literary analysis — 6-12th- ADD ARTICLES HERE

Characterization Activities to Spark Analysis

Characterization is a literary element that provides an accessible window into literary analysis. It is important in literary analysis because it helps us to understand the characters in a text and their motivations. By understanding the characters, we can better understand the plot, themes, and meaning of the text.

Reading & Writing, Writing AssignmentsMeredith DobbsApril 24, 2023character, characterization, literary analysis, analysis, novel unit, readingComment

10 Tips for Scaffolding Literary Analysis

Read about 10 literary analysis teaching ideas for middle and high school ELA, including engagement and scaffolding strategies.

Best Practices, Writing Assignments, Writing Mini-lessonsMelissa KruseSeptember 30, 2019literary analysis, literary analysis writing, scaffolding writing, Middle School English, High School ELAComment

Five Ways to Target Commentary for Essay Writing

This is a topic that I have spent quite a bit of time on simply because it is the one skill that my students struggle with the most. You can find more posts from me on this topic here and here. Here are FIVE ways to target commentary in essay writing:

Editing & Revision, The Writing Process, Writing Mini-lessons, Writing WorkshopMeredith DobbsJuly 9, 2019essay writing, commentary, analysis, literary analysis, revision, elaboration, explanationComment

Literary Analysis Writing

Within a literary analysis, students are required to think deeply about a given text, then make inferences and provide evidence to support that inference. Not only does the skill of drafting a quality literary analysis response support students in high school English classes, but will essentially define much of their English coursework in college.

Best Practices, Differentiating Writing, Modes of Writing, The Writing Process, Writing Assignments, Assessing WritingGuest UserJune 12, 2018literary analysis, literary analysis writing, literary analysis lessons, teaching literary analysis, english lessons, ELA lessons, #iteachenglish, #iteachhighschool, Literary writingComment

One-Pagers as a Response to Literature

Need an engaging post-reading activity? One-pagers make for a strong assessment on their own, but they are also a great prewriting tool.

Creative Writing, Best Practices, Writing AssignmentsGuest UserMay 22, 2018one pager, one-pager, one pagers, one-pagers, creative writing, literary analysisComment

Three Famous Christmas Speeches to Inspire Writing

It's the "most wonderful time of the year" once again! Every year, the holiday season inspires new movie ideas, and some of these movies go on to become some of the most beloved films of all time with some of the most well-known movie speeches in film history.

FREEBIES, Writing Assignments, Writing Workshop, Writing Mini-lessonsMeredith DobbsDecember 5, 2017christmas, holiday, holiday writing assignments, movie, speech, speeches, rhetorical analysis, rhetoric, rhetorical, literary analysis, literary devicesComment

Poetry for Writing Workshop in Grades 6-12: 10+ Devices & Poems to Model Them all!

"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession." -- Robert Frost

You may find yourself in agreement with Frost's famous quote when it comes to teaching poetry in the secondary classroom. However, love it or hate it, poetry can play a helpful role in teaching students how to write! Famous poems can serve as mentor texts for students and showcase key literary and rhetorical devices in action.

Best Practices, Mentor Texts, Writing Mini-lessons, Writing WorkshopMeredith DobbsApril 4, 2017poetry, national poetry month, poem, explication, literary devices, poetic devices, stylistic devices, rhetorical devices, simile, metaphor, personification, anaphora, parallel structure, parallelism, rhetorical question, antithesis, alliteration, consonance, assonance, epistrophe, literary analysis, mentor text, mentor poem, mentor sentence, mentor, writing workshop, writing process, secondary, English, Language Arts, language and composition, language arts, middle school, high school, teachers pay teachers, teacher, teaching writing, Writing Instruction, writer's notebook, writer's workshop, writing, the writing process, essay writing, essay, best practices, best practice, writing assessment, assessing writing Comment