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.

Superman

Here is a high-interest reading on comics superhero Superman and its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet if you need them.

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.

Acumen (n)

Moving right along on this chilly morning, here is a context clues worksheet on the noun acumen. This is a word I like kids to know and be able to use it in the classroom.

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.

Word Root Exercise: Meter, Metr, and Metry

Here is a vocabulary-building worksheet on the Greek roots meter,metr, and -metry.  They mean measure, to measure, and science of measuring. This root gives rise to words in all domains of the the common branch curriculum, as well as of numerous academic terms of art like psychometric and econometric.

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.

Cultural Literacy: Divine Right of Kings

If you can use it, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the divine right of kings. In this period of United States history, I guess, this is frighteningly relevant material.

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: Nomenclature

“Nomenclature (noun): A system of names for designating the things or member elements of a particular science, field, or discipline; categorical labeling; terminology; list or set of names. Adjective: nomenclative, nomenclatorial, nomenclatural; adverb: nomenclatorially, nomenclaturally.

‘Nailles claimed not to be a superstitious man but he did believe in the mysterious power of nomenclature. He believed, for example, that people named John and Mary never divorced.’ John Cheever, Bullet Park

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

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Health teachers (or any teacher, because I suspect there are more kids than we know who arrive in our schools with this challenge), here is a reading on post-traumatic stress disorder and a vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet to accompany the reading.

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.

The Algonquin Wits: Ring Lardner Offers a Sticky Metaphor

“He gave her a look that you could have poured on a waffle.”

Ring Lardner

Excerpted from: Drennan, Robert E., ed. The Algonquin Wits. New York: Kensington, 1985.

Brandish (vt)

Here’s a context clues worksheet on the verb brandish; it is only used transitively. This isn’t a frequently used word in English, but it’s a very strong verb and one kids might well benefit from knowing and being able to use.

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.

The Weekly Text, August 23, 2019: Five Worksheets on Differentiating the Use of the Homophones Feat and Feet

Here are five worksheets on the homophones feat and feet to suffice for this week’s Text. I’m pretty busy in a new job trying to get the school year started.

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.

The Weekly Text, August 16, 2019: Five Context Clues Worksheets on Succeed (vi/vt), Success (n), Succession (n), Successive (adj), and Successor (n)

Over the years, I have become increasingly concerned with the trouble polysemous words have caused the students under my instruction. English is such a wild mutt of a language that it’s not difficult in the least to see why it causes its learners such problems. In some cases, one needs the skills of a linguist to decode dense strands of polysemy.

While not one of the most difficult words in English, success does morph its definition as it morphs into different parts of speech. Students I have served in the past generally have trouble with sequencing and chronologies, so the idea of succession does not come easily to them. This makes understanding of the chronology, structure, and sequence of say, a royal dynasty, difficult to convey in social studies classes.

I wrote this suite of five context clues worksheets on succeed (verb), success (noun), succession (noun), successive (adjective), and successor (noun) in an attempt to help students get a grasp of this family of words. These worksheets might be best presented in one lesson–I don’t know. I’ve tended to place them with units where the words are used, but I am not at all confident that students made the associations between them necessary to understand them.

So I would be particularly interested in hearing how you used them, if you did.

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.