plans contain 5 comprehensive lessons, which fully explore this work’s mastery and teaches students to think critically by annotating the work. The lesson plans include journal topics, class discussions, and exit tickets, as well as learning goals for each lesson for students to fully grasp the importance of this work.

The student Activities include an activity on symbolism, an activity on theme, a tutorial on how to develop themes in paragraph form (this is an important skill for ELA students), an example of a developed theme, and a paragraph organizer.

Two copies of the short story are included – a copy of the short story with space for students to annotate the work and an annotated copy for the teacher or for differentiated learning as the case may be. (Provided in Word as well as PDF format to allow you to add your own annotations.)

Two evaluations are also included: (All evaluations are available Word and PDF format to suit students’ needs.)

· One evaluation is a creative writing assignment where students assume the voice of a man during the 1890’s responding to Mary Wollstonecraft’s views on women’s rights.

· Also included is an analysis evaluation where students must develop one of the themes from the work. (A sample answer is provided with rubric)

A comprehensive answer key is provided for all work.

Please see the preview for a more visual explanation.

You may also be interested in the following products:
Poetry Through Song Unit
Poetry Unit for Intermediate students
Poetry Unit for Senior Students
Poetry: The Art of Interpretation
Lord of the Flies Unit – No Prep Required
Hamlet Complete No Prep Unit
Romeo and Juliet – No Prep Unit
Death of a Salesman – No Prep Unit
Frankenstein No Prep Unit
Much Ado About Nothing Unit

Total Pages 60 pages and 19 slides
Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 1 Week


Free:Lesson on Allegory and Symbolism Analysis in Poetry is ready to teach (NO PREP).

Product Description

This FREE lesson on Allegory and Symbolism Analysis in Poetry is ready to teach (NO PREP).

This mini bundle includes:

– a complete lesson plan for the teacher
– Student notes on poetry analysis (TPCASTT method of analysis)
– The poem (student copy)
– Annotated poem (for the teacher) and an answer sheet

This lesson is part of a more comprehensive unit:
Click here to view the Poetry Unit for Senior Students)

Just photocopy and teach.

It’s teaching made easy!

You may also be interested in the following products: 
Poetry Through Song Unit
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 10 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration 90 minutes



Comment Bank

Product Description

Do you run out of meaningful criticism for your students’ high school papers and work? 

I created this comment bank because I had the same problem. After a little while, you don’t know what to write on a student’s test. 

The Comment Bank has been constructed to save the Language Arts teacher time when offering constructive and helpful comments on students’ evaluations. Marking papers in any Language Arts class is always a lengthy process. Increasingly, teachers are being asked to write more detailed comments to highlight students’ strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes we run out of ideas. Being the vigilant teachers we are, and wanting to help our students achieve their potential is and will always be one of our priorities. To this end, when marking students’ papers, writing down everything we want to say to them about their papers would be a very lengthy process. I have decided to share my personal comment bank with you.

The bank comments on the following areas: 

-Structure
-Communication
-The next step
-Mechanics
-Style
-Persuasion
-Analysis

The package contains 7 pages of comments, which are divided by levels of accomplishment A, B, C and D. (levels 100 to 50)

Included in this package are over 120 comments for students. You can get inspiration from these pages to handwrite your comments, or you can do what I do and copy/paste your comments into a word document, print, and staple the comment to the students’ evaluations. This is a real time saver. Parents, students, and school administration LOVE this method of feedback. And, this way, it takes much less time to be much more efficient. I hope you enjoy it!

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You may also be interested in the following products: 
Poetry Through Song Unit
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit
Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation
Teaching The Essay Package
Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes
It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 7 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


Evaluating a Fish bowl Activity in a Literature Circle

Product Description

The Fishbowl activity is mostly useful during literature circles or in a novel study. Quite literally, the group in the center is being watched by the rest of the class, while they are discussing elements of fiction. This activity is a very important tool in order to teach students how group discussions should run, what is to be said, and how it is to be said. Many times the leader of the discussion doesn’t know how to prompt members to elaborate upon their contributions. This will certainly help.

In addition, it is often difficult for a teacher to evaluate these discussions, which is the reason I have created this package. It is easy to use and you can merely check boxes to quickly assess each member of the groups.

This package contains:
• An explanation of The Fishbowl Activity
• How to run a Fishbowl Activity (within the realm of a literature circle)
• Why such an activity is important
• Evaluation sheets one can use to easily evaluate the discussions and roles of students

It’s teaching made easy!

Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

Teaching The Essay Package
Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 8 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


Poetry Lesson on Sonnets (Shakespeare and Browning)

Product Description

Lesson on Sonnets

This mini bundle includes a sonnet from William Shakespeare (#130) and a sonnet from Elizabeth Browning (How do I Love Thee?). In this activity, students will compare the different tones and forms from both poems. One is beautiful and romanticizes love, and the other sees love realistically (and a little meanly if you ask me). Students will identify the different types of sonnets, the figurative language found within their lines and will have the opportunity to write their own.

Students get to see another side of Shakespeare from his sonnet. Students always love his realistic, yet sarcastic portrayal of love.

The mini bundle includes:
– a detailed lesson plan for the teacher
– student notes (the poems) and activity
– an annotated copy of the poems as well as a comprehensive answer key.

The entire unit contains four pages.

This lesson is part of a larger poetry bundle:
Click here to preview the Poetry Unit for Senior Students

You may also be interested in the following products: 
Poetry Through Song Unit
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 4 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration 1 hour



Senior Language Arts Learning Goals Posters



Product Description

Senior Language Arts Learning Goals Poster

Learning goals are important for our students’ education and learning. When we have a goal in mind when teaching, everything else serves a specific purpose, and everything seems to fall into place. As teachers, we are asked to display these learning goals in our classroom, but for me, this wasn’t possible.

With 30 plus students in my class, I didn’t have time to write my learning goals on chart paper or display them on the board. Hmmm… what’s a girl to do? 

I created these posters to make my life, as well as yours, easier. This bundle offers ALL of the senior, (grade 12) goals and is in line with the Common Core as well as the Canadian curriculums.

The bundle includes: 

A 14-page checklist of all of the learning goals, which can help the teacher keep track of what’s been covered and what hasn’t. 

55 Learning Goal posters (8×11) that can easily be posted on the bulletin board or the chalkboard at the front of the class. 

These posters allow students to track learn the focus of the lesson.

Three strands are covered: (with the focus of each poster clearly indicated) 
1) Reading and Interpretation 
2) Writing and Representation
3) Oral and Oral-Visual Communication

It’s teaching made easy!

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Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

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Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

Total Pages 64 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


Free Inference Cheat Sheet

Product Description

Do your students insert examples and quotes into their texts without properly analyzing them? Without proper analysis, an essay can sound like a long, drawn-out list written in complete sentences. We teach students to infer and to analyze, but they sometimes forget to incorporate this into their texts and essays.

I have created an “Inference Cheat Sheet” with key inferencing words and phrases to remind students that after inserting a piece of evidence, they need to explain its relevance.

Included are:

  • Two different styles of the at-a-glance “Cheat Sheet.”
  • An inference poster (8.5×11) – as seen on the cover.
  • Two different styles of letters for an inference bulletin board.
  • A copy of ALL the phrases used on the Cheat Sheet to create a bulletin board in class.

I hope that this resource will be helpful to students in your classes.

Poetry Through Song Unit
Poetry Unit for Intermediate students
Poetry Unit for Senior Students
Poetry: The Art of Interpretation
Lord of the Flies Unit – No Prep Required
Hamlet Complete No Prep Unit
Romeo and Juliet – No Prep Unit
Death of a Salesman – No Prep Unit
Frankenstein No Prep Unit
Much Ado About Nothing Unit

It’s teaching Made as Easy as 123!

Total Pages 24 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


Romeo and Juliet Unit – No prep required

Product Description

ROMEO AND JULIET UNIT

This bundled unit has been designed to make life easier for the Language Arts teacher. It contains a teacher guide with detailed lessons, a student guide with all of the notes required by students, an answer key for students’ work, and three evaluations (answer keys and evaluation rubrics included). All you need to do is print and begin teaching. 

This purchase includes:

•A comprehensive Teacher guide with 15 detailed lessons (7 pages)

•A student guide with guiding questions and activities (focus on characterization, themes, figurative language, irony, etc…) -10 pages

•A Scavenger Hunt activity to introduce students to Shakespeare and his times (includes eight colorful cards and a PowerPoint with answers.)

•A detailed answer key for students’ work (10 pages)

•A quiz on Acts 1 and 2 – answer key included

•Oral presentation on Irony – evaluation rubric included

•Culminating Activity – Students write a children’s story based on the themes in the play. Evaluation rubric as well as work process sheets included (7 pages)

There are a total of 51 pages included in this unit.

The unit will last between 17 to 20 periods. (3 – 4 week unit)

All that’s left is to teach. I hope you enjoy this unit.

You may also be interested in the following products: 
Poetry Through Song Unit
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

It’s teaching made easy! 

Total Pages 89 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 2 Weeks


How to Read and Appreciate Poetry Powerpoint

Product Description

Use the How to Read and Appreciate Poetry Powerpoint to introduce any poetry unit.

The multimedia presentation includes 17 interactive slides (no internet required)

The slides introduce:

-How to read a poem
-Uses a humouristic approach at understanding and appreciating poetry
-Includes discussion questions and introductory activities
-The definition of poetry
-How to approach poetry
-The importance of poetry
-How to read, analyse, and understand poetry
-How to enjoy poetry

This is a visually appealing way to introduce poetry because it suggests a different approach.

Total Pages 17 SLIDES

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration 1 hour


ELA Report Card Comments

Product Description

The end of a school year or semester is always a challenge for English Language Arts teachers. Between the marking, end of the year activities, and packing up your class for the following year, creating individual and meaningful comments on students’ report cards can be challenging.

I say, take back your weekends! I am sharing my mid and end of year report card ELA comments with you. There are over 70 comments for you to use and personalize your ELA report cards.

There are comments on: 
-supporting an opinion
-argument development
-speeches
-theme development
-theme development while using historical context for analysis purposes
-supporting arguments in essay form
-Reading strategies
-reading comprehension
-Group work and literature circles
-novel study

There are also a slew of next step comments as well.

Each section is divided by levels 1,2, 3, and 4 where you can select the appropriate comment to accompany the mark the student received. 

It’s teaching made easy!

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Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

Teaching The Essay Package
Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes
Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 6 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A



Death of a Salesman Unit (Complete No Prep)

Product Description

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman used to be one of my least favorite plays to teach. I found it depressing, and I had a difficult time teaching it in a way that was meaningful to students. Then, I created this bundle so that students would not only learn about drama, tragedy, irony, etc. but also think about their own futures, while they are contemplating their post-secondary education. While Willy Loman’s dreams are unrealistic and unattainable, students contemplate their own dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. You will definitely have more than a few excellent discussions when teaching this play.

This unit has been conceived with the teacher in mind. It contains a Student Guide, a Teacher Guide, and a comprehensive Answer Key. All you have to do is print the packages and teach them. It’s as easy as that! I’ve also included two different options for end unit evaluations, which both contain evaluation grids and answer key. The unit is, in my opinion, visually appealing and the contents teach analysis of literature.

What the bundle contains: (The documents, except for the evaluations, are in PDF format.)

The Student Guide contain 16 pages: (2 versions, with graphics and one without)

-Notes on the American Dream

-An anticipation guide

-An in-depth look at success as it pertains to the lives of the students (which can, later on, be related to the play.)

-Thematic comprehension questions for each act

-Work on motifs and symbols used in the play

-Work on characterization

-Poem association (Langston Hughes’ poem)

-Notes on tragedy (Aristotle’s definition and modern definition)

-Review notes for students

Answer Key contains 29 pages:

-Answers to ALL of the students’ work

-Introduction to Arthur Miller

-Comprehensive notes on each scene of the play (to help students understand and appreciate literary techniques used by the author)

-List of themes and how they are developed – Revue sheet

Final evaluation contains three different options:

1) A unit test with answer key. Contains 3 essay type questions.

2) An essay. Contains essay topics, work process (steps 1…..), an outline guide, and an evaluation grid.

ALL EVALUATIONS ARE FORMATTED IN WORD DOCUMENTS FOR EASY CHANGES AND MODIFICATIONS AND INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE ANSWER KEY.

The Teacher Guide contains 5 pages:

-Includes 8 complete lessons that leave the teacher nothing to do, but to teach.

Lesson 1: Historical context and pre-reading

Lesson 2: Setting and reading (there are specific pages assigned to each lesson)

Lesson 3: Symbols, Motifs and reading the play

Lesson 4: Character chart and reading the play

Lesson 5: Reading – exploring irony and the meaning of the title

Lesson 6: Reading and a look at the difference between modern and classic tragedy

Lesson 7: Theme development and review

Lesson 8: Evaluation (Option 1 – test (answer key included), Option 2 – Essay (evaluation grid, work process, outline included)

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Poetry Through Song Unit

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Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)

Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)

Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)

Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students

Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

Teaching The Essay Package

Essay Evaluation Comments with Drop Down Boxes

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 70 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 2 Weeks


Much Ado About Nothing Unit

Product Description

“Much Ado About Nothing Unit” is a complete, no prep unit that is ready to teach the instant you download it. I love Shakespeare, especially his comedies, and I really want students and teachers alike to love it too. The activities and accompanying lessons in this unit demystifies Shakespeare and makes it relatable to students. The unit included all lesson plans with 16 comprehensive lessons and reading schedule (with learning objective listed for each lesson), all student activities, evaluations, rubrics, comprehensive answer keys for all work and assignments, and fun bonus materials to suit your students’ interests.

The unit is appropriate for grades 9 through 12.

Take a look at the unit preview for more visual details. The unit includes:

A total of 100 pages in PDF and 12 PowerPoint slides are included in this unit.

Act and Scene Guide (Includes the characters found in the scene and the approximate reading time.)

Teacher Guide (lesson plans) – 16 easy to follow lessons, learning objectives, reading schedule, with included reading prompts, journal entries, and exit tickets (or closing activities.)

Students Activities include:

❒ Pre-Reading Activity

❒ Act 1 Comprehension questions

❒ Act 2 Comprehension questions

❒ Act 3 Comprehension questions

❒ Acts 4-5 Comprehension questions

❒ Who’s who in Act 1

❒ Literary Devices (Act 1)

❒ Characterization Activity

❒ Subplot Activity

❒ The Plan (conflict)

❒ Dogberry’s Malapropisms

❒ Much Ado About Noting (theme work)

❒ Activity on Symbolism

❒ Activity on Theme

Comprehensive Answer Key for ALL activities.

Evaluations include:

❒ Quiz on Acts 1 and 2 (With answer key and rubric)

❒ Beatrice vs. Benedick (oral presentation skits)- rubric is included

❒ Fake News – newspaper article (writing activity) – with rubric

❒ unit test – with answer key and rubric

❒ Song analysis Activity for theme review (optional evaluation or activity) – with rubric

Optional bonus activities are also included

❒ A love letter activity (Optional evaluation – rubric included)

❒ A Dear Abby activity

❒ Behind the Mask – an anti-bullying campaign (can be used as an evaluation – rubric included)

❒ Additional journal topics

To further student learning, a Guess Who? For Much Ado game is included. This is a fun way to learn about the characters in the play. And, as the play progresses, students’ questioning must change to keep track of character growth. (30 slides)

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Poetry Through Song Unit

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Lord of the Flies Unit – No Prep Required

Hamlet Complete No Prep Unit

Romeo and Juliet – No Prep Unit

Death of a Salesman – No Prep Unit

Frankenstein No Prep Unit

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages 98 Pages and 30 Slides

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 1 month


The Three Paragraph Essay

Product Description

This is a great way to teach students how to structure their essay properly. 

The Three Paragraph Essay is a resource that is best used for novice essay writers. It is an excellent way to introduce the expository essay. The 2-page pdf document includes simple step-by-step instructions to teach students how to write an effective three paragraph essay.

I recommend using this material with students who are in grades 7-9. It is an efficient and simple way of learning how to write a proper introduction, a one paragraph development, and a conclusion that serves a purpose.

It’s teaching made easy!

You may also be interested in the following products: 

Thesis Writing Activity with PowerPoint Presentation

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Lord of the Flies Unit (No prep required)
Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)
Death of a Salesman (No prep required)
Frankenstein (No prep – Complete Unit)
Poetry Unit for Senior Students (NO PREP)
Poetry Unit for Intermediate Students
Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation
Romeo and Juliet – A No Prep Unit

Total Pages 2 pages

Answer Key N/A

Teaching Duration N/A


The Elevator Short Story Mini Unit

Product Description

“The Elevator” Short Story Mini-Unit is a one-stop-shop for teaching the short story. Other than photocopies, all of the work has been done for you.

This mini-unit is suitable for grades 7 through 10 and includes:

-a copy of the short story

-questions for comprehension

-a plot chart organizer

-activity to help students discover the author’s purpose for writing

-an instructional sheet on how to develop themes (with a practical example)

-an instructional sheet on how to develop a theme in paragraph form

-a graphic organizer to help students organize their paragraphs

-an example of a completed graphic organizer to plan the paragraph

-an example of a paragraph for “The Elevator.”

-a comprehensive answer key for all handouts

-a three-day lesson plan to accompany the story

It’s teaching made easy!

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Rain, Rain, Go Away Short Story Mini Unit

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Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Spelling Flip Book

Rubrics Self-Evaluation

Fish Bowl Evaluation Bundle

Opinion Piece Bundle

How to Write a Paragraph

ELA Literature Study Unit to Use with ANY Work of Literature

Total Pages 16 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration N/A


Parts of Speech Grammar Circles (Superhero Themed)

Product Description

Superhero themed Parts of speech Grammar Circle Unit

One of the biggest challenges I had in my English classes was how to fit grammar in with everything else I had to teach. I would give students grammar pages, and then we would correct them together. It was tedious, and it took forever! What’s more is that students were not learning the way I wanted them to. They wouldn’t apply what they had learned from the grammar pages and activities. 

I found a solution!

Grammar Circles. Grammar Circles are very similar to literature circles in the sense that students are teaching one another grammar. It is a fun and functional way to teach and Learn grammar. Although this may be done individually, it can also be completed as a group where students, through a specific process outlined in the package, teach one another grammar. They also correct the work together, so the teacher has very little to do other than to facilitate and supervise. 

Once these circles have been implemented and students know who their group members are and what they are supposed to do, it is a great prep to leave a supply teacher.

The package includes:

1) A Student Packet – which contains the Literature Circle directions, the notes, and activities, and a “Mark Calculation” page to keep track of their marks. (27 pages)

Activities included focus on: 

-nouns
-adjectives
-verbs
-adverbs
-prepositions
-conjunctions
-putting in all together
-correct use of pronouns
-who and whom
-that and which
-who’s and whose
-that and who
-pronoun case
-pronoun agreement
-active and passive voice
-verb tenses (present, past, future)
-verb uses (consistency in verb tenses)

2) A teacher Guide with easy to follow instructions on how to organize the Grammar Circles.

3) The Answer Key – devised to allow students to correct their work and learn from one another. 

Also included are free Superhero Themed Parts of Speech Posters to decorate your class.

For those who are from Ontario, Canada – this unit adheres to the Grade 9 English Curriculum (academic). The unit can be taught in any grade to learn parts of speech. 

(51 pages total for this unit)

You may also be interested in:

Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Super Hero Themed Parts of Speech Posters (FREE)

Total Pages 51 pages

Answer Key Included

Teaching Duration N/A


Seventh Grade Short Story Mini Unit

Product Description

Seventh Grade Short Story Mini Unit is a great way to start any literature unit. Suitable from grade seven to ten, this unit reviews literary elements and allows students to practice identifying all important elements.

The unit includes:

-A Copy of the short story

-An anticipation reading guide

-a two-page literary element cheat sheet

-plot graph

-word wall

-Character trait explanation sheet

-Characterization activity

-Writing evaluation (or activity) with an evaluation sheet

-Comprehensive answer key for all activities.

18 pages total

It’s teaching made easy!

You may also be interested in the following products:

The Elevator Short Story Mini Unit

Intermediate Poetry Unit

Super Hero Themed Parts of Speech Posters (FREE)

FREE Parts of Speech Grammar Circles (Superhero Themed)

Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Spelling Flip Book

Rubrics Self-Evaluation

Fish Bowl Evaluation Bundle

Opinion Piece Bundle

How to Write a Paragraph

ELA Literature Study Unit to Use with ANY Work of Literature

Total Pages 18 pages

Answer Key Included with rubric

Teaching Duration 3 days