Tag Archives: cultural literacy

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “At the Fair”

This lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “At the Fair” is the last one in the second unit I wrote for this material; I have a third unit of twenty-four lessons, so if you like these and use them, I’ll be posting most if not all of those in the next three or so months.

I open this lesson after a class change with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the literary genre of the epic. You’ll need the PDF of the illustration and questions to investigate what did happen at the fair. Finally, here is the typescript of the answer key to help you and your students will need to solve this heinous crime and arrest a suspect for its commission.

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: Subjunctive

Several grammarians I follow have suggested, for reasons I don’t fully understand, that the subjunctive mood of verbs is obsolescent. I don’t see how that can be, but I’m only a lowly school teacher. For that reason, I think it’s important that we continue to help students use the subjunctive properly. I hope this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the subjunctive can assist such an endeavor.

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, June 5, 2020: A Lesson Plan on the Verb To Be

This week’s Text is a lesson plan on the verb to be used in the present progressive tense. I open this lesson with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the idiom “Bone to Pick,” as in “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” In the event the lesson spills over into a second day, here is a worksheet on the homophones prophet and profit.

You’ll need the worksheet at the center the lesson to do the work; you’ll probably also want (but you don’t necessarily need) this word bank as a learning support. Finally, here is the teacher’s copy of the 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.

Cultural Literacy: Beyond the Pale

Today seems like a perfect time to post this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the idiom beyond the pale. This one is, beyond this general introduction, a very tricky item, etymologically speaking.

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.

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “Foxy Grandpa”

I notice I haven’t posted one in some time, so here is a lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “Foxy Grandpa.”

To open this lesson and get students settled after a class change, I used this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the concept of the taboo. To conduct your investigation of the Foxy Grandpa, you will need this scan of the illustration and questions that drive the case. Finally, to get to the bottom of this crime and bring the offenders to justice, here is the typescript of the answer key.

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: Two Worksheets on Rudyard Kipling

Let’s move along with a couple of Rudyard Kipling-related Cultural Literacy worksheets, the first a simple biography of the writer, the second a short but cogent analysis of his unfortunate poem “The White Man’s Burden.” If you teach global studies, or whatever your school district calls a broad survey of world history, the latter document might be useful in helping students develop their own understanding of the uses of culture to create, buttress, and therefore justify ideology, in this case the depredations of European colonialism.

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: Alcoholism

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on alcoholism that doesn’t require any explanation, I guess.

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 15, 2020: A Lesson Plan on the Simple Present Tense of Verbs

OK, I think this lesson plan on using the simple present tense of verbs speaks for itself and therefore doesn’t require much comment.

I open this lesson with this worksheet on the homophones who’s and whose. These two words (well, a contraction and a word) are quite easily confused, so the explanation for their use is extensive. Students will walk away, after completing this, with a page from a grammar and usage manual. In the event the lesson goes into a second day, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the term and concept expletive.

This scaffolded worksheet is the centerpiece of this unit for students. You might need this word bank to support completion of the worksheet. Finally, here is the teachers’ copy of the worksheet to make getting through the lesson a little easier for you.

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: Congress of Vienna

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Congress of Vienna for you social studies teachers. This is one of those key events in global history that I imagine every history teacher must deal with at some point in the curriculum.

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.

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “The Night of the Crabs”

Here is a lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “The Night of the Crabs.”

This Cultural Literacy worksheet on the concept of survivor’s guilt opens the lesson. You’ll need the PDF of the illustration and questions to investigate this crime. Finally, here is the typescript of the answer key to close the case and bring a culprit to justice.

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.