# data[].attributes.body
Inquiry, inquiry, inquiry! This unit's main focus in inquiry and being introduced to four of the most widely used critical theories. Students will ask questions, think critically and philosophically about the process of reading, and walk away with new insights to help shape their analysis of future works of fiction and non-fiction.

# data[].attributes.body
English III Honors students.
Only 504 is a student who gets preferential seating and needs to be issued a pass to the nurse whenever she asks.

# data[].attributes.body
To give to students as they revise their pieces. This gets them thinking about the revisions they make to set a purpose for editing and to help students feel like they can own their work. Students can also talk about why they chose not to make certain changes through this medium as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Students can create these for the school library or the town library for other students to use as reference

# data[].attributes.body
The only thing worksheets do is create students who are obedient and are able to fill out a form. They can be useful sometimes, but shouldn't be the norm.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout this unit, students will learn about archetypes and how to employ them in their interpretations. Through book clubs, students will practice using archetypal plot patterns as interpretive lenses. They will conclude their unit by writing a short analytical essay comparing a single plot phase with a scene from their novel.

# data[].attributes.body
Students will create a concept map of one of the eight archetypal patterns they've been studying.

# data[].attributes.body
What if this was a school-wide thing? Where students who were interested in presenting, could present to the school board, parents, and teachers?

# data[].attributes.body
This would work the best when studying a play and focusing on characterization. Students will take turns exaggerating what's happening in the story. The student with the most laughs at the end of the period earns a prize.

# data[].attributes.body
During their first book club meeting, students will analyze the beginnings of their book club novels through the lens of their archetypal patterns.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

# data[].attributes.subject
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

# data[].attributes.body
Sherman Alexie

# data[].attributes.headline
Social learning and incorporating group work into lesson plans is incredibly important 

# data[].attributes.subject
Social learning and incorporating group work into lesson plans is incredibly important 

# data[].attributes.body
but it requires the teacher to set expectations at the beginning of the year or the beginning of the unit so that students understand what is expected of them and how to have productive conversations. Mini-lessons and teacher modeling really come into play in this kind of classroom and the traditional lecture has no place. However, without good classroom management skills, this can't work.

# data[].attributes.body
Harper Lee

# data[].attributes.headline
Making collaboration a cornerstone of classroom practices

# data[].attributes.subject
Making collaboration a cornerstone of classroom practices

# data[].attributes.body
Our brains are hardwired to learn from social interaction, but schools don't always allow space for students to have this interaction. This article talks about the importance of planning and creating a social context for students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What prompts even the youngest infants, their heads wobbling almost imperceptibly on weak neck muscles, to stare so intently at faces both familiar and unfamiliar? What causes them to reach out without warning and latch on to a nose or an ear with tiny, prehensile fingers? And why, at even a few months old, do they track the eye movements of their parents, and engage in endearing games of facial and verbal mimicry?

"We know we start this way," said Dr. Patricia Kuhl, the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair at the Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, in a series of interviews on the science of human learning. "When you look at the studies on very young human babies, even newborns, they are captivated by the human face. And newborns have the ability to imitate the facial expressions of another person, so they open their mouths when you open your mouth, and they stick out their tongue when you stick out your tongue."

This preoccupation with the face has its origins in human evolution, according to Kuhl, and is explained by a complex neural network designed to interpret social cues-what neuroscientists call the social brain. Operating throughout our lifetimes, the social brain is responsible for making sense of a bewildering, often ambiguous range of human gestures that are crucial for survival. How we respond to an ominous glint in the eye or a fleeting grimace may seem like child's play. But differentiating between violent intent and mere irritation is sometimes the difference between life and death-and the games we play when we're young are critical practice for the more serious business of getting along later in life.

"We're always trying to understand what the other person's doing," explained Kuhl, reflecting on our fundamentally inquisitive, social nature. "In order to survive as a species, we had to learn to 'read' the people around us so that we could collaborate, fight enemies, and find food. So the social brain is [always] there, and it appears to be active very early in our development."

For educators, an awareness of the social brain presents an opportunity to tap into some of our most durable, deeply seated abilities. If the species is hardwired to work together, then our classrooms should continue to feature a healthy dose of activities that emphasize cooperation, teamwork, and peer-to-peer teaching.

Even the simplest tactics should reap dividends, according to Kuhl, who suggests using "circles or U-shaped arrangements"-or anything that gets kids interacting with one another. "The social context is extremely important to learning," she noted, "not only in infancy, but in school-aged children, who use the social brain when they're collaborating with one another, when they're studying how another person goes at it, when they're watching the eyes, even unconsciously, of their study partner as they work towards a solution together."

New research indicates that there are some limits to these findings. For autistic children, there is evidence, confirms Kuhl, that "human faces are less interesting and less motivating," so social learning may be less beneficial-or simply different-for students on the spectrum. And recent scholarship on introversion in the classroom suggests that the disposition is as much an asset as a liability: Introverted children excel in attention to detail, problem solving, and creativity. Children are not one-size-fits-all, and classrooms must adapt to meet the needs of all learners.

But for most children, the implications of the research on the social brain are clear. "There's something about being in the the presence of another human being" that drives human learning, says Kuhl. "Without the motivation and information provided by the social brain, learning just doesn't take off in the same way that it does when the social brain is engaged."

In this four-part video series, we take a closer look at Kuhl's fascinating insights on the science of human learning, with a focus on the positive-and cautionary-aspects of our social brain.

-Stephen Merrill

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What prompts even the youngest infants, their heads wobbling almost imperceptibly on weak neck muscles, to stare so intently at faces both familiar and unfamiliar? What causes them to reach out without warning and latch on to a nose or an ear with tiny, prehensile fingers?

# data[].attributes.headline
Pairing Inquiry and Informational Writing

# data[].attributes.subject
Pairing Inquiry and Informational Writing

# data[].attributes.body
Informational/analytical writing needs to start with inquiry. If students start with a thesis, it skews their research and doesn't teach them how people write in the real world outside of the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
Perhaps a unit on informational writing could begin with a modified QFT of sorts. Once students are able to think of a topic and a question, mini-lessons could include how to read infographs, "They Say / I Say" practices, how to paraphrase, etc. The final project would probably be lose, with basic parameters to show student achievement through a variety of different lenses.

# data[].attributes.body
It's important to note the the two are not mutually exclusive. Your class can have structure, students can still learn grammar, mechanics, and meet the standards they are supposed to while still engaging in some level of personal choice. Depending on the school, it may be difficult to incorporate that, but it's important that students are able to connect to their learning as interest begets learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Intellectual/Emotional Safety in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Intellectual/Emotional Safety in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Providing students the space to fail and to celebrate mistakes in order to learn and grow from them can shift a child's perception of their ability and that might make all the difference. Everyone can learn, everyone is smart, and students can do everything we ask of them, but sometimes they need someone to remind them that they can. -- research!

# data[].attributes.body
In the early middle school years, students may benefit from studying specific kinds of work so that they can understand how we group books. In reading mentor texts and examples, students can practice writing in those genres to keep the class consistent.

# data[].attributes.headline
"They say... / I say..." paired with "Say Something" can help students learn to annotate and think critically about text

# data[].attributes.subject
"They say... / I say..." paired with "Say Something" can help students learn to annotate and think critically about text

# data[].attributes.headline
Use a fishbowl discussion to model how a book discussion (whether large or small) should take place

# data[].attributes.subject
Use a fishbowl discussion to model how a book discussion (whether large or small) should take place

# data[].attributes.body
Could there be a way to tie the two together through social reconstruction teaching?

# data[].attributes.body
: students create multimedia articles with a partner (i.e. The New York Times) at the end of a unit

# data[].attributes.body
Similar to a literary journal you might find at a college, what if a class was tasked with creating their own as part of a writing unit? Students could submit whatever sort of writing they wanted (i.e. literary analysis, prose, poetry, research paper), work together to edit their writing, and ultimately publish it all somehow (perhaps online).
Might necessitate a whole unit on defining a canon and discussing why a canon is not representative of an entire group.

# data[].attributes.body
: can be paired with QFT's to give students personal choice or with book clubs/core texts to narrow focus and develop essential questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Disrupting Complacency - Helping Students find their Voices through Inquiry, Literature, and Technology

# data[].attributes.body
Studying just the canon is becoming outdated. Perhaps a unit (or an entire year) could be centered around creating a class-specific or student-specific canon

# data[].attributes.body
John Green

# data[].attributes.body
Reynolds and Kiely

# data[].attributes.body
Angie Thomas

# data[].attributes.body
: focusing student engagement through the pairing of historical primary sources and contemporary literature to learn about the people of the past (world/American history)
: part of an interdisciplinary approach to literature that focuses on context
: may serve as a way for students to create meaning

# data[].attributes.body
: used for inquiry-based lesson planning and helping students set a purpose for learning
: gives students personal choice in the questions they choose to focus on so that learning is meaningful to them
: can be used in conjunction with whole-class discussions, fishbowls, jigsaws, etc.

# data[].attributes.body
Sue gave me this idea in class. She was saying that students can use powerpoint to start to organize ideas. Each idea gets it's own slide, and students can reorder and add information digitally, like physically cutting and reorganizing a document.

# data[].attributes.body
Glorified blog where students can access resources, complete assignments, do quizzes, etc -- access via google account

# data[].attributes.body
Incorporating cura personalis (care for the whole person) into classroom life, even in a public school -- research!

# data[].attributes.body
Making sure students are supported emotionally and making time for them outside of class, especially when they're stressed out or anxious -- need more resources

# data[].attributes.body
Credited to Kristen -- unit where the class discovers poetry and creates their own using rap and music in general as a model resource

# data[].attributes.body
: using YA literature as a springboard or link to the modern world in order to spur student engagement and scaffold the more complicated canonical literature

# data[].attributes.body
If you studied it in college, chances are there's a free version here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Project Gutenberg is a library of over 70,000 free eBooks

Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy.

No fee or registration! Everything from Project Gutenberg is gratis, libre, and completely without cost to readers. If you find Project Gutenberg useful, please consider a small donation to help Project Gutenberg digitize more books, maintain its online presence, and improve Project Gutenberg programs and offerings. Other ways to help include digitizing, proofreading and formatting, or reporting errors.

New donation option with Give Freely. More information....

No special apps needed! Project Gutenberg eBooks require no special apps to read, just the regular Web browsers or eBook readers that are included with computers and mobile devices. There have been reports of sites that charge fees for custom apps, or for the same eBooks that are freely available from Project Gutenberg. Some of the apps might have worthwhile features, but none are required to enjoy Project Gutenberg eBooks.

50 years of eBooks 1971-2021. In 2021, Project Gutenberg celebrated the first eBook for reading enjoyment and unlimited free redistribution. This eBook was created on July 4, 1971 by Project Gutenberg's founder, Michael S. Hart. Read more about this lasting innovation. Project Gutenberg is grateful to all volunteers who helped to reach this milestone anniversary. Project Gutenberg offers a vibrant and growing collection of the world's great literature. Read, enjoy, and share!

Find Free eBooks

Audio books

Audio books are a great way to enjoy and share literature. Project Gutenberg no longer adds new audio books to the collection, and suggests these audio book resources. These audio books are all freely available and in the public domain in the US. They may be easily played back on computers, tablets, mobile phones, and other devices. They may be shared non-commercially, without limitation except in countries where the printed source is still copyrighted. All of the sources listed below are digitizations of texts from Project Gutenberg.

Project Gutenberg's human-read audio books. 662 titles read by people, sometimes with sound effects or other enhancements. These are from a few different contributors.

Project Gutenberg's computer-generated audio books. 386 titles from 2003, using text-to-speech automation. These are listenable but relatively low quality compared to today's technology.

Human-read audio books from LibriVox. LibriVox is a volunteer community that produces high-quality performances that are done by many different volunteers. Follow the link to find audio books, and also to help create new audio books.

The Project Gutenberg Open Audiobook Collection. Almost 5,000 titles from 2023, via a Project Gutenberg collaboration with Microsoft and MIT. These use neural text-to-speech technology for more natural-sounding computer-generated audio books. These audio books are also available on major music/podcast platforms as well as The Internet Archive. Project Gutenberg and partners were recognized by TIME for this work in their Best Inventions of 2023.

Get Help

How to Help

Distributed Proofreaders welcomes new volunteers. This is the main source of new Project Gutenberg eBooks. Getting started is easy, and just a page a day will help!

Fix and improve Project Gutenberg by reporting errors, bugs, typos, and suggesting changes.

Record audiobooks with our friends at LibriVox.

Special Areas

Terms of Use

Project Gutenberg eBooks may be freely used in the United States because most are not protected by U.S. copyright law. They may not be free of copyright in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright terms of their countries before accessing, downloading or redistributing eBooks. We also have a number of copyrighted titles, for which the copyright holder has given permission for unlimited non-commercial worldwide use.

The Project Gutenberg website is for human users only. Use of automated tools to access the website may trigger a block of your access. This site utilizes cookies, captchas and related technologies to help assure the site is maximally available for human users. See full terms of use here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Project Gutenberg is a library of free eBooks.

# data[].attributes.body
Viewing literature from a historical lens adds so much more depth to the story and can aid in analysis, especially in academic courses where it can be difficult to see why these stories are so important. It might be beneficial to pair with a history teacher to focus on creating a more interdisciplinary approach.

# data[].attributes.body
Modeled off of Fordham's American Lit course -- students focus on history and American literature that doesn't exist within the canon and complete a recovery project.

# data[].attributes.body
Because if they're going to check it out anyway, you may as well incorporate it somehow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SparkNotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of Shakespeare.

# data[].attributes.body
Good history section with interactive student profiles, so they can complete lessons to earn points, and video resources to introduce historical background knowledge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

# data[].attributes.subject
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

# data[].attributes.body
This online resource features reference material for American history pre-dating the end of the 15th century all the way up until World War II. There are videos, text, and interactive timeline and hundreds and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Gilder Lehrman Collection is located on the lower level of the New-York Historical Society. Please visit the Collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.

The Collection is available online. Browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.

For full digital access, please visit American History, 1493-1945, a subscription-based database of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, published by Adam Matthew Digital. American History, 1493-1945 contains more than 50,000 documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. It is designed for teaching and independent research. More than 100 universities and institutions-including Harvard University, Yale University, and the Library of Congress-have acquired a subscription to the database for their students and researchers.

We're pleased to announce that Adam Matthew Digital has a special offer for K-12 schools of two deeply discounted pricing options:

$1,000 One-year subscription

$5,000 Perpetual access

To request a 30-day free trial, contact Meredith Godby, meredith@amedu.com or 703-969-2850.

Copies of primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection can also be requested for reference or permission to reproduce for publication.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
the gilder lehrman collection | the gilder lehrman collection is located on the lower level of the new-york historical society. please visit the collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.the collection is available online. browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.for full digital access

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
a subscription-based database of the gilder lehrman collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
published by adam matthew digital. american history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
000 documents from the gilder lehrman collection. | the gilder lehrman collection is located on the lower level of the new-york historical society. please visit the collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.the collection is available online. browse or search our website for catalog information and select images.for full digital access

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
a subscription-based database of the gilder lehrman collection

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
published by adam matthew digital. american history

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
000 documents from the gilder lehrman collection. it is designed for teaching and independent research. more than 100 universities and institutions—including harvard university

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
and the library of congress—have acquired a subscription to the database for their students and researchers.we’re pleased to announce that adam matthew digital has a special offer for k–12 schools of two deeply discounted pricing options:$1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
000 perpetual accessto request a 30-day free trial

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
meredith@amedu.com or 703-969-2850.copies of primary sources from the gilder lehrman collection can also be requested for reference or permission to reproduce for publication.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Gilder Lehrman Collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection is located on the lower level of the New-York Historical Society. Please visit the Collection to examine original historical documents and artifacts in person.The Collection is available online.