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If any of these handouts are useful to you, please bear in mind that donations are encouraged and very much appreciated.
Before my site went kaput thanks to my former host, I had all of these handouts organized on a page entitled “Lesson Plans.” I decided not to be misleading. They aren’t lesson plans, but they are handouts I have created for assignments. They are organized by the grade level in which I teach them. Most handouts are available in two formats — Rich Text Format (RTF) or Portable Document Format (PDF).
I also have a 2-GB flash drive with more handouts available for purchase. The cost is $40 each, which includes the flash drive and shipping. Unfortunately, the 1-GB flash drives I was was using are no longer available in my area, and the price I have to pay for the flash drives has therefore increased.
General Handouts | 9th Grade | American Literature | British Literature | Other
General
- Persuasive Writing Peer Editing: DOC, PDF (via the Reflective Teacher)
- Narrative Writing Peer Editing: DOC, PDF
- Expository Writing Peer Editing: DOC, PDF
- Literary Analysis Peer Editing: DOC, PDF
- How to Integrate Quotations: DOC, PDF
- Ratiocination (editing technique): RTF, PDF
- Writing Folder Insert (for portfolios): RTF, PDF
- Writing Self-Evaluation: RTF
- Semester Writing Self-Evaluation: RTF, PDF
- Research Paper Introduction: RTF, PDF
- Research Paper, Note Cards: RTF, PDF
- Research Paper, Formal Outline: RTF, PDF
- Outline Template: RTF, MS Word Template (.dot)
- Research Paper Checklist: RTF, PDF
- Persuasive Speech: RTF, PDF
- Persuasive Speech Rubric: RTF
- Elements of Film: RTF
- Clock Buddies: PDF
- Vocabulary Cards Instructions: Word Document
9th Grade Grammar, Composition, and Literature
- Study guide for The Bean Trees: RTF, PDF
- Writing Assignment for The Catcher in the Rye: RTF, PDF
- Oliver Twist project: RTF, PDF
- Romeo and Juliet unit plan: RTF, PDF
- Romeo and Juliet Plot Summary assignment: RTF, PDF
- Romeo and Juliet Character Diaries: RTF, PDF
- Romeo and Juliet Essay: RTF, PDF
- To Kill a Mockingbird Writing Assignment: RTF, PDF
American Literature and Composition
- Crucible study guide: RTF, PDF
- Crucible essay: RTF, PDF
- Crucible, Act Two, Scene Two assignment: RTF, PDF
- “Half-Hanged Mary”: RTF, PDF
- Think Like a Puritan (Scarlet Letter): RTF, PDF
- Scarlet Letter Study Guide: RTF, PDF
- Scarlet Letter Character Quad: RTF
- Scarlet Letter essay: RTF, PDF
- Moral Perfection (Franklin) assignment: RTF, PDF
- “Thanatopsis” lesson: RTF, PDF
- “Thanatopsis” teacher’s notes: RTF, PDF
- Your Brain on Transcendentalism: RTF, PDF
- Thoreau Panel: Simplicity vs. Acquisitiveness: RTF, PDF
- Moby Dick Video Guide: RTF, PDF
- Love Connection (Whitman and Dickinson): RTF, PDF
- Age of Innocence movie study guide: RTF, PDF
- The Awakening unit: RTF, PDF
- Huck Finn unit plan: RTF, PDF
- Huck Finn essay: RTF, PDF
- “A Pair of Silk Stockings”: The $100 Windfall Activity RTF
- “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: PDF
- Hemingway notes (to accompany Hemingway Power Point): RTF, PDF
- Harlem Renaissance unit plan: DOC
- Their Eyes Were Watching God unit plan: RTF
- “Strange Fruit” by Lewis Allan (Billie Holiday) lyrics: RTF, PDF
- “Richard Cory” (Simon and Garfunkel lyrics): RTF, PDF
British Literature and Composition
- Beowulf’s Heroic Résumé: DOC, PDF (Sample résumé using Odysseus as example)
- Beowulf: Lost in Translation?: Handout 1, Handout 2 (PDF)
huffenglish.com » New Lesson Plans // Jun 17, 2006 at 10:16 pm
[...] Handouts | [...]
Thank you for the great site. I have taught 9th grade English for the past 12 years, and this is my first year teaching American Lit. Your site has been invaluable so far.
Sincerely,
Gary Baird
I’m a first-year teacher who basically got shown his classroom and told “Get to it.” The curriculum I have is haphazard and confusing; your site has helped me immensely in making sense of what I’m doing. “Thank you” seems insufficient given how helpful this site has been for me.
When I develop useful handouts and plans, I’ll be sure to offer them to others as you have done. A thousand blessings upon you.
Thanks for the resources. I am wondering what you use the clock buddies sheet for?
Many thanks…
huffenglish.com » Vocabulary Cards // Oct 24, 2006 at 9:14 pm
[...] Policies | [...]
Thanks for your website. I am teaching American Lit and have little time to be creative. This is my first visit, but I see the value.
huffenglish.com » Miss Emily and Walt Whitman // Dec 30, 2006 at 6:35 pm
[...] Policies | [...]
Thanks for this site–you are gracious to share your ideas.
Thanks!
I am a first year teacher and have few resources. Thank you for your help!
I’ve been looking to spice up my R&J unit and came across your unit plan. I’m familiar with many of the activities you’re using, but was curious if you have electronic copies of your “I Dreamt a Dream” and Shakespeare’s Language Tricks handouts or descriptions of what they are.
Every year I struggle to make the Transcendentalism unit in American Literature relevant for students and your ideas have really helped me! In addition, I used some of your research paper ideas this year (especially the making an outline on Word handout)and they were great! Your website is an inspiration to me – thanks so much.
Do you have the keys for your handouts?
I’ve been trying to get some new materials together, and this site has been a lifesaver! Thanks so much for posting all your hard work up there for us to copy and use!!!
Love your handouts. Have been teaching for years and needed something to add spice to my curriculum. I too wonder what you use clock buddies for and once again thanks for all your help.
Thank you so much for this site and the ideas! Very creative- I am so excited I stumbled upon it!
I just wanted to thank you for the handouts. I’ve used several of them and they’ve always been successful.
Finding Your Way // Oct 28, 2007 at 10:48 pm
[...] policies [...]
I am a first-year teacher as well. I just found your site. I am teaching 9th grade English and thank you for sharing your ideas.
I am looking for extra grammar resources if you could point me in the right direction. Being a poor teacher, I will have to wait until that monthly bird lands to buy your book.
You are a new-teacher blessing,
Scott Huff
You have a wonderful sight! I am a new teacher in an inner-city school and have been struggling to find ways to connect with them. I’m so glad I found this site. I wish I would have found it sooner.
You have awesome units & assignments!
Thank you for enriching the educational community with your website!
You are indeed a blessing, not many people out there choose to share their wealth of knowledge, much less without some form of compensation. You offered many resources that are of great help to many of us who feel or have felt stranded in our domains. Many thanks and farewell to us all.
I just discovered your site while researching ideas to a Death of a Salesman unit for 11th graders. But I found so much more. Thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences. I know I’ll return often!
Dana– I was wondering what you did with “Bean Trees” as far as writing assignments, testing, etc. I was going to do “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” but I’m having to cut, cut, cut from my syllabi b/c I’m so far behind. I still want to do a book, though, and thought I’d do Kingsolver (who I absolutely adore!!); any suggestions? You can email me off-page if that works for ya.
Hope you’re having a great week and thanks again for getting me on Joe’s site– what a treasure trove!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the helpful handouts!
Hi! I too am a new 9th grade English teacher. I am amazed by the work that has gone into this site and am so thankful that you have taken time to create and maintain it.
I am a “work-out-of-the-box” teacher and need new and innovative ideas to keep 9th graders engaged and interested. THANK YOU!
So, funny story. We use the “ratiocination” handout here and I wanted to make just a couple of changes for my kids – so I went to google and tried to find an online version. Imagine my surprise when I found you created the original! Small world
(And I’m bookmarking this to come back later to steal more stuff. haha. Thanks for making it available!)
For as many websites I’ve viewed, I haven’t come across any sites with such complete (and relevant and usable) documents or thoughtful strings of blogs as this one.
Thanks so much.
Quick editing note regarding the “Integrating Quotes” handout:
On the last page, there is a part that states what the student did not do in the original. In the parenthetical explanation about the revision, it states:
Note also that the student not quote accurately.
I am assuming that it is meant to read “did not quote accurately.” It’s fairly minor, but I thought I’d throw it out there!
Thank you so much for allowing others to use work that you put tons of time into. I am changing teaching assignments, and these will help me ENORMOUSLY with getting started the first year. They are an EXCELLENT base of information, and I thank you again for allowing others to benefit from your work.
These are awesome…I am getting a head start on organizing for the Fall semester and your site is most helpful. Many thanks for all your hard work…it is truly appreciated
Hi,
I see that you are a Kelly Gallagher fan (Readicide is one of my favorite books). I’m using Kelly’s Article of the Week, “The Road to Resilience” to have my kids reflect on John Proctor in “The Crucible.” The question I’m posing to them is “How does (or does not) John Proctor fulfill the qualities of resilience. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hey there, I am about to embark on my own Crucible. I am not familiar with the article to which you refer, might you have a copy?
Fisher, the article is available here.
thanks. very nice site, useful and altruistic of you
I cannot get the links to open. Please advise.
Thanks,
Ashley
Did you try right-clicking and selecting “Save Link As”? It might be that for whatever reason if you are using the left mouse button, your computer or browser isn’t downloading the file, but it should work if you try the process I described.
Awesome website! While some of these activities can be found online, it would require HOURS!!!!!!!!!! This is my 10th year teaching, and it is amazing to see a a compilation of creative assignments and activities.
what a helpful site for teachers…! I’m a math teacher actually but still, I can make use of the ideas… I’ll share this site with my colleagues. .. Thanks…
It might be a good idea to proofread your English website. Prospective buyers will be more likely to read on if the very first paragraph were written correctly. (“…before my site when kaput…”
The typo has been corrected. Thank you for pointing it out. I do appreciate when people point out my mistakes in a kind way. Tone is something hard to convey on the Internet, so you’ll have to excuse me if I am misreading your tone, but you come off as rude and judgmental rather than kind and helpful. I think everyone makes typos. If my typo gives you no confidence in the documents on the flash drive, even after a look at the freebies posted here, then by all means, save your money for worthier products.