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.

Book of Answers: John Dos Passos

“What are the books in John Dos PassosU.S.A. trilogy? They are: The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919 (1932), and The Big Money (1936). The three were first published together in 1937).”

Excerpted from: Corey, Melinda, and George Ochoa. Literature: The New York Public Library Book of Answers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.

Countermand (vt)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb countermand. It means “to revoke (a command) by a contrary order” and “to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order.” It is only used transitively, so don’t forget to countermand something.

It’s 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.

School

“School: A group of artists working under the same influence—whether a single master, a local style, or a regional style—whose work shows a general stylistic similarity, e.g. Rubens school, Barbizon school, Tuscan school.”

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

Cultural Literacy: Shylock and The Merchant of Venice

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Shakespearean character Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice. This is a Shakespearean character, like many, who has been the subject of a great deal of critical inquiry and discourse.

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.

Term of Art: Culture Shock

“Culture Shock: A term coined in the 1960s to refer to an occupational disease suffered by those suddenly immersed in a culture very different than their own. The term generally implies a negative reaction (physical, cognitive, and psychological) to moving within or between societies, but some authors have suggested it may have benefits for the individual concerned. Those who become partially, or fully, immersed in a new culture may suffer culture shock when re-entering their own society.”

Excerpted from: Marshall, Gordon, ed. Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Garry Kasparov

OK, homebound chess club members, here is a reading on Garry Kasparov and its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

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.

Rotten Rejections: Black Oxen by Gertrude Atherton

“I have no hesitation. In advising you to decline Mrs. Atherton’s novel…principally for the reason that it is an apology for adultery…besides this radical immorality, the novel contains many passages of pseudo-philosophy which would give offense to religious persons.”

Excerpted from: Barnard, Andre, and Bill Henderson, eds. Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections. Wainscott, NY: Pushcart Press, 1998.

Convene (vi/vt), Convention (n)

Here are two context clues worksheets on the verb convene (used both intransitively and transitively) and the noun convention. I’ve used these and others like them (which are forthcoming here) to help students understand the relationships between words as they are distributed across the parts of speech.

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.

Term of Art: The Big Lie

“Big Lie, (The): Untruth on a large, shameless scale, such as a bold falsehood generated and propagated by an unscrupulous government when a less monumental lie might be less believable propaganda; deceit on a grand scale.

‘There has been going about what Editor & Publisher, the frightened handmaiden of the newspaper industry, calls a Big Lie, to the effect that retail sales held up during the blackout better that anybody could have expected; the Big Lie is a product, A&P, things, of a cabal of salesmen of television and radio time.’ A.J. Liebling, The Press

Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.

A Lesson Plan on Nouns as the Direct Objects of Verbs

Here is a lesson plan on nouns as direct objects of verbs in clauses and sentences. I open this lesson with this worksheet on the homophones compliment and complement as both nouns and verbs. Nota bene that many grammar manuals use complement as a noun to designate the direct object of a verb, so I want students to recognize it if they encounter it in such a book. Finally, here is the scaffolded worksheet that is at the center of this lesson.

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.