11th Grade English Language Arts Resources

STRANDED! A Survival Simulation for Lord of the Flies | Pre-Reading Activity

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Plotting Something

Give students a reason to think about survival, leadership, rules, fear, and group dynamics before they ever meet the boys on the island.STRANDED! is a two-day pre-reading simulation for Lord of the Flies that asks students to build an island society, make difficult choices, and respond when their p

9th - 12th Literature, Novel Studies, Reading

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

First Week ELA Diagnostic Without the Dread | Close Reading & Writing Sample

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Plotting Something

Start the year with a real English lesson that gives you useful information about your students without making the first week feel like a test. In this low-pressure activity, students read an original short story, discuss possible interpretations, and write a brief evidence-based response.Student-fa

8th - Higher Education Close Reading, Literature, Writing

Greek Theater & Tragedy Background | PowerPoint, Guided Notes & Teacher Guide

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Plotting Something

Give students the background they need to understand how Greek tragedy worked before they begin reading the play itself. This classroom-ready lesson introduces the performance space, actors and masks, the chorus, dramatic structure, and essential tragedy terms through a coordinated presentation and

9th - 12th Literature, Drama

Also included in: Antigone Bundle | Greek Tragedy, Mythology, Context & Analysis

First Day of School Activities | All About Me + Letter of Introduction | ELA

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Plotting Something

Start the year with two getting-to-know-you activities that feel appropriate for secondary students and give you information you can actually use.Students begin with a quick All About Me page covering interests, learning preferences, and attitudes toward reading, writing, and discussion. They then w

9th - 12th Writing, Classroom Community

Antigone Pre-Reading Background | Oedipus Family Tree, Context, Guided Notes

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Plotting Something

If your students jump into Antigone without enough context, the opening scene can feel confusing from the start. This resource gives them the background that matters most—without turning pre-reading into an overlong mythology lecture.Students work through the House of Thebes family tree, the key Oed

9th - 12th Literature, Drama

Also included in: Antigone Bundle | Greek Tragedy, Mythology, Context & Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe Biography & Background | PowerPoint, Guided Notes, Themes & Work

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Plotting Something

Introduce Edgar Allan Poe with a concise biography and background lesson that gives students the literary context they need before reading his stories and poems. Rather than turning Poe’s life into a list of sensational facts, this lesson connects his biography to the themes, techniques, and literar

8th - 12th Literature, Poetry, Reading

Also included in: Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

Antigone Tragic Hero Analysis | Antigone vs Creon | Literary Analysis Lesson

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Plotting Something

Which character best fits the tragic-hero idea in Sophocles' Antigone? This post-reading lesson asks students to build the strongest case for both Antigone and Creon before they decide. Students compare the characters' choices, warnings, reversals, recognition, responsibility, and final costs, then

9th - 12th Literature

Also included in: Antigone Bundle | Greek Tragedy, Mythology, Context & Analysis

The Fall of the House of Usher Unit | Edgar Allan Poe Reading Guide & Quizzes

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Plotting Something

Teaching “The Fall of the House of Usher” is difficult for one simple reason: students cannot analyze what they cannot follow. Poe’s prose is dense, the plot is strange, and the story’s best ideas only land when students know what is actually happening.This 8–9 day guided-reading unit gives students

9th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Reading

Also included in: Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe | Close Reading Mini Unit, Analysis & Quizzes

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Plotting Something

Help students understand what happens in “The Raven” before asking them to interpret its symbolism and psychological horror.This close reading mini-unit follows Poe’s poem chronologically, with a stanza-numbered reading text, vocabulary support, a student analysis packet, and coordinated lesson slid

8th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Poetry

Also included in: Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

Antigone Bundle | Greek Tragedy, Mythology, Context & Analysis

Created by
Plotting Something

Give students the background they actually need to enter Sophocles’ Antigone, then bring them back to the text for allusions and post-reading analysis.This four-resource bundle combines Greek theater and tragedy background, story-specific pre-reading context, a collaborative mythology/allusions proj

9th - 12th Literature, Writing, Drama

Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

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Plotting Something

Teach a complete Edgar Allan Poe sequence with three coordinated resources that move from author background into close reading of “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Raven.” Together, the resources provide approximately 2½–3 weeks of instruction for grades 9–12, depending on class length and h

9th - 12th Literature, Poetry, Short Stories

House Taken Over by Julio Cortázar | Close Reading, Ice Age Comparison & Quizzes

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Plotting Something

Students can follow what happens in “House Taken Over” and still miss the strangest part: Irene and the narrator barely resist as their world gets smaller. This lesson sequence slows the story down, makes the house and both takeovers concrete, and then moves students into ambiguity, evidence, and in

9th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Short Stories

A Doll's House Pre-Reading Activity | Ethics & Moral Dilemmas | Ibsen

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Plotting Something

Before students begin A Doll's House, give them a chance to wrestle with some of the ethical questions they will encounter in the play - without telling them how those questions connect to Nora.Students respond to eight short scenarios involving secrecy, forgery, debt, loyalty, control, marriage, re

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Antigone Pre-Reading Activity | Law, Loyalty & Conscience | Ethics Scenarios

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Plotting Something

Before students meet Antigone and Creon, give them a chance to decide what they think about family loyalty, public order, conscience, community, and personal safety.Students work through eight modern ethical scenarios, make a choice before discussion, record what mattered most, and return to those s

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

THE GREAT GATSBY PRE-READING ACTIVITY | SOCIAL CLASS, WEALTH & STATUS SIMULATION

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Plotting Something

Before students meet Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, East Egg, or West Egg, give them a social system to navigate.In Who Gets In?, students take on one of six fictional social profiles. Each profile begins with a different mix of money, family name, connections, education, and reputation. Students may improve o

9th - 12th Literature, Novel Studies, Reading

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

JULIUS CAESAR PRE-READING ACTIVITY | LEADERSHIP, POWER & AMBITION SIMULATION

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Caesar, Brutus, or Cassius, place them inside a republic trying to decide how much power one successful leader should be allowed to hold.In WHO SHOULD HOLD POWER?, students take on one of six civic positions in the fictional Republic of Valeria. A respected general, Cassian Varo

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Literary Movements Posters | Gothic, Romanticism, Modernism & More | High School

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Plotting Something

Give students a clear visual reference for ten literary movements and modes without turning your classroom walls into a word wall. Each poster pairs a concise definition with a student-friendly Look For list, three recurring visual ideas, and an atmospheric image that helps the concept stick.The col

9th - 12th Literature, Other (ELA)

Also included in: Literary Posters Bundle | Literary Movements & Analysis | 20 Secondary ELA Poste

Lord of the Flies Reading Companion | Society Stability Tracker & Analysis

Created by
Plotting Something

Students can summarize what happens on the island. This companion asks them to do something more useful: track what happens to the boys' shared society as it weakens, fractures, and finally collapses.In CIVILIZATION UNDER PRESSURE, students return to the same five indicators at six points in Lord of

9th - 12th Literature, Novel Studies, Reading

KING LEAR PRE-READING ACTIVITY | POWER, SUCCESSION & LOYALTY SIMULATION

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Lear, Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan, give them the problem first.WHO GETS THE KINGDOM? places students on the Royal Council of a fictional kingdom whose aging ruler wants to give away the work of governing while keeping the title, honor, household, influence, and treatment that c

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

College Essay Unit | Personal Statement Writing Lessons & Rubric

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Plotting Something

Teaching the college essay can be frustrating. Students often think they need a dramatic story, choose a prompt before they have anything meaningful to say, or end up writing the same version of “this experience taught me to never give up.”This unit takes a different approach.The College Essay: Find

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Created by
Plotting Something

Put students inside the problem before they meet it in the text.This six-resource bundle gives secondary ELA students a reason to think, argue, make decisions, and live with the consequences before plot knowledge tells them whom to support.Each activity is built around a different literary problem.

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

College Essay Brainstorming Mini-Unit | Find Your Story

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Plotting Something

Teaching the college essay often gets stuck before students ever begin drafting. They insist nothing important has happened to them, assume they need a dramatic life event, or grab the first familiar topic they can think of and immediately turn it into a generic life lesson.Find Your College Essay S

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

College Essay Revision Workshop | Personal Statement Editing

Created by
Plotting Something

Your students have written the college essay. Now comes the part that is often harder to teach: real revision. This three-lesson workshop is designed for students who already have a complete or nearly complete personal statement. Instead of focusing only on proofreading, students look closely at wha

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

College Essay Drafting Workshop | Personal Statement Voice & Structure

Created by
Plotting Something

Your students have a college essay idea. Now they have to turn it into an essay. This five-lesson workshop is designed for the middle of the college essay process: after brainstorming, but before final revision. Students work on reflection, natural voice, prompt choice, structure, and beginnings and

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays