Anthology Alignment Project
College- and career-ready lessons for use with texts included in anthologies, grades 6–11
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Results (135)
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- 01/21/15
- 1 FILE
Zlata's Diary
Zlata's Diary chronicles the daily life of Zlata, an eleven year-old girl during wartime in Sarajevo, and the war's increasing impact o…
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- 01/21/15
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Invocation of John Brown's Body
In “Invocation” from John Brown’s Body Stephen Vincent Benet calls on the muse of America to inspire him. He invokes …
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- 01/21/15
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Water
In “Water”, Helen Keller describes her first experiences with her new teacher. Keller finally grasps the idea that a …
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- 01/21/15
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
These excerpts from Maya Angelou’s autobiography describe important points in her childhood. First Angelou describes the im…
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- 01/21/15
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Why the Waves Have Whitecaps
The wind and water are personified as two women talking about their children. Mrs. Wind brags about her children, which annoys Mrs. Wat…
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- 11/18/14
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The Trouble with Television
In “The Trouble With Television,” former broadcast journalist Robert MacNeil presents a persuasive case that television has…
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- 10/30/14
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Papa's Parrot
Harry Tillian’s father owns a candy and nut shop. Harry used to visit the shop with his friends every day, but his priorities cha…
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- 10/30/14
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Real Story of a Cowboy's Life
“The Real Story of a Cowboy’s Life” describes a cattle drive from the perspective of real cowboys who rode on one. (P…
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- 10/30/14
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Life Without Gravity
"Life Without Gravity," a nonfiction selection, is designed to help students become familiar with the characteristics of an expository …
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- 10/30/14
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Seventh Grade
On the first day of seventh grade, Victor and his friend Michael try to hide their insecurities and impress the girls in their class. &…
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- 10/30/14
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Bear Boy
In The Bear Boy, a man neglects his son and does not teach him the ways of Pueblo life and how to transition into manhood. One day, the…
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- 10/30/14
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The White Umbrella
The narrator of The White Umbrella is a Chinese American girl who struggles with feelings of embarrassment and longing to be like other…
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- 10/30/14
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Poetry Collection 5
Lesson guides for Old Man, Runagate Runagate and Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind. (Prentice Hall Literature, 2010) This lesson was create…
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- 10/30/14
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The Three Century Woman
Megan’s Great-grandmother Breckenridge has lived in three centuries. She was born in 1899 and now it is 2001. On the …
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- 10/30/14
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Poetry Collection 1
Lesson guides for Cat!, Silver and Your World. (Prentice Hall Literature, 2010) This lesson was created as part of the Anthology …
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- 10/30/14
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Poetry Collection 3
Lesson guides for Concrete, Harlem Night Song and The City is So Big. (Prentice Hall Literature, 2010) This lesson was created as par…
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- 10/30/14
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I am a Native of North America
In this reflective essay, Chief Dan George compares his native North American culture with that of white culture and expresses his view…
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- 10/30/14
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Who Can Replace a Man?
Brian Aldiss describes a futuristic world in which machines are capable of thinking based on the tasks they have been designed to perfo…
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- 10/29/14
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The Tail
Tasha, a thirteen year old girl has to babysit her little 7 year old brother, Junior, because her mom is getting a job over the summer.…
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- 10/29/14
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The Case of the Monkeys that Fell from the Trees
This article describes scientists Ken and Molly Glander’s research on the eating habits of howler monkeys in Costa Rica. In…
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- 10/29/14
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Becky and the Wheels and Brake Boys
The short story titled “Becky and the Wheel-and-Brake Boys” is about how Becky desperately wants to own a bike despite the …
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- 10/29/14
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My Papa Mark Twain
In My Papa, Mark Twain, Suzy Clemens, at thirteen years old, wrote a biography of her famous father, author Mark Twain. Through d…
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- 10/29/14
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Drive-In Movies
In the Drive-In Movies, young Gary Soto wants his mother to take him and his siblings to the drive-in movies, a special treat. Hi…
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- 10/29/14
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Stray
Mr. and Mrs. Lacey and their daughter, Doris, are stranded at home following a severe winter storm. Doris notices an abandoned pu…
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- 10/28/14
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Crow Call
An absentee father takes his daughter on a hunting trip. The experience leads them to discover that that they are not strangers after a…
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- 09/30/14
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Doing Nothing is Something
The author argues that summer should be a time of relaxation and an opportunity for creativity for today’s children. Children of …
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- 09/30/14
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Glory and Hope
Nelson Mandela’s speech (1994) was given to celebrate the first free election and the new policy of majority rule in South Africa…
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- 09/30/14
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By the Waters of Babylon
John is the son of a priest in a futuristic society where social class and rules are paramount. Knowledge is vital to John, and he inve…
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- 09/30/14
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The Jade Peony
In “The Jade Peony,” a Chinese-Canadian family engages in the delicate dance of retaining the old life while adjusting to t…
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- 09/30/14
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The Washwoman
In “The Washwoman,” Singer recalls the woman who did his family’s laundry when he was a child in Poland. Singer…
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- 09/29/14
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Two Kinds
This is a story of an American-born Chinese daughter, her immigrant mother and their very different beliefs and hopes. The daughter str…
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- 09/29/14
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The Secret
“The Secret” tells the story of Henry Cooper, a reporter, returning for the second time to report on the colonies now exist…
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- 09/29/14
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Paul Revere's Ride
A narrator recounts the story of Paul Revere’s ride, which took place in Massachusetts on April 18, 1775. On that night, Re…
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- 09/29/14
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Fugitive Slaves Acts of 1793 and 1850
This selection provides an overview of two laws dealing with fugitives from slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 establishes monetar…
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- 09/29/14
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Broken Chain
In “Broken Chain,” Alfonso, a seventh grader, dislikes his appearance. He meets a girl named Sandra, whom he admires,…
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- 09/29/14
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What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything?
A sixth grade boy lives with his mother. The mother maintains their livelihood with a blue collar job. In the story, William wants to f…
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- 09/29/14
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From Ellis Island and I
In this personal essay by Isaac Asimov, the author relates his journey of becoming a science fiction writer. Asimov explains disc…
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- 09/29/14
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Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky is an epic poem told through nonsense words. The poem relates a father’s quest for his son that involves the slaying …
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- 09/29/14
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Sir Gawin and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a legend about King Arthur’s court and the Knights of the Round Table. During a New Years cele…
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- 09/29/14
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Charles
As the narrator sends her son Laurie off to kindergarten, she fears that her sweet child has become a “swaggering character.&rdqu…
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- 09/29/14
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The Highwayman
The highwayman is an eighteenth century thief, who promises to return to his love Bess, the landlord’s daughter. Tim is a s…
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- 09/29/14
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Echo and Narcissus
Echo is a nymph that likes to gossips so a spell is cast upon her to only reiterate things that she has heard. Her spell became the cau…
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- 09/29/14
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Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall
Diane Ackerman describes fall foliage and explains the natural processes that cause the leaves of deciduous trees to turn each year. Al…
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- 09/29/14
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The Wreck of the Hesperus
“The Wreck of the Hesperus” is a narrative poem about an arrogant ship captain (skipper) who takes his daughter on an ill-f…
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- 09/29/14
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In Response to Executive Order 9066
This is a poem was written in letter format, addressed to the U.S. authorities, in response to Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 90…
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- 09/29/14
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The Road Not Taken
The speaker reflects on the risks and responsibilities of making choices and deciding which road to take. (Prentice Hall Timeless Voice…
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- 09/29/14
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Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I is the biography of Queen Elizabeth who reigned in England for 45 years from 1558 to 1603. Milton Meltzer chronologically h…
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- 09/29/14
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Heart and Hands
Two men are handcuffed together board a train. Miss Fairchild, a young and elegant woman, recognizes the younger of the two men, …
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- 09/27/14
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Nadia the Willful
A young Bedouin girl has earned the nickname Nadia the Willful because of her quick temper. Her brother, Hamed, is the only one who can…
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- 09/27/14
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A Backwoods Boy
Lincoln’s life was filled with many relationships, events, challenges and decisions that shaped him from boy to politician. Abrah…
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- 09/27/14
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The Dog of Pompeii
"The Dog of Pompeii" centers on a blind boy, Tito, and his dog, Bimbo, his life-long devoted companion during A.D. 79 in the city of Po…
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- 09/27/14
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Ta-Na-E-Ka
Mary Whitebird is about to turn eleven and take part in the Sioux coming of age tradition of Ta-Na-E-Ka. Literally translated as, &ldqu…
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- 09/17/14
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The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story told from the perspective of a woman facing the tribulations of mental illness. Charlotte Perkins…
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- 09/17/14
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A Few Don'ts by an Imagiste
Ezra Pound was one of the founders of Imagism who helped define its philosophy. In his essay warning Imagist poets against writin…
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- 09/13/14
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Address to Congress
Two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president. In this s…
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- 09/13/14
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The New Frontier
In this 1962 speech, Kennedy attempts to persuade the public that America should invest in space exploration in the name of progress an…
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- 09/13/14
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The Ransom of Red Chief
Bill and Sam decide that the best way to finance their upcoming land swindle is to kidnap the child of a wealthy citizen and hold him f…
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- 09/13/14
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Overdoing It
When the land surveyor, Gleb Smirnov, arrives in the Gnilushka train station, he hires a peasant to take him to the estate that he must…
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- 09/13/14
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Raymond's Run
The story “Raymond’s Run” is told through the eyes of Hazel ‘Squeaky” Parker, who is the fastest runner i…
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- 09/13/14
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The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
This story is set in a Tennessee peach orchard on the night before the Civil War battle of Shiloh. A young drummer briefly consid…
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- 09/13/14
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The Story of an Eyewitness
In the magazine article, “The Story of an Eyewitness,” Jack London describes the effects of the San Francisco Earthquake of…
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- 09/13/14
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The Pearl
The text begins with a poor fisherman, Kino, his wife, Juana, their baby Coyotito, and the great pearl. When Coyotito is stung by a sco…
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- 09/13/14
- 1 FILE
Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?
The text focuses on Paul Berlin’s mental struggle to conquer his fear in Vietnam. To quell his fear, he thinks about home, his ch…
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- 09/13/14
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A Christmas Memory
This semi-autobiographical text is set in the rural South during the Depression. The text focuses on Buddy’s recollection of the …
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- 09/13/14
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An American Story
An American Story details the trials and perseverance of the Dinh Family’s immigration to the United States as refugees from war-…
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- 09/13/14
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Old Man at the Bridge
War is happening in Spain and the civilians are asked to leave the war zone. At the side of the road, the narrator, presumably a …
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- 09/13/14
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Beware of the Dog
Squadron Leader Peter Williamson, an English fighter pilot in World War II, has been injured and had to bail out over the English Chann…
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- 09/13/14
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A Letter to Harriet Tubman
In response to Harriet Tubman’s request for a letter of commendation, Fredrick Douglas wrote a testimony of her character, hard w…
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- 09/13/14
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The First Americans
This speech, presented as an address in 1927 to the mayor of Chicago, William Hale Thompson, sought to reform the stereotypical image o…
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- 09/13/14
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The Monkey's Paw
Using the supernatural powers of “The Monkey’s Paw”, the Whites make a wish for money, receive the money after their …
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- 09/13/14
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Knots in My Yo-Yo String
This autobiographical piece tells what a neat, tidy rule-follower this author was in his youth. Once he was unfairly given a dete…
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- 09/13/14
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Oranges
The poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto is about the bittersweet experience of a first date. They walk together to the drug store a…
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- 09/13/14
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An American Childhood
Seven-year old Annie Dillard enjoys playing football with the boys in her neighborhood because it requires her to play with concentrati…
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- 09/13/14
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The Walrus and the Carpenter
Lewis Carroll’s poem tells the tale of a walrus and a carpenter who invite a group of oysters to join them for a walk on a sunny …
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- 09/13/14
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Life Doesn't Frighten Me
This poem, written in a voice of a child, addresses the fears a child faces when starting at a new school and/or being placed in a new …
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- 09/13/14
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All Summer in a Day
“All Summer in A Day” takes place on the planet Venus in a future world where people have come to set up a civilization. &n…
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- 09/13/14
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John Henry
John Henry competes against a steam drill in driving steel and proudly claims that he would sooner die than let a steam drill beat him.…
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- 09/13/14
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The Bracelet
Ruri, a young Japanese girl, and her family are taken to an internment camp during WWII because the US government was afraid Japanese A…
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- 09/13/14
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The Mysterious Mr. Lincoln
In this chapter from Russell Freedman’s photobiography, the author details Abraham Lincoln’s many facets. Lincoln’s g…
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- 09/13/14
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A Day's Wait
The story’s narrator notices one morning that his nine-year-old son is ill. A doctor visits the home and notes that the boy&rsquo…
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- 09/13/14
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Long Walk to Freedom
In this essay, Mandela explains his shifting understandings of freedom based on different stages in his life. Mandela explain how his p…
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- 09/13/14
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Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
When a sudden and inexplicable force causes everything to stop working on Maple Street, the people there begin to wonder who or what is…
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- 09/13/14
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Keep Memory Alive
In this excerpt from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel reminds the audience of the “urgent importance of the H…
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- 09/13/14
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On the Grasshopper and the Cricket
“The sonnet begins with the speaker stating that the earth’s poetry never dies. In summer, the grasshopper runs among the h…
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- 09/13/14
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One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts
The main character, Mr. Johnson, embarks upon quite the opposite of an ordinary day. This day he spends as a do-gooder, wandering the s…
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- 09/13/14
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Annabel Lee
This is a poem about love that Poe has written in memory of his wife, whom he calls Annabel Lee. Annabel Lee and the narrator were so i…
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- 09/13/14
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Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Famil…
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 Japanese-Americans on the west coast were forced to uproot themselves and move in…
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- 09/13/14
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One Million Volumes
In this speech, Rudolfo Anaya celebrates the purchase of the 1 millionth library volume by the University of New Mexico. He begin…
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- 09/13/14
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A Toast to the Oldest Inhabitant
“A Toast to the Oldest Inhabitant: The Weather of New England” was initially delivered as a speech to people familiar with …
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- 09/13/14
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The Book of the Dead
The story centers on a young Haitian-artist, Annie, and her reverence for her father, whom she believes was a Haitian political prisone…
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- 09/13/14
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Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket
Tom Benecke is conflicted by his career ambition and his desire to be with his wife. One night while his wife goes to the movies …
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- 09/13/14
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Everyday Use
In this story, set in the 1960s, a mother tells about a visit from her daughter Dee, to the family’s rural Southern home. Dee has…
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- 09/13/14
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In Trouble
In this autobiographical text, Gary Paulson narrates experiences he had in the bitter cold of the North which taught him to respect all…
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- 09/13/14
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Mrs. Flowers
In Mrs. Flowers, an excerpt from the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the author, Maya Angelou, describes a significant e…
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- 08/22/13
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Harrison Bergeron
In “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. uses irony to illustrate how enforcing absolute equality would require a ridicul…
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- 08/22/13
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The Emperor's New Clothes ©
The emperor loves new clothes, so two swindlers claim they can make beautiful clothes that are invisible to anyone stupid or unfit for …
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- 08/22/13
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On Summer
Lorraine Hansberry uses elements of narrative, and persuasive and reflective essays to highlight memorable moments in her life where sh…
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- 08/22/13
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Amigo Brothers
Seventeen-year-old best friends dream of becoming light-weight boxing champions of the world. They train together until they find out t…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Rikki Tikki Tavi
A mongoose, Rikki-tikki-tavi, comes to live with an English family in their bungalow in colonial India. Two cobras—Nag and Nagain…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Noble Experiment
This excerpt from Jackie Robinson’s autobiography, "I Never Had It Made," begins with the history behind Branch Rickey’s pl…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Smallest Dragonboy
This fantasy takes place on the planet Pern, an imaginary world where dragons help protect the inhabitants from the dangerous Red Star,…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Three Skeleton Keys
This horror story begins when three lighthouse keepers realize that a derelict ship heading for their tiny island is filled with thousa…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Names/Nombres
Julia Alvarez recalls her family’s early years as Dominican immigrants in America. She describes her reactions to the mispronunci…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Treasure of Lemon Brown
Fourteen year-old Greg Ridley gets into an argument with his father over his bad grades and his father forbids him to play basketball. …
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Rice Sandwich
The main character, Esperanza, desperately wants to eat in the lunchroom at school, with the other boys and girls who do not go home fo…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
There Will Come Soft Rains
This classic Ray Bradbury Science Fiction story is set in the future after a nuclear Armageddon in which a fully automated house goes t…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Jackie Robinson: Justice At Last
“Jackie Robinson: Justice at Last” is the story of two brave men who changed the course of history in sports. In the 1940s,…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Letters From a Concentration Camp
WWII has started and Jimbo Kurasaki and his mother and brother have been confined to an internment camp because they are Japanese. He i…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Lob's Girl
In the short story "Lob’s Girl," a girl, Sandy, and her dog, Lob, create an emotional bond that provides the will to survive. The…
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- 08/22/13
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The Circuit
Panchito, a young migrant worker, lives life with his family on the circuit—a cycle of seasonal crop harvesting. Each move on the…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Summer of Fire
In the summer of 1988, fires raged out of control in Yellowstone National Park. Though it seemed like total devastation to outsiders, t…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Zlateh the Goat
During the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Reuven is forced to sell Zlateh, the family goat, because business has been bad. On his way to t…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The First Emperor
This is an excerpt from "Tomb Robbers." Ch’in Shih Huang Ti was the first emperor of China. He had a great fear of his own death.…
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- 08/22/13
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Sarah Cynthia
A young girl, Sarah Stout, despite her father’s request, chooses not to take out the garbage, and soon realizes that there are se…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Barrio Boy
In this excerpt from Galarza’s memoir he recants his experiences in a new school in a new country, the United States. He describe…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Mongoose On The Loose
This article examines what happens when a sugar planter tries to save his sugar crops by importing a few mongooses to eat the rats. (Pr…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Third Wish
Almost every culture has a traditional tale about character who is granted three wishes. Two are usually used unwisely, and then the th…
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- 08/22/13
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Lamb To the Slaughter
Mary Maloney's husband Patrick tells his wife that that he is leaving her, and shocked beyond reply, she grabs a large leg of lamb from…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Cask Of Amontillado
In this chilling tale by Edgar Allen Poe, Montresor seeks revenge on Fortunato for past insults. (McDougal Littell Literature, 2009) T…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Road Ahead
The cofounder of Microsoft Corporation makes predictions about the future as he chronicles communication innovations from the past and …
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Scarlet Ibis
The text explores the conflicts between love and pride, and draws attention to the effects of familial and societal expectations and st…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Weapons Of The Spirit
This lesson consists of four short works by Albert Einstein. The works regard pre- and post-war topics. (Holt Elements of Literature, 2…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Helen On 86th Street
In Wendi Kaufman's story, Vita, the narrator, lives in an apartment with her single mother. She deeply misses her father who left them,…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Lady, Or The Tiger?
“The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton is about a fairy tale king who edifies his subjects through public trials wi…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Frederick Douglass, a freed slave, is asked to give a speech to a group of Americans on the 4th of July. Douglass uses the occasion to …
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
This story, set in 1820s Austria, is a series of letters written between a young boy, Christoph, who lives in Vienna and his uncle, a m…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
O Captain My Captain
The poem describes the victorious homecoming of a ship. The Captain responsible for the safe return of his ship and crew has died befor…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman’s first journey to Canada on the Underground Railroad is fraught with danger, harsh conditions, and uncertainty. I…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Fog Horn
Johnny, the narrator, and McDunn, the lighthouse keeper (Johnny’s boss), are working in a lighthouse on a November evening. McDun…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
The Landlady
In this short story, a boy named Billy Weaver needs to find lodging in Bath, England. He goes to a boardinghouse. The landlady is an od…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Flowers For Algernon
A mentally challenged man is presented with an opportunity to have an operation that will triple his intelligence. The story chronicles…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Born Worker
José feels he is destined to a life filled with physical labor. Both of his parents work hard. His mother works at a sewing mach…
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- 08/22/13
- 1 FILE
Checkouts
The main character is unhappy about her family’s move to Cincinnati and spends most of her time in her room, miserable. Then one …
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- 07/29/13
- 1 FILE
Eleven
Rachel wakes up on her eleventh birthday feeling as if she’s still ten—and nine, and eight, and all the ages that came befo…
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- 07/29/13
- 1 FILE
Names/Nombres
Julia Alvarez recalls her family’s early years as Dominican immigrants in America, and describes her reactions to the mispronunci…