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.

Term of Art: Maxim

Posted on December 17, 2018 | Leave a comment

“Maxim (noun): A summary universal truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct; proverbial or sententious saying.

‘I guess I was seven when I first heard the maxim that only people with a small vocabulary use “dirty” words. I am forty-seven and have just received a communication from a reader delivering this maxim as though he invented it. William F. Buckley, Jr., Execution Eve'”

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

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Wayne Gretzky

Posted on December 17, 2018 | Leave a comment

At the beginning of another work week (for me, one of the odder pleasures of getting older is no longer dreading Monday mornings), here is a reading on Wayne Gretzky and the comprehension worksheet that accompanies it. I’ve been producing quite a few new readings and worksheets, particularly high interest stuff, so they’ll be showing up here from time to time.

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.

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Rotten Reviews: Henderson the Rain King

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

“The novelist who doesn’t like meanings writes an allegory; the allegory means that men should not mean but be. Ods bodkins. The reviewer looks at the evidence and wonders if he should damn the author and praise the book, or praise the author and damn the book. And is it possible, somehow or other to praise or damn, both? He isn’t sure.”

Reed Whittemore, New Republic

“At times Henderson is too greyly overcast with thought to be more than a dun Quixote.”

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

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Independent Practice: Alexander the Great

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

This independent practice worksheet on Alexander the Great probably fits into the social studies curriculum somewhere between grades six and nine. You can always adapt it; like everything else here, the document is in the easily manipulable Microsoft Word.

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.

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Hear (vt/vi) and Here (n)

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

These five worksheets on the homophones hear and here might be useful in a variety of settings, and I think English language learners might benefit from them. One thing is beyond dispute, I submit: these are two words students really must be able to use properly.

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.

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Garrison (n)

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

It can also be used as a transitive verb (The conquering army garrisoned the city), but for now here is a context clues worksheet on the noun garrison.

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.

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Book of Answers: One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

“Who wrote One Hundred and One Dalmatians? The source of the popular Disney film was Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel.”

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

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Mickey Mouse

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

Here is a reading on Mickey Mouse and its accompanying comprehension worksheet. I continue to have good luck using this kind of short, high-interest reading with students who dislike reading and are unequivocal about that sentiment.

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.

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Cultural Literacy: The Women’s Movement

Posted on December 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

On a grey and chilly Saturday morning, here is something timely: a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Women’s Movement. It might help your students understand how we reached the point we have in our zeitgeist. It turns out, to the surprise of very few, that women prefer not to be thought of or treated like objects.

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.

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Term of Art: Active Reading

Posted on December 14, 2018 | Leave a comment

“A set of pedagogical strategies intended to get students involved in thinking about what they are reading. Active reading may involve any of a wide range of activities, such as underlining, outlining, predicting, summarizing, paraphrasing, connecting the reading to one’s own experiences, visualizing, or asking questions about the content of the reading material.”

Excerpted from: Ravitch, Diane. EdSpeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2007.

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Posted in English Language Arts, Essays/Readings, Quotes, Reference

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