Essay Writing Bundle | Literary Analysis Growing Bundle

I've bundled all of my literary analysis writing products! When you purchase this product you'll receive all of my current AND future writing products that can be used to help your students polish their writing about literature!

You'll receive:

1. Literary Analysis Guide to use with ANY text:
This guide is a great resource for students who struggle with knowing "what to look for and what to say about it" in a piece of literature. I have broken down the key literary elements and put them in a concise format for students to use as a reference as they read. Next, I've included a list of "what to say" about each literary element with ideas and sentence starters.

This piece gives extensive examples, definitions, and ideas for writing for the following elements:

- Diction

- Symbolism

- Social Commentary

- Figurative Language

- Setting

- Characterization

- Point of View

I've also added some bonus words for students who may already understand a basic analysis, but need a push toward more complex ideas such as:

- Allegory

- Allusion

- Archetype

- Motif

I print a copy of this 4 page guide for all of my students and have them place it in their notebooks. It serves as a guiding resource for the entire semester!

2. How to take notes on what you read to prepare for an essay:
We often just assume that our students know how or why to take notes. However, I've found that many students don't know where to start when it comes to note taking. Cornell Notes help so many students organize their thoughts and prepare for tests. I always teach my students HOW to take notes so that they can be more actively engaged in presentations and know how take notes for any assigned reading. Cornell Notes are my favorite because they work with almost ANY subject area OR medium.

When you purchase this product, you'll receive:

- A presentation on WHY we take notes and HOW to take Cornell Notes

- 3 Examples of Cornell Notes

- 2 Short stories to use for practice ("The Yellow Wallpaper" excerpt by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf)

- Blank template for Cornell Notes

- Template for HOW to set up Cornell Notes and what goes where

- Video explanation of Cornell Notes you can play in class OR assign to students for homework

- Informational Text article for students to use for practice

- Setup and Suggestions Guide

3. Guide for Writing Commentary about Textual Evidence:

My students struggle with writing about textual evidence. They can find evidence in the text to support their idea(s), but they can’t always articulate their thoughts about the piece of evidence. I've made the process more engaging for students by comparing writing commentary to making a sandwich! When students see the process as more formulaic, they are more confident in their writing.

I use this strategy to help my students “dive in” to literary analysis. After my students practice, I like to give them a new piece of literature to practice this skill. It will work with all pieces! This exercise takes practice and scaffolding, but my students have tremendously improved their commentary writing/literary analysis skills because of this process.

Includes:

- Link to video for walking students through the process

- Presentation

- Printable guide for students to practice skills

- Overview of activity for teachers

4. Finding Meaning (Theme) in what you've read:
Teaching students about theme and how to find a theme can be tricky! I use this resource as a building block for teaching theme before reading a text or diving into literary analysis. Students are introduced to the concept of what a theme is AND how to support a theme. They practice the concept with a short film and a poem before starting 2 check-for-understanding stations. By breaking down larger skills such as refining a theme, students are able to see the work as a whole and how it all works together.

When you purchase this resource you will receive:

- Presentation on what a theme is + how to find several in any piece and how to support those themes with textual evidence

- Editable theme Presentation

- Video Presentation on Theme to assign students for homework and/or remediation

- 2 Graphic Organizers

- Student Notes (Fill-in-the-blank style)

- Editable Student Notes

- 2 Stations to check for understanding

- Answer suggestions and keys for each activity

5. How to Write an Introductory Paragraph in an Essay:
If your students are like mine, they struggle with breaking down the different components of a literary analysis essay. When thinking about the essay as a whole, the task becomes scary and daunting.

I've broken down the 1st key component of that essay: the introductory paragraph! With this guide, students will learn the step-by-step process of writing a catchy introductory paragraph complete with a Hook, Bridge Sentence, Overview, and Thesis Statement.

My favorite part is that by using this process, I can cut my grading time in half! Students can practice, edit, and polish their work before turning in anything to be graded.

When you purchase this product, you'll receive:

- A presentation detailing every component of the introductory paragraph

- A link to a video presentation detailing every component to the introductory paragraph (you can send this home with students for more of a "flipped classroom" or distance learning experience)

- A student workbook with guided notes and examples

- A rubric for grading the intro paragraph

- Several examples of intro paragraphs

- Tips for polishing the intro paragraph (powerful verbs, present tense, no personal pronouns, etc.)

- Suggestions/How-To guide

- Student editing checklist

6. How to write a body paragraph in a literary analysis essay:

Help your students improve their essay writing skills with this simple, how-to guide for body paragraphs in a literary analysis essay. I've broken down each "piece" of the body paragraph to help students write their own polished essays.

This lesson includes information on how to structure the body paragraph, how to write a topic sentence, how to write about textual evidence, and more!

When you purchase this product you'll receive:

- Fully editable presentation on writing body paragraphs

- Fully editable student workbook and guided notes on writing a body paragraph

- Video of presentation so you could send it home with students/use for remediation/etc.

- Editing guide for students

- Multiple examples

- Rubric for body paragraph

7. Polish sentence structure by removing fragments and run-ons
If your students are anything like mine, they REALLY struggle with sentence structure. I spend countless hours writing the same thing on papers: sentence fragment, run-on. UGH! I use the presentation to hit the “high notes” of fragments and run-ons. Many of my struggling readers and writers become overwhelmed when the terminology sounds foreign (ex. Coordinating conjunction). This presentation gives the students the basic building blocks to not only recognize fragments and run-ons but also to correct them.

I allow my students to use the guide for eliminating fragments + run-ons as they write several assignments. Even though their paragraphs are rarely perfect, they do start to see how sentences are formed. They can eliminate several grammatical issues in syntax when they use the guides. This makes my grading time shorter and easier. ☺

When you purchase this product, you'll receive:

- Presentation on Run-ons and Fragments with plenty of practice built-in

- Student workbook for guided notes and practice

- Answer keys for each activity

- 2 guides for students to check their own writings for fragments and/or run-ons

- Game to help students sort sentences AND correct them

8. Writing Conclusions:

Are your students struggling with writing a conclusion paragraph for their essays? This resource has helped my students write concise and effective conclusions for their literary analysis essays. This student workbook, which includes a presentation AND the video version of the presentation, will have students writing, editing, and polishing conclusion paragraphs in no time.

I've broken down the last key component of that essay: the conclusion paragraph so that students can feel confident about their writing! With this guide, students will learn the step-by-step process of writing a memorable closing paragraph.

My favorite part is that by using this process, I can cut my grading time in half! Students can practice, edit, and polish their work before turning in anything to be graded.

When you purchase this product, you'll receive:

- A presentation detailing every component of the conclusion paragraph

- A link to a video presentation detailing every component to the conclusion paragraph (you can send this home with students for more of a "flipped classroom" or distance learning experience)

- A student workbook with guided notes and examples

- A rubric for grading the conclusion paragraph

- Several examples of conclusion paragraphs

- Tips for polishing the conclusion paragraph

- Suggestions/How-To guide

- Student editing checklist