Inspired English
Raising Test Scores and Writing Effectiveness Through Poetry and Fiction
Lorraine LaCroix
- Long Beach Unified School District
Purchase
Hardcover
ISBN:
9780761931102
Available from
January 0001
Description
"The author introduces new pedagogical approaches in teaching language arts, using fiction and poetry to enhance the student's critical thinking. This is a thoughtful, practical, and innovative book that will foster academic success."
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
- Twenty proven, ready-to-use lessons complete with rubrics, reproducibles, and reteach ideas
- Straightforward descriptions of three effective lesson plan types, including the LaCroix Model
- Concrete examples of how to supercharge students' vocabulary, critical thinking, rhetorical writing and public speaking skills for higher test scores and lifelong success
Spark student interest with rich literature presented within the context of LaCroix's powerful and dynamic instructional plans, and watch as their achievement levels soar!
Contents
Preface
Preface
About the Author
About the Author
Opening Letter to Reader
Opening Letter to Reader
1. The Plan
- The Hunter Model
- The Generalist Model
- The LaCroix Model
- Key Resource 1.1 The LaCroix Model
2. The Design
- The Purpose
- The Objective
- The Crucial Setup
- The Critical Materials
- Key Resource 2.1 Sample Syllabus
- Key Resource 2.2 Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 2.3 Chaser Poem Rubric (4 Point)
- Key Resource 2.4 Bio Poem Rubric (6 Point)
3. The Preparation
- Skills to Be Taught
- Procedural Lesson 1: The Poetry Notebook
- Procedural Lesson 2: The Dramatic Reading
- Key Resource 3.1: Poetry Book Requirement
- Key Resource 3.2: Dramatic Reading Rubric
- Key Resource 3.3: Poetry Circle Grade
4. The Lessons
- Lesson 1: Understanding Character Through Tragedy
- Key Resource 4.1: Ladder of Responsibility
- Key Resource 4.2: Summary of Characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet
- Key Resource 4.3: Essay Scoring Guide for Student Response to Literature
- Key Resource 4.4: Literary Report Card
- Lesson 2: Conflict and the Heroic Journey
- Key Resource 4.5: Miracle on the Bayou
- Key Resource 4.6: The Heroic Journey
- Lesson 3: Finding Themes in Literature Through Art
- Key Resource 4.7: Boarding Flight 64
- Key Resource 4.8: Broad-Based Themes
- Key Resource 4.9: Paired Themes in Short Fiction
- Lesson 4: The Important Questions
- Key Resource 4.10: Blue Velvet
- Lesson 5: In Search of Poetry--Found Poems
- Key Resource 4.11: Young Chief Joseph's Speech to Congress (1879)
- Key Resource 4.12: Sample Found Poem: Chief Joseph Speaks to Congress
- Lesson 6: "Poetry Is..."--An Introduction
- Key Resource 4.13: Poetry Is...
- Lesson 7: The Power of Words--Interpreting Poetry
- Key Resource 4.14: Changing Impressions
- Key Resource 4.15: "The Day is Done"
- Key Resource 4.16: "The Psalm of Life"
- Lesson 8: "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"--The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.17: The Poems of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.18: Summation of Emily Dickinson's Life
- Lesson 9: A Self-Portrait--The Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.19: Bio Poem Formula & Example
- Key Resource 4.20: Matt's Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.21: Bio Poem Worksheet
- Key Resource 4.22: Character Traits
- Key Resource 4.23: Bio Poem Rubric (Six Point)
- Lesson 10: "All the world's a stage"--Shakespeare and Figurative Language
- Key Resource 4.24: Similes, Metaphors and Personification
- Key Resource 4.25: Shakespeare Poems
- Key Resource 4.26: "A Split Tree Still Grows"
- Lesson 11: "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary"--Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Works
- Key Resource 4.27: Lecture Notes on Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.28: Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.29: "Annabel Lee"
- Key Resource 4.30: "To Helen"
- Key Resource 4.31: "A Dream Within a Dream"
- Key Resource 4.32: Excerpt from "The Raven"
- Lesson 12: Life's Lessons in Verse
- Key Resource 4.33: Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 4.34: "The Village Blacksmith"
- Key Resource 4.35: "To thine own self be true"
- Key Resource 4.36: "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
- Key Resource 4.37: "O Great Spirit"
- Key Resource 4.38: "To be, or not to be"
- Lesson 13: A Poetry Potpourri
5. The Final Touches
- Suggestions for a Successful Poetry Recital
- Key Resource 5.1: Poetic License
Closing Letter to Reader
Closing Letter to Reader
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
"The author introduces new pedagogical approaches in teaching language arts, using fiction and poetry to enhance the student's critical thinking. This is a thoughtful, practical, and innovative book that will foster academic success."
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
- Twenty proven, ready-to-use lessons complete with rubrics, reproducibles, and reteach ideas
- Straightforward descriptions of three effective lesson plan types, including the LaCroix Model
- Concrete examples of how to supercharge students' vocabulary, critical thinking, rhetorical writing and public speaking skills for higher test scores and lifelong success
Spark student interest with rich literature presented within the context of LaCroix's powerful and dynamic instructional plans, and watch as their achievement levels soar!
Contents
Preface
Preface
About the Author
About the Author
Opening Letter to Reader
Opening Letter to Reader
1. The Plan
- The Hunter Model
- The Generalist Model
- The LaCroix Model
- Key Resource 1.1 The LaCroix Model
2. The Design
- The Purpose
- The Objective
- The Crucial Setup
- The Critical Materials
- Key Resource 2.1 Sample Syllabus
- Key Resource 2.2 Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 2.3 Chaser Poem Rubric (4 Point)
- Key Resource 2.4 Bio Poem Rubric (6 Point)
3. The Preparation
- Skills to Be Taught
- Procedural Lesson 1: The Poetry Notebook
- Procedural Lesson 2: The Dramatic Reading
- Key Resource 3.1: Poetry Book Requirement
- Key Resource 3.2: Dramatic Reading Rubric
- Key Resource 3.3: Poetry Circle Grade
4. The Lessons
- Lesson 1: Understanding Character Through Tragedy
- Key Resource 4.1: Ladder of Responsibility
- Key Resource 4.2: Summary of Characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet
- Key Resource 4.3: Essay Scoring Guide for Student Response to Literature
- Key Resource 4.4: Literary Report Card
- Lesson 2: Conflict and the Heroic Journey
- Key Resource 4.5: Miracle on the Bayou
- Key Resource 4.6: The Heroic Journey
- Lesson 3: Finding Themes in Literature Through Art
- Key Resource 4.7: Boarding Flight 64
- Key Resource 4.8: Broad-Based Themes
- Key Resource 4.9: Paired Themes in Short Fiction
- Lesson 4: The Important Questions
- Key Resource 4.10: Blue Velvet
- Lesson 5: In Search of Poetry--Found Poems
- Key Resource 4.11: Young Chief Joseph's Speech to Congress (1879)
- Key Resource 4.12: Sample Found Poem: Chief Joseph Speaks to Congress
- Lesson 6: "Poetry Is..."--An Introduction
- Key Resource 4.13: Poetry Is...
- Lesson 7: The Power of Words--Interpreting Poetry
- Key Resource 4.14: Changing Impressions
- Key Resource 4.15: "The Day is Done"
- Key Resource 4.16: "The Psalm of Life"
- Lesson 8: "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"--The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.17: The Poems of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.18: Summation of Emily Dickinson's Life
- Lesson 9: A Self-Portrait--The Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.19: Bio Poem Formula & Example
- Key Resource 4.20: Matt's Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.21: Bio Poem Worksheet
- Key Resource 4.22: Character Traits
- Key Resource 4.23: Bio Poem Rubric (Six Point)
- Lesson 10: "All the world's a stage"--Shakespeare and Figurative Language
- Key Resource 4.24: Similes, Metaphors and Personification
- Key Resource 4.25: Shakespeare Poems
- Key Resource 4.26: "A Split Tree Still Grows"
- Lesson 11: "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary"--Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Works
- Key Resource 4.27: Lecture Notes on Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.28: Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.29: "Annabel Lee"
- Key Resource 4.30: "To Helen"
- Key Resource 4.31: "A Dream Within a Dream"
- Key Resource 4.32: Excerpt from "The Raven"
- Lesson 12: Life's Lessons in Verse
- Key Resource 4.33: Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 4.34: "The Village Blacksmith"
- Key Resource 4.35: "To thine own self be true"
- Key Resource 4.36: "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
- Key Resource 4.37: "O Great Spirit"
- Key Resource 4.38: "To be, or not to be"
- Lesson 13: A Poetry Potpourri
5. The Final Touches
- Suggestions for a Successful Poetry Recital
- Key Resource 5.1: Poetic License
Closing Letter to Reader
Closing Letter to Reader
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
Inspired English
Raising Test Scores and Writing Effectiveness Through Poetry and Fiction
November 2004 | 160 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 01/02/2026 | 9780761931102 | $79.95 |
| Paperback | 28/04/2023 | 9780761931119 | $39.95 |
"The author introduces new pedagogical approaches in teaching language arts, using fiction and poetry to enhance the student's critical thinking. This is a thoughtful, practical, and innovative book that will foster academic success."
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean
National University, Los Angeles Campus
"A 'must have' publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired)
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lessons that spark the imagination and fuel academic success!
Teachers of English at the high-school and middle-school level face greater and greater challenges as the pressures of standardized testing collide with the realities of declining literacy and unmotivated students. This manual-written by a teacher for teachers of all experience levels-is the perfect companion for those looking to reinvigorate their language arts curriculum and fully engage and inspire all students.
LaCroix shows teachers how they can use poetry and fiction to generate student interest and promote higher-level thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of great works. Arming teachers with all the necessary tools to plan and prepare effective lessons, this user-friendly guide ensures that even the most reluctant students can share in the joy of literature while becoming better readers, writers, and test-takers.
Features that will aid new and veteran teachers alike include:
- Twenty proven, ready-to-use lessons complete with rubrics, reproducibles, and reteach ideas
- Straightforward descriptions of three effective lesson plan types, including the LaCroix Model
- Concrete examples of how to supercharge students' vocabulary, critical thinking, rhetorical writing and public speaking skills for higher test scores and lifelong success
Spark student interest with rich literature presented within the context of LaCroix's powerful and dynamic instructional plans, and watch as their achievement levels soar!
Table Of Contents:
- Preface
- About the Author
- Opening Letter to Reader
- 1. The Plan
- The Hunter Model
- The Generalist Model
- The LaCroix Model
- Key Resource 1.1 The LaCroix Model
- 2. The Design
- The Purpose
- The Objective
- The Crucial Setup
- The Critical Materials
- Key Resource 2.1 Sample Syllabus
- Key Resource 2.2 Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 2.3 Chaser Poem Rubric (4 Point)
- Key Resource 2.4 Bio Poem Rubric (6 Point)
- 3. The Preparation
- Skills to Be Taught
- Procedural Lesson 1: The Poetry Notebook
- Procedural Lesson 2: The Dramatic Reading
- Key Resource 3.1: Poetry Book Requirement
- Key Resource 3.2: Dramatic Reading Rubric
- Key Resource 3.3: Poetry Circle Grade
- 4. The Lessons
- Lesson 1: Understanding Character Through Tragedy
- Key Resource 4.1: Ladder of Responsibility
- Key Resource 4.2: Summary of Characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet
- Key Resource 4.3: Essay Scoring Guide for Student Response to Literature
- Key Resource 4.4: Literary Report Card
- Lesson 2: Conflict and the Heroic Journey
- Key Resource 4.5: Miracle on the Bayou
- Key Resource 4.6: The Heroic Journey
- Lesson 3: Finding Themes in Literature Through Art
- Key Resource 4.7: Boarding Flight 64
- Key Resource 4.8: Broad-Based Themes
- Key Resource 4.9: Paired Themes in Short Fiction
- Lesson 4: The Important Questions
- Key Resource 4.10: Blue Velvet
- Lesson 5: In Search of Poetry--Found Poems
- Key Resource 4.11: Young Chief Joseph's Speech to Congress (1879)
- Key Resource 4.12: Sample Found Poem: Chief Joseph Speaks to Congress
- Lesson 6: "Poetry Is..."--An Introduction
- Key Resource 4.13: Poetry Is...
- Lesson 7: The Power of Words--Interpreting Poetry
- Key Resource 4.14: Changing Impressions
- Key Resource 4.15: "The Day is Done"
- Key Resource 4.16: "The Psalm of Life"
- Lesson 8: "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"--The Poetry of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.17: The Poems of Emily Dickinson
- Key Resource 4.18: Summation of Emily Dickinson's Life
- Lesson 9: A Self-Portrait--The Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.19: Bio Poem Formula & Example
- Key Resource 4.20: Matt's Bio Poem
- Key Resource 4.21: Bio Poem Worksheet
- Key Resource 4.22: Character Traits
- Key Resource 4.23: Bio Poem Rubric (Six Point)
- Lesson 10: "All the world's a stage"--Shakespeare and Figurative Language
- Key Resource 4.24: Similes, Metaphors and Personification
- Key Resource 4.25: Shakespeare Poems
- Key Resource 4.26: "A Split Tree Still Grows"
- Lesson 11: "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary"--Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Works
- Key Resource 4.27: Lecture Notes on Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.28: Edgar Allan Poe
- Key Resource 4.29: "Annabel Lee"
- Key Resource 4.30: "To Helen"
- Key Resource 4.31: "A Dream Within a Dream"
- Key Resource 4.32: Excerpt from "The Raven"
- Lesson 12: Life's Lessons in Verse
- Key Resource 4.33: Teaching Poems
- Key Resource 4.34: "The Village Blacksmith"
- Key Resource 4.35: "To thine own self be true"
- Key Resource 4.36: "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
- Key Resource 4.37: "O Great Spirit"
- Key Resource 4.38: "To be, or not to be"
- Lesson 13: A Poetry Potpourri
- 5. The Final Touches
- Suggestions for a Successful Poetry Recital
- Key Resource 5.1: Poetic License
- Closing Letter to Reader
- Index
Recent Product Reviews:
"The author introduces new pedagogical approaches in teaching language arts, using fiction and poetry to enhance the student's critical thinking. This is a thoughtful, practical, and innovative book that will foster academic success."
Maggie Yadegar, Associate Dean, National University, Los Angeles Campus
“A ‘must have’ publication for the beginning teacher of English. The author gives explicit discussions, providing directions for formulating, presenting, and evaluating each phase of the lesson being taught."
Lois Gibson, Associate Professor Education (Retired), Southeastern Louisiana University