The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - Audio Guide

Tracing the tour of one American platoon this book is not just a tale of the Vietnam War, although it's considered one of the finest books ever about combat. This award-winning book is a brutal, sometimes funny, often profound narrative about the human heart--how it fares under pressure, and what it can endure. This Audio Guide is packed with interviews, commentaries, and excerpts from the book. The Big Read audio guide presents first-hand accounts of why The Things They Carried remains so compelling nearly two decades after its initial publication. Some of America's most celebrated writers, scholars, and actors have volunteered their time to make these Big Read audio guides exciting additions to the classroom.

Material Type: Lecture

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - Teacher's Guide

Tracing the tour of one American platoon this book is not just a tale of the Vietnam War, although it's considered one of the finest books ever about combat. This award-winning book is a brutal, sometimes funny, often profound narrative about the human heart--how it fares under pressure, and what it can endure. This Big Read Teacher's guide contains ten lessons to lead you through Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Each lesson has four sections: a focus topic, discussion activities, writing exercises, and homework assignments. In addition, we have provided capstone projects and suggested essay topics, as well as handouts with more background information about the book, the historical period, and the author. All lessons dovetail with the state language arts standards required in the fiction genre.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - Reader's Guide

Tracing the tour of one American platoon this book is not just a tale of the Vietnam War, although it's considered one of the finest books ever about combat. This award-winning book is a brutal, sometimes funny, often profound narrative about the human heart--how it fares under pressure, and what it can endure. re in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The Big Read Reader's guide deepens your exploration with interviews, booklists, timelines, and historical information. We hope this guide and syllabus allow you to have fun with your students while introducing them to the work of a great American author.

Material Type: Reading

English Language Arts, Grade 11, The American Short Story, "The Things They Carried", Read and Annotate Published

In this lesson, students will begin reading, writing about, and discussing the short story “The Things They Carried.”

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 11, The American Short Story, "The Things They Carried", Interpretation of Symbols Published

In this lesson, students will continue to read, annotate, write about, and discuss “The Things They Carried.”

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 11, The American Short Story, "The Things They Carried", Elements of Grammar Published

In this lesson, students will explore some elements of grammar in a paragraph from “The Things They Carried.”

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 11, The American Short Story, "The Things They Carried", Dialectical Journal Published

In this lesson, students will discuss the rest of “The Things They Carried.” They will also complete a Dialectical Journal entry and share it with the class.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Quiz RL.4: The Gift of the Magi

A short quiz on CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4, featuring a passage from O. Henry's short story, "The Gift of the Magi". The passage has a Dale-Chall text difficulty level of 5-6, and a Flesch-Kincaid level of 5.0.

Material Type: Assessment

Author: Terrence Reilly Jr.

English Language Arts, Grade 11, Name That Theme, Name That Theme, The Gift of the Magi Published

In this lesson, students will consider whether aphorisms are trite, true, or both. They’ll think about the theme of “The Gift of the Magi” and read an informational article on a similar subject.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Antigone, the Law, and Social Class, The Oedipus Myth Published

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone. Students will learn more about the Oedipus myth and consider a different perspective on the story.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Antigone, the Law, and Social Class, Reading Groups Published

In this lesson, students finish reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone. Then they will meet in their Independent Reading Groups for the first time.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Antigone, the Law, and Social Class, Ancient Greek play by Sophocles Published

 In this lesson, students will learn about Antigone, an ancient Greek play by Sophocles. Then they will begin reading, annotating, and discussing the opening of the play.MaterialsMaterials to create the Characters in Antigone class chartLesson PreparationRead the lesson and student content.Anticipate student difficulties and identify the differentiation options you will choose for working with your students.As you begin reading Antigone, determine which students may need support such as Guided Reading.Help students locate copies of the Independent Reading texts if necessary.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Disobedience, Law, and Social Class, Group Discussion Published

In this lesson, students will discuss in small groups whether Antigone, Thoreau, or Dr. King was the most courageous in his or her stand of civil disobedience. Then they will write a short argument about it.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Antigone, the Law, and Social Class, The Role Of The Chorus Published

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Antigone . They’ll reread part of the opening and focus on the role of the Chorus before reading more of the play. Then they’ll select their top choices for their Independent Reading Group Novel.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

English Language Arts, Grade 12, Social Class and the Law, Antigone, the Law, and Social Class, The Laws in Thebes Published

In this lesson, students discuss the ending of Antigone and retake the survey about justice that they took in Lesson 1. They will also write about how the laws in Thebes have shaped the lives of the characters who live there.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

What Does Text Complexity Mean for English Learners and Language Minority Students?

This paper addresses the implications, for ELLs, of the new standard's requirement that students be able to read and understand complex, informationally dense texts. The authors discuss the types of supports that learners need in order to work with complex texts. They also provide a sample of what academic discourse involves, using an excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail. They demonstrate how English learners can be provided with strategies for accessing complex texts, such as closely examining one sentence at a time. The authors argue that instruction must go beyond vocabulary and should begin with an examination of our beliefs about language, literacy and learning.

Material Type: Reading, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Charles j. Fillmore, Lily Wong Fillmore

The Western Canon: From Homer to Milton

Taught by William Flesch at Brandeis University, this course offers a survey of some of the greatest and most influential works on Western literature, philosophy and culture, from Homer through Milton. Part of the through line is that every writer covered in the course wrote in a context inherited from the earlier ones, so we look at affiliations between them all. The course used the Lattimore translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Hollander translations of Dante. For the other works, any translation or edition is fine.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: William Flesch

Analyzing Grammar Pet Peeves

By analyzing Dear AbbyŐs ŇrantÓ about bad grammar usage, students become aware that attitudes about race, social class, moral and ethical character, and ŇproperÓ language use are intertwined.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Analyzing Visual Media

This lesson guides students through analysis of non-print media as a vehicle for argument.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Matt Smith

Flows of Reading: Engaging With Texts

While common usage of the word, text, often refers to written or printed matter, literary and cultural theory extends the term to refer to any coherent set of symbols that transmit meaning to those who know how to read them. In an age where ideas may take many forms and be expressed across different media, texts and reading take on new implications.One goal of the Flows of Reading project is to inspire teachers and students to reflect on what can be considered as reading and what kinds of reading they perform in their everyday lives. Flows of Reading introduces an expanded concept of the term, text, and models a new type of readerĺ䁥ŕone who reads across different media and who understands reading as an activity of sharing, deconstructing, and making meaning.We have created a rich environment designed to encourage close critical engagement not only with Moby-Dick but a range of other texts, including the childrenĺ䁥_s picture book, Flotsam; Harry Potter; Hunger Games; and Lord of the Rings. We want to demonstrate that the bookĺ䁥_s approach can be applied to many different kinds of texts and may revitalize how we teach a diversity of forms of human expression.

Material Type: Reading, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Erin Reilly, Henry Jenkins, Ritesh Mehta