Tag Archives: building vocabulary/conceptual knowledge

Cultural Literacy: Taoism

Posted on May 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

Here, in what appears to be a spate of posts on religious and philosophical themes, is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Taoism. This is a half-page worksheet with a two-sentence reading and two comprehension questions. A basic, symmetrical introduction to this school of thought and belief.

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , , ,

Cultural Literacy: Yin and Yang

Posted on May 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

This Cultural Literacy worksheet on the concept of yin and yang might be of some use in your classroom. I know it was something that greatly interested my pals and me back in high school.

This is half-page worksheet with a reading of two longish sentences and two comprehension questions. I don’t think these two sentences, while long, will cause much problems for students, even those struggling with reading. But what do you think?

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , , ,

The Weekly Text, 1 May 2026, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Week I: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Confucius

Posted on May 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

May 1 brings us May Day, but also the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2026. Mark’s Text Terminal observes this month with a series of posts dealing with subjects in Asian area studies, quotes, and biographies.

So let’s start with this reading on Confucius with 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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, The Weekly Text, Worksheets

Tagged , , ,

Common Errors in English Usage: Loath/Loathe

Posted on April 24, 2026 | Leave a comment

Based on text from Paul Brians’ book Common Errors in English Usage (Sherwood, Oregon: William James & Co., 2013), to which, as I always remind users of the this blog, Professor Brians allows free access at his Washington State University web page, here is a worksheet on the uses of the adjective loath and the verb loathe. I was a bit surprised to hear the adjective (used as “I am loath to drive my car into the lake”) is actually pronounced like both. I’ve always pronounced it like the verb, which sounds like clothe.

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged ,

Word Origins: Acme

Posted on April 24, 2026 | Leave a comment

“acme: [L16th] In Greek akme meant ‘point’ or ‘pinnacle, highest point.’ Its use dates from the late 15th century, although for the next hundred years or so it was consciously used as a Greek word and written in Greek letters. For many people their first exposure to the word comes from the ‘Looney Tunes’ cartoons featuring the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, where the characters buy products from the Acme company. ‘Acme’ was a real brand name for various US firms in the last two decades of the 19th century, chosen in part because the word comes near the top of any alphabetical list of suppliers. Acne [M19th] the skin condition, has a similar root. The idea is that all those red pimples are little points sticking up from someone’s face.

Excerpted from: Creswell, Julia. Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference

Tagged , , ,

Cultural Literacy: Gulf Stream

Posted on April 24, 2026 | Leave a comment

As it is, as I understand it, the Gulf Stream influences the climate along the East Coast of the United States, and is particularly important to Northwest Europe. Here, then, is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Gulf Stream. This is a half-page worksheet with a one-sentence reading and two comprehension questions. A spare, but effective, introduction to this climatological phenomenon.

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged , , ,

The Weekly Text, 24 April 2026: A Lesson on the Latin Word Roots Corp/o, Corpor, and Corpus

Posted on April 24, 2026 | Leave a comment

The Weekly Text from Mark’s Text Terminal for 24 April 2026 is this lesson plan on the Latin word roots corp/o, corpor, and corpus. They mean, simply, body. A number of shoots grow from these roots, including the high-frequency English words corporation, incorporate, and corpse. Corporal punishment, of course, is punishment of the body.

I use this context clues worksheet on the noun physique to open this lesson and perhaps point the way for students toward the meaning of these roots. And this scaffolded worksheet , replete with Romance language cognates, stands as the primary work for 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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Lesson Plans, The Weekly Text, Worksheets

Tagged , , , ,

Common Errors in English Usage: Literally

Posted on April 17, 2026 | Leave a comment

From Paul Brians’ book Common Errors in English Usage (to which Professor Brians allows free access at his Washington State University page), here is worksheet on the adverb literally. Professor Brians rightly emphasizes the overuse of this word as an all-purpose intensifier. He advises, and I fully agree, that unless you have swallowed a stick of dynamite, you should not say “I literally blew up.”

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Worksheets

Tagged ,

Cultural Literacy: Seller’s Market

Posted on April 17, 2026 | Leave a comment

As it is a common expression–both in its literal and metaphorical sense–in everyday English, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the seller’s market. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two sentences and two comprehension questions.

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Social Sciences, Worksheets

Tagged , , ,

The Weekly Text, 17 April 2026: The Writing Revolution Learning Supports V; Expository Words Learning Supports

Posted on April 17, 2026 | Leave a comment

At least for the moment, we have (finally!) reached the end of planning materials posts for The Writing Revolution. What you should know, and possibly dread, is that I have quite a lot of materials based in the methods of The Writing Revolution in various stages of development. So those will appear here eventually.

For this morning, however, let me post the last two learning supports, these on expository words:

V-A*Argumentative Nouns and Verbs

V-B*Expository Words

And even though there are only these two items on it, here is the table of contents for these two documents. And, if it is of any use to you, here is the the complete table of contents as I use it for all the learning supports excerpted or adapted from The Writing Revolution.

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in English Language Arts, Independent Practice, Lesson Plans, Reference, The Weekly Text

Tagged , , , , ,