Category Archives: English Language Arts

This category contains domain-specific material–reading and writing expository prose, interpreting literature etc.–designed to meet the Common Core standards in English language arts while at the same time being flexible enough to meet the needs of diverse and idiosyncratic learners.

Cultural Literacy: Joseph McCarthy

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Alright, last but not least today, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose name you surely recognize as a blight on a period of United States history that in fact bears his name, the “McCarthy Era,” and describes a particular style of political paranoia, McCarthyism.

This is a full-page worksheet, so it has a number of uses, including independent practice (i.e. homework).

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , ,

Write It Right: Antecedents for Personal History

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Antecedents for Personal History. Antecedents are predecessors.”

Excerpted from: Bierce, Ambrose. Write it Right: A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2010.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences

Tagged ,

Word Root Exercise: Arbor

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Here’s a worksheet on the Latin word root arbor, which as you probably know means tree. This is a relatively productive root in English, though its words tend to be somewhat specialized in the life sciences. Nonetheless, word roots are one way to build vocabulary very quickly if that’s what you need to do.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , , , ,

David Letterman on Statistics

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“USA Today has come out with a new survey; apparently, three out of every four people make up 75 percent of the population.”

David Letterman

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences

Tagged , , ,

Dale Earnhardt

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Depending on where you are and whom your teaching, this reading on Dale Earnhardt may well be high-interest material. It certainly was in Vermont. Less popular perhaps, but still necessary, is the vocabulary-building and comprehension sheet, but there it is anyway.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , , , , ,

Deaccessioning

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Deaccessioning: In the late 1980s the art market experienced an enormous book and prices skyrocketed for all artworks, but especially for Impressionist and Modern paintings. Acquisition budgets at most museums could not keep up with the new prices. In order to acquire new and important works, some museums resorted to the sale of what were considered secondary or redundant works in their collections. The auctioning off of several works then supplied the funds to buy one or two paintings which could fill gaps in the existing collection. Deaccessioning was controversial, raising questions as to whether such decisions reflected current tastes and would stand the test of time.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences

Tagged

Passed (v/pt), Past (adj)

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

OK, from the back of the Text Terminal, here are five worksheets on the homophones passed (past tense of the verb pass) and past (used as an adjective.) This is another one of those things lying around unfinished. I’ll bet you’ve taught a student or two who confused these two words, so this ought to have some utility somewhere, I guess.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , ,

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “Made in Japan”

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

I haven’t posted one in awhile, so here is a lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “Made in Japan.”

This lesson opens, if you’re so inclined, with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the term and concept of “star-crossed lovers.” You’ll need this scan of the text, illustration, and questions to conduct your investigation. And once you’ve gathered the evidence and analyzed, it, you’ll need the typescript of the answer key to check your detective work.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Lesson Plans, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , , , , ,

Term of Art: Indefinite Pronoun

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

“Indefinite Pronoun: A pronoun that refers to an unspecified person (anybody) or thing (something).”

Excerpted from: Strunk, William Jr., and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. New York: Longman, 2000.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference

Tagged ,

Animate (vt)

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

Here’s a context clues worksheet on the verb animate. This is one of those good, lively verbs that students probably ought to know for its own sake–i.e., that it is a very strong verb. Besides meaning “to produce in the form of an animated cartoon” it can mean, depending on context, “to give spirit and support to : ENCOURAGE,”to give life to,” “to give vigor and zest to,” and the way I generally use it in expository prose, “to move to action.”

In any case, as a verb, animate is only used transitively.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , ,