Subject Guides: Teaching English Language Arts & Literature: Lesson Planning

Find ELAL Lesson Planning Books

For searching in the UofA library catalogue, you can use keywords in an Advanced Search such as in the examples below:

1. General ELAL Lesson Planning: A search in the library catalogue for books on the subject

“language art*”
AND
lesson planning OR activity programs

2. Elementary ELAL Activities: A search of the catalogue for books on the subject

"language art*"
AND
elementary OR primary
AND
study and teaching
AND
"activity program*" OR "lesson plan*"

3. Secondary ELAL Activities:

"language art*" OR drama OR theater OR theatr* OR poetry OR litera*
AND
study and teaching
AND
"activity program*" OR "lesson plan*"
AND
secondary OR "high school" OR "middle school" OR "junior high school" OR 7-12

Lesson Plan Web Sites

Smithsonian Education - Lesson Plans - Language Arts Great resources by the Smithsonian Institution.
Engaging Students - Black Gold School Division
Includes links to resources & some exemplars/lesson planning materials for Science grades 1-9, and Division IV (grades 10-12). Also includes a "resources and templates" section.

English Language Arts Specific

Library Resources

Developing Essential Literacy Skills by Robin Cohen The continuum of lessons presented in this book is based on a simple, effective premise which is to introduce and reinforce essential literacy skills starting in Kindergarten, then build on these skills in each successive year. The book includes plenty of modelling, scafolding, and guided practice to aid children during lessons.
Call Number: LB 1528 C63 2008
Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky The Teaching English by Design Instructor's Guide presents a flexible framework for an English Methods course. Its week-by-week suggestions for in- and out-of-class activities support students as they learn to design units for use in their first classrooms. Peter Smagorinsky, the leading scholar and researcher of his generation in the field of English education, shows English teachers how to turn every hour of classroom instruction into an authentic and powerful learning experience in his inspiring new book, Teaching English by Design. It's a wonderful book and represents a challenge to all of us to teach better than we usually do. -Sheridan Blau Author of The Literature Workshop Peter Smagorinsky, a highly respected figure in English Education, here offers new teachers principled and practical ways of authoring curriculum, even in traditional settings. -Randy Bomer Author of Time for Meaning Many books on English/language arts instruction describe the teaching of units, but how many of them actually show how to create the units, make them meaningful to students, and use them to support your curriculum from September to June? Teaching English by Design does it all. It helps avoid a fragmentary curriculum by providing the rationale and the process for not only teaching well but also for producing integrated units that encourage students to deepen their thinking across the school year. Teaching English by Design is two books in one: a primer for teaching secondary English and a comprehensive guide to creating and using four to six-week instructional units. Peter Smagorinsky shares important insight about students, how they learn, and what kinds of classrooms support their achievement in reading and writing. Then he uses those findings to open up the key ideas of unit design to every teacher. Smagorinsky's units are organized around key concepts in English, such as: reading strategies writing strategies genres periods, regions, and movements in literature themes the works of a significant author. From original idea to construction, to implementation and beyond, Smagorinsky's practical advice supports teachers in extending, connecting, and integrating their units to increase the cohesion and power of the curriculum. Incorporating curricular theory, educational psychology, and fourteen years of high school teaching experience, Peter Smagorinsky's advice is both theoretically sound and grounded in the daily realities of today's teacher. Complemented by a wealth of web-based illustrations, Teaching English by Design is the ideal resource for preservice teachers as well as those in the classroom who want to take charge of their curriculum and find new energy in it.
Call Number: LB 1631 S53 2008
Writing Effective Lesson Plans by Peter Serdyukov; Mark Ryan Developed by two educators with experience in both elementary and secondary classrooms, Writing Effective Lesson Plans details a unique a step-by-step procedure designed to streamline the process of lesson planning and make teaching smoother and more efficient. Coined the "Five-Star Lesson Plan" by the authors, this model consists of five classic components: lesson description, goals and objectives, materials and tools, procedures, and reflective assessment and evaluation.  This workbook guides beginning and experienced teachers through each step to create lesson plans that best meet the needs of every student.  It also explores the inherent challenges to effective lesson planning, such as time efficiency, knowledge construction, skill development, involving the students' families, and implementing your plan.  With its mix of concise theory and hands-on activities, this book is a one-stop resource encouraging a deep and thoughtful approach to a skill that is often not sufficiently developed in teacher preparation programs.
Call Number: LB 1027.4 S47 2008