Category Archives: Independent Practice

This is material either specifically designed for or appropriate to use for what is more commonly known as “homework.”

The Weekly Text, June 1, 2018: A Lesson Plan on the Latin Word Roots Ann and Enn

The end of the school year is right around the corner, and it couldn’t come a moment too soon for me. After next week, we here in New York City (and the state as well, I guess) are looking at two weeks of high-stakes testing, which is akin to slow-motion nightmare.

Anyway, one of the things I’ve noticed when I analyze the page-view statistics here at Mark’s Text Terminal is that people fairly heavily traffic the word root worksheets I have posted over the past three years. As it happens, last summer, after several months of deliberation, I took some of those worksheets and formed them into a year-long, one-instructional-period-per-week unit for building basic academic vocabulary in the students it is my privilege to serve.

So, here is the lesson plan that accompanies this worksheet on the Latin word roots ann and enn–they mean year. Finally, here is a context clues worksheet on the adverb yearly. One of the things you’ll notice about these word root lessons, if you choose to use the do-now exercise to start the lesson, is that the do-now worksheets contain a hint to the meaning of the root. I wrote all the context clues worksheets for these lessons specifically for them, to show students, even within the confines of a 44-minute long class period, that prior knowledge (i.e. that gained from work on the do-now exercise) is useful in understanding the mainstay of the lesson (i.e. the word root worksheet itself).

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.

Cultural Literacy: Mao Zedong

On the final day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for 2018, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Mao Zedong (aka Mao Tse-Tung).

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: The Ganges River

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Ganges River. Any study of or discussion of India or Indian culture would by definition require, I would think, knowledge of this river that is sacred to Hindus.

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.

Independent Practice Worksheet: Animism

Because Shinto is a Japanese religion that is essentially a form of animism, I think I can offer, as part of Mark’s Text Terminal’s observation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, this Cultural Literacy worksheet on animism.

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.

Independent Practice Worksheet: The Maurya Empire

Since I know I’m not going to want to be anywhere near a computer on Memorial Day, I’ll post this independent practice worksheet on the Maurya Empire for your 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, May 25, 2018, Asian Pacific American History Month 2018 Week IV: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Ho Chi Minh

Here, for the final Friday of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month of 2018, is a reading on Ho Chi Minh along with this reading comprehension worksheet that accompanies it.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend! I hope you have fun plans with your friends and loved ones. Don’t forget to remember ancestors as well as good and just people we’ve lost in the past year.

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.

Cultural Literacy: The My Lai Massacre

Several times I have hesitated to post this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the My Lai Massacre. However, at the end of this work week, for the final Friday of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I’m planning to post a reading and comprehension worksheet on Ho Chi Minh, so now is a good time to get this short exercise out into the ether.

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.

Tamamo no Mae

As a general rule and a general work ethic, I seek to differentiate instruction in a way that at times amounts to individualizing it, especially where student interest is present, and especially at this time of year, when students are running out of steam and focus. Over the past couple of weeks, therefore, I have researched and composed some material for a pair of students (to wit, these two worksheets on the Video game Overwatch) and for a single students who has conceived an interest in Japanese mythology.

For that teenager, I wrote this reading comprehension worksheet on Tamamo no Mae, who is a goddess in the Japanese pantheon. If you want to use this worksheet with your students, you’ll need to direct them to this reading on Tamamo no Mae, which is a page on the yokai.com website.

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.

Independent Practice Worksheet: The Gupta Empire

Here is a short independent practice worksheet on the Gupta Empire on a beautiful Tuesday morning in the spring.

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: Bangladesh

Here, on one of the last Monday mornings of the 2017-2018 school year, is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Bangladesh. Incidentally, if you get down to Lower Manhattan, I recommend most of the excellent Bengali food carts down here.

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.