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Teaching High School English Literature

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High School Literature

High School English Literature: Resources for Students, Teachers and Parents

Shakespeare, classic American or European fiction, and contemporary poetry are only a few of the categories of high school English resources you can find on the Web. This High School English Literature Web Guide points you to the best sites on the Internet, whether you’re looking for an obscure sonnet, essays about Renaissance literature or historical background and literature study guides.

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High School English Literature Help

High school English literature is so much more than just reading. There are names ... read more »

Teaching High School English Literature

Teaching high school English literature means casting a wide net, from the Middle Ages to contemporary American writing. We’ve found Web sites that fully utilize the Internet to help keep your students engaged no matter which century they’re focused on.

Insights for Teaching High School Literature

  • We usually avoid recommending sites that are mere directories of links to outside sources. In our education guides, however, we make exceptions to this rule in order to provide you with as much helpful content as possible. Make sure to approach every directory with caution and evaluate the links before using a tool in the classroom.

Top Sites for Teaching High School Literature

For high school literature lesson plans …
Teaching Literature covers how to teach literature with lessons and activities. Look for novel guides and teaching guides for American, British and multicultural literature, as well as dramas and young adult literature. 
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eNotes has a searchable lesson plan database, criticisms, study guides for students and a section on Shakespeare.
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Literature Lesson Plans is a searchable collection of lesson plans, curriculum units, biographies and study guides for more than 150 well-known authors.
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Poets.org has information about poets and a poem-a-day to use in class, and offers help planning a National Poetry Month. Visit the For Educators page for lesson plans, teaching tips and success stories from other teachers. The forum offers an opportunity to discuss poetry in the classroom with other teachers.
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For high school literature Web sites to use during class …
Mythweb covers heroes and gods with story overviews, and has a searchable encyclopedia of Greek mythology with links to myth resources.
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Speak the Speech has recordings of Shakespeare plays to listen to in class.
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Annenberg Media has links to the “Voices & Visions” PBS series on poets. Choose from videos on 13 American poets to use in class.
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PAL (Perspectives in American Literature) provides historical context for authors within American literature. Browse authors by alphabetical list or time period.
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For minority and international literature resources …
San Antonio College LitWeb has information and resources about and by African-American writers, women writers, Chicano writers and writers around the world. Use this site to expand on textbook coverage of multicultural literature.
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The University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center has links to writings by African-American, female and Native American writers.
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For free English literature texts available online …
The Internet Classics Archive has 441 works of classic literature in a searchable archive. Visit the index to find excerpts from classic Greco/Roman literature including Homer, Aesop, Sophocles and Hippocrates, as well as some Chinese philosophers such as Confucius.
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Bartleby.com has one of the largest free collections of poems on the Web. Search or browse the database of thousands of poems.
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Project Gutenberg is a free source (though donations are requested) for more than 100,000 online texts. In addition to eBooks, you’ll find downloadable audio and image files.
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High School English Literature at Home

Your children may want to discuss what they’re reading or ask you for help as they study for ... read more »

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