analytical essay

The purpose of this module is to prepare Pre-AP English students for AP Language and Composition by teaching them the basics of analyzing the elements of rhetoric that authors use to make their writing more effective. Students will become familiar with basic rhetorical devices. They will also...

We have talked about pride and how too much pride could be a "wonderful, terrible" thing. We have applied that to racial discrimination and injustice. After we analyze Dr. King's speech, investigate court rulings, and evaluate current issues, we will read and interpret the play A Raisin in...

Students will read Poe’s famous short story closely, carefully, and multiple times, savoring the story and analyzing how Poe invites readers both to believe and not believe the narrator’s account of the key events. The reading process engages students with a sequence of questions that can only...

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick is an all-time favorite novel for middle school students. In this module, students will be comparing the written story to its filmed version, analyzing the effects and techniques unique to each medium.

This module is taught in October, near...

5th grade students will read articles about the Boston Massacre from the Patriot and Loyalists' points of view. Following close reading of the articles, students will write an essay explaining the the similarities and differences in each article's point of view about the Boston Massacre.

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This module is designed to be taught in 10th grade ELA at the beginning of the school year. Students will read, "The Children of Willesden Lane," the historical account of piano prodigy Lisa Jura's escape from Vienna and her life in London during World War II. Students will analyze how the...

In this unit, students read given texts and study the specific structures and literary elements which create humor in a variety of print and non-print sources. Students explore the development of humor to determine a text’s deeper meaning and purpose, and apply these elements in an analytical...

This 2-3 day mini-module is designed to engage students in an important theme of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men before reading the entire novel. By having students think about types of friendship before beginning the novel, students acquire an analytical lens for evaluating the...

This module focuses on the coming of age theme. Students were given a choice of coming of age novels to read in their book clubs. Throughout the course of unit, students will analyze whether the protagonist in their book club novel comes of age. By the end of the unit, students will write an...

The goal of this module is to teach students how writers use persuasive techniques to influence others. Students will be analyzing how an author's claim is developed and refined, analyzing the elements of an argument and analyzing persuasive techniques. Students will be examining a variety of...

Students will write an essay that analyzes how Stephen King uses literary devices such as symbolism, character development, and conflict to develop a thematic idea about the loss of innocence or the ways in which the experiences of our childhood contribute to our development. They will conduct...

Students analyze (compare, contrast, infer, apply prior knowledge) and research both New England and another pre-selected world region on which to write an analysis paper. 

The task asks students to identify the cycle of the hero’s journey in a text, analyze the effectiveness of this technique, and apply what they learned to their own lives or a contemporary situation.

Students will read their choice book after a library resource visit or from a...

This is an analytical essay that follows the reading of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. The assessment will answer the following essential question: What did it mean to “come of age” during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and how does that compare to coming of age today?  ...

In this task, students will relate the concepts of a poem entitled “Hatred” by Wislawa Szymborska to an historical event or conflict.

This is a thematic assessment that can apply to any time period, war, or conflict (either chosen by the student or by the teacher).

Students will...