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.

Euclid

Here is a reading on Euclid along with its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. This is, as so many of the readings from the Intellectual Devotional series tend to be, a nice one-page conspectus on the author of The Elements, and the influences that led to the creation of this, essentially the world’s first first geometry textbook–which is, unsurprisingly, available across the internet in a variety of PDFs. The first one that pops up (under that hyperlink) is from a physicist named Richard Fitzpatrick at the University of Texas; it’s free of advertising clutter and, to the extent of my limited knowledge of the subject, well organized.

Also, in researching this post, I learned that the first of the five volumes in the Intellectual Devotional series is available as a free e-book under that hyperlink (at least at the time of this post’s publication), should you be interested.

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: Task-Oriented Learning

“task-oriented learning: A learning approach in which students are expected to complete specific assigned jobs, or tasks, to gain mastery. Advocates of task-oriented instruction laud it because it is experiential and hands-on, as opposed to instruction that relies on books and lectures.”

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

Cultural Literacy: Balance of Trade

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the balance of trade. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two compound sentences and three comprehension questions. A concise introduction to a fundamental concept in the economics of trade. If I had been paying attention, I would have paired this document into one post with this worksheet on the balance of payments as a concept in trade and economics I that posted about a week ago.

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.

Thomas Edison on the Labor of Thought

“There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.”

Thomas Edison

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

Fraternize (vi)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb fraternize. It means “to associate or mingle as brothers or on fraternal terms,” “to associate on close terms with members of a hostile group especially when contrary to military orders,” and “to be friendly or amiable.” The context clues in the sentences in this worksheet point to the first and third of these definitions, the middle definition not at all. I thought trying to include that would make the worksheet a bit too busy. Also, I remember thinking the middle definition might require its own set of context clues sentences, and might be best pegged to a lesson where the definition comes into play.

Also, this is one of those verbs used only transitively. So don’t bother with your direct object; you don’t need it.

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, 22 July 2022: A Lesson Plan on Correlative Conjunctions (Part 1)

This week’s Text is first of two lessons on correlative conjunctions–the second will appear here next Friday.

I use this usage worksheet on its and it’s as the do-now exercise to open this lesson. Should the lesson go into a second day, here is a second do-now, this one an Everyday Edit worksheet on bullying. And to give credit where it is so abundantly due, don’t forget that the proprietors of the Education World website distribute a yearlong supply of Everyday Edit worksheets–free for the taking. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: for certain students I have served over the years, these Everyday Edit worksheet have been quite satisfying.

This scaffolded worksheet on using correlative conjunctions is the principal work of this lesson. And to make delivering the lesson a little easier on you, here is the teacher’s copy of same.

That’s it. As above, the second part of this two-part lesson will appear here next week.

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.

Norman Cousins on Facts and Interpretation

“Unobstructed access to facts can produce unlimited good only if it is matched by the desire and ability to find out what they mean and where they lead.”

Norman Cousins “Freedom as Teacher” (1981)

Excerpted from: Howe, Randy, ed. The Quotable Teacher. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2003.

Common Errors in English Usage: Incredulous, Incredible

OK, once again from Paul Brians’ book Common Errors in English Usage (to which he allows free access under this hyperlink), here is a worksheet on differentiating the adjectives incredulous and incredible. Both of these words contain the Latin word root cred, which means believe. In any case, this is a full-page document with a two-sentence reading and ten modified cloze exercises. But, as with nearly everything you’ll find published on this blog, this is a Microsoft Word document, so you may alter it to the needs of your curricular situation.

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.

Octave Mirbeau on What Sounds Like a Day at Work

“You’re obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions you despise, condemn, and know lack all foundation. It is that permanent contradiction between your ideas and desires and all the dead formalities and vain pretenses of your civilization which makes you sad, troubled, and unbalanced. In that intolerable conflict you lose all joy of life and all feeling of personality, because at every moment they suppress and restrain and check the free play of your powers. That’s the poisoned and mortal wound of the civilized world.”

Octave Mirbeau

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

Common English Verbs Followed by Gerunds: Postpone

Here is a worksheet on the verb postpone when used with a gerund. I postponed throwing away a series of dubious worksheets.

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.