📚 English 9-12
One printable 40-minute plan for each of the 16 lessons. A substitute can run any lesson with the lesson's 3D video and Movie. No account needed.
Lesson 1: Close reading and inference
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 1
Big idea: Infer from clues, then prove it with the text.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“‘Maya checked her phone again, then a third time, and pushed her untouched lunch away.’ The writer never says ‘nervous,’ but you can infer it.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Text clues plus background knowledge make an inference.
- Pick the evidence that proves it best.
- Stated directly vs suggested.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
‘Leo's hands shook as he stepped onto the stage.’ Best inference:
- A. Leo is nervous
- B. Leo is bored
Answer (for the teacher): Leo is nervous
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
The best evidence…
- A. Directly supports your point
- B. Is the longest quote
Answer (for the teacher): Directly supports your point
Leave on the board
- Close reading and inference
- Big idea: Infer from clues, then prove it with the text.
- Memory trick: “Say it, prove it.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Making inferences the text can't support.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 2: Theme and character development
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 2
Big idea: Change in character reveals theme.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“Great characters change. How they change reveals the theme.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Track motivation, conflict and change.
- A theme is a full statement.
- Cite and explain.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
Which is a theme statement?
- A. Pride can blind people to the truth
- B. Pride
Answer (for the teacher): Pride can blind people to the truth
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Evidence must be…
- A. Explained
- B. Left alone
Answer (for the teacher): Explained
Leave on the board
- Theme and character development
- Big idea: Change in character reveals theme.
- Memory trick: “Watch the change.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Summarizing plot instead of analyzing.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 3: Point of view and the narrator
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 3
Big idea: Who tells the story shapes what we know.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“A story told by the villain feels completely different from the same story told by the hero.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- The narrator is a character in the story.
- Inside one mind, or inside all minds.
- A narrator we can't fully trust.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
‘I knew the money was mine, no matter what Jen said.’ Point of view?
- A. First person
- B. Third person omniscient
Answer (for the teacher): First person
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Changing the narrator changes…
- A. Which details and feelings readers get
- B. Nothing
Answer (for the teacher): Which details and feelings readers get
Leave on the board
- Point of view and the narrator
- Big idea: Who tells the story shapes what we know.
- Memory trick: “Whose eyes? Whose bias?”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Confusing the narrator with the author.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 4: Figurative language and connotation
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 4
Big idea: Word choice shapes meaning and feeling.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“‘Her words were knives’ hits harder than ‘she was mean.’”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Comparisons with or without ‘like’ or ‘as.’
- Human traits for things; big exaggeration.
- ‘Thrifty’ feels better than ‘cheap.’
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
‘The wind whispered through the trees’ is…
- A. Personification
- B. A simile
Answer (for the teacher): Personification
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Connotation is…
- A. The feeling a word carries
- B. The dictionary definition
Answer (for the teacher): The feeling a word carries
Leave on the board
- Figurative language and connotation
- Big idea: Word choice shapes meaning and feeling.
- Memory trick: “Literal says it; figurative shows it.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Naming a device without explaining its effect.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 5: Poetry: sound, form and structure
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 5
Big idea: A poem's form and sound create meaning.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“Song lyrics use the same tools as poems: rhyme, rhythm and line breaks.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Shakespearean: three quatrains plus a couplet.
- Ten syllables: da-DUM five times.
- A shift in thought or tone.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
How many lines are in a sonnet?
Answer (for the teacher): 14
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Free verse has…
- A. No fixed rhyme or meter
- B. Exactly 14 lines
Answer (for the teacher): No fixed rhyme or meter
Leave on the board
- Poetry: sound, form and structure
- Big idea: A poem's form and sound create meaning.
- Memory trick: “Read it aloud; hear the meaning.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Treating every line break as the end of a sentence.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 6: Drama and Shakespeare
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 6
Big idea: Playwrights use speech and structure to build tension.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is alive when Romeo does not. That's dramatic irony.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Speaking alone on stage; a quick word to the audience.
- A great figure brought down by a flaw.
- Rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
A character speaking private thoughts alone on stage gives a…
- A. Soliloquy
- B. Dialogue
Answer (for the teacher): Soliloquy
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Shakespeare's plays are printed in how many acts?
Answer (for the teacher): 5
Leave on the board
- Drama and Shakespeare
- Big idea: Playwrights use speech and structure to build tension.
- Memory trick: “Watch what the audience knows.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Reading a play without picturing it performed.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 7: Central idea and text structure
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 7
Big idea: Structure helps develop the central idea.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“News articles, science reports and speeches are built in patterns you can spot.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- The main point the whole text develops.
- Cause-effect, problem-solution and compare-contrast structures.
- An objective summary keeps your views out.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
A text describes ocean plastic, then explains three fixes. Its structure is…
- A. Problem-solution
- B. Chronological
Answer (for the teacher): Problem-solution
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
The central idea is…
- A. What the whole text develops
- B. One interesting detail
Answer (for the teacher): What the whole text develops
Leave on the board
- Central idea and text structure
- Big idea: Structure helps develop the central idea.
- Memory trick: “Find the pattern, find the point.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Picking an interesting detail as the central idea.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 8: Author's craft and rhetoric
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 8
Big idea: Craft creates meaning.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“Writers choose every word. Diction, imagery, structure and rhetorical appeals create meaning.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Literary techniques, along with symbolism.
- Rhetorical appeals.
- Connect each technique to the central idea.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
An appeal to statistics is…
- A. Logos
- B. Pathos
Answer (for the teacher): Logos
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Text analysis focuses on…
- A. How a technique develops a central idea
- B. Whether you liked it
Answer (for the teacher): How a technique develops a central idea
Leave on the board
- Author's craft and rhetoric
- Big idea: Craft creates meaning.
- Memory trick: “Name it, show it, explain its effect.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Naming a device without explaining its effect.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 9: Evaluating arguments and fallacies
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 9
Big idea: Test reasoning: is the evidence relevant and enough?
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“‘Everyone is buying these shoes, so they must be the best.’ That's a fallacy.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Good evidence fits the claim and is enough.
- Attacking the person; twisting the argument.
- ‘Everyone does it’; only two choices.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
‘Don't trust her plan; she failed a math test once.’ This fallacy is…
- A. Ad hominem
- B. Bandwagon
Answer (for the teacher): Ad hominem
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Strong evidence is…
- A. Relevant, credible and sufficient
- B. Emotional only
Answer (for the teacher): Relevant, credible and sufficient
Leave on the board
- Evaluating arguments and fallacies
- Big idea: Test reasoning: is the evidence relevant and enough?
- Memory trick: “Attack the idea, not the person.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Thinking every emotional appeal is a fallacy.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 10: Comparing texts across time
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 10
Big idea: Writers answer and echo earlier texts.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“The Seneca Falls Declaration (1848) copies the Declaration of Independence's structure on purpose.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Compare how each text treats it.
- A reference to another text or event.
- When, why and for whom it was written.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
The Seneca Falls line ‘all men and women are created equal’ alludes to…
- A. The Declaration of Independence
- B. The Constitution's preamble
Answer (for the teacher): The Declaration of Independence
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Foundational U.S. documents include…
- A. The Declaration and the Constitution
- B. A grocery list
Answer (for the teacher): The Declaration and the Constitution
Leave on the board
- Comparing texts across time
- Big idea: Writers answer and echo earlier texts.
- Memory trick: “Same idea, new era, new purpose.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Judging older texts without their historical context.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 11: Argument essays with sources
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 11
Big idea: Claim, counterclaim, evidence.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“A strong argument takes a clear position, uses evidence from sources, and answers the other side.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Take a clear position.
- Address the other side.
- Use evidence from several of the texts you are given.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
A counterclaim is…
- A. An opposing argument you address
- B. Your thesis
Answer (for the teacher): An opposing argument you address
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Best evidence is…
- A. Relevant and specific
- B. Long
Answer (for the teacher): Relevant and specific
Leave on the board
- Argument essays with sources
- Big idea: Claim, counterclaim, evidence.
- Memory trick: “Claim it, prove it, defend it.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Ignoring the other side.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 12: Text-analysis response
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 12
Big idea: Central idea + one strategy + how it works.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“A text-analysis response names a central idea and one writing strategy, then explains how the strategy develops that idea.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- State it in one sentence.
- Such as imagery, symbolism or structure.
- Evidence → explanation → effect.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
Best thesis for a text-analysis response:
- A. The author uses contrasting imagery to show that hope survives hardship
- B. The story has imagery
Answer (for the teacher): The author uses contrasting imagery to show that hope survives hardship
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
In a text-analysis response, your personal opinion of the text is…
- A. Not the focus
- B. Required
Answer (for the teacher): Not the focus
Leave on the board
- Text-analysis response
- Big idea: Central idea + one strategy + how it works.
- Memory trick: “Idea, device, effect.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Listing many devices instead of analyzing one deeply.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 13: Narrative writing techniques
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 13
Big idea: Show with detail, dialogue and pacing.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“Strong personal essays and short stories show one moment instead of telling about it.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- ‘Her knees shook’ beats ‘she was scared.’
- Speed up or slow down key moments.
- End with what the moment meant.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
Which sentence shows instead of tells?
- A. His voice cracked as he read the letter
- B. He was sad
Answer (for the teacher): His voice cracked as he read the letter
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
A strong ending often includes…
- A. Reflection on meaning
- B. A random new character
Answer (for the teacher): Reflection on meaning
Leave on the board
- Narrative writing techniques
- Big idea: Show with detail, dialogue and pacing.
- Memory trick: “Zoom in on the moment.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Summarizing a whole day instead of one vivid moment.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 14: Research and avoiding plagiarism
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 14
Big idea: Credible sources, cited correctly.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“Research means checking sources, synthesizing ideas, and giving credit.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Check currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.
- Cite with a standard style.
- Paraphrase and cite.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
Using AI text without permission or credit is…
- A. Academic dishonesty
- B. Fine
Answer (for the teacher): Academic dishonesty
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Paraphrases need citations?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer (for the teacher): Yes
Leave on the board
- Research and avoiding plagiarism
- Big idea: Credible sources, cited correctly.
- Memory trick: “If you borrow it, cite it.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Paraphrasing without a citation.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 15: Grammar and usage that counts
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 15
Big idea: Clear sentences follow rules readers can trust.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“One comma changes everything: ‘Let's eat, Grandma!’ vs ‘Let's eat Grandma!’”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Two sentences jammed together.
- Period, semicolon, or comma plus a conjunction.
- ‘The list of names is long.’
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
Which sentence is correct?
- A. The list of names is long.
- B. The list of names are long.
Answer (for the teacher): The list of names is long.
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Which sentence has parallel structure?
- A. I like hiking, swimming and biking.
- B. I like hiking, to swim and bikes.
Answer (for the teacher): I like hiking, swimming and biking.
Leave on the board
- Grammar and usage that counts
- Big idea: Clear sentences follow rules readers can trust.
- Memory trick: “Find the subject, match the verb.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Matching the verb to the nearest noun instead of the subject.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.
Notes for the teacher
Lesson 16: Vocabulary: roots and affixes
Lesson link: books/hs-english · lesson 16
Big idea: Roots and affixes unlock unknown words.
Read this aloud (it is the lesson's hook). Students think, then tell a partner what they notice.
“If you know ‘bene’ means good, you can figure out benefit, benefactor and benevolent.”
- Open the lesson link on the board.
- Press Next to the 🎬 Watch step and press ▶ Play.
- Press Next to the Movie step and press ▶ Play.
The video says:
- Benefit, malfunction.
- Chronology, autograph.
- Before, again, study of.
Students open the same lesson on their own device (or work with the board). Press Next to Try it.
Try it together first:
‘Malnourished’ most likely means…
- A. Poorly fed
- B. Well fed
Answer (for the teacher): Poorly fed
If time is left, students play the lesson's game steps (they show up between the videos and Check).
Students press Next to Check and answer the 4 questions on their own device. Goal: 100%. 95% or more is Mastered. “Not yet” means try again; students may retry.
Read this question aloud. Students write the answer on a slip of paper with no name or with a class number, and hand it in.
Context clues help you…
- A. Confirm a word's meaning
- B. Skip the word
Answer (for the teacher): Confirm a word's meaning
Leave on the board
- Vocabulary: roots and affixes
- Big idea: Roots and affixes unlock unknown words.
- Memory trick: “Break it, define it, rebuild it.”
- Goal: 100%
Watch for this mistake
- Guessing from one root without checking the context.
Students do not need accounts; progress stays on each device.