When thinking about back-to-school resources for the secondary English Language Arts teacher in your life, first on the list should be the eBook High School Collection in the Michigan eLibrary. With free access to hundreds of full-text literary classics, anthologies, short stories, grammar books, hi-lo titles, biographies, writing guides and analyses, MeL offers a wide range of content to support student learning. Additionally, links to individual titles and search result lists can easily be added to any classroom learning management system.
Literature, Analysis, Criticism & Study Guides
If students are just getting their feet wet with the classics, then there are a wealth of titles by and about individual authors like Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Jack London. There are also over 300 Shakespeare-related texts, offering full-length plays, sonnets, criticism and analysis. To help struggling readers, many of these titles are found in Saddleback’s Illustrated Classics series which have several companion study guides.
Grammar & Writing
Whether learners need a review of the 12 (conjugated) verb tenses (You knew there were 12, right?) or a simple refresh, Everyday Grammar Made Easy is easy to follow with readable charts and a detailed index. Also found in this collection is the APA/MLA Guidelines -7th & 8th Editions: A Quick Study Digital Reference Guide. This guide includes quick tips on academic integrity, formatting, mechanics, research, style, and citation.
Hi-Lo Books
According to Rinaldi & Averill in the text, Practical Ways to Engage All Struggling Readers: A Multi-tiered Instructional Approach Using Hi-Lo Books, “Hi-lo books offer struggling readers access to well-written and compelling fiction and nonfiction across all grades. These books present age-appropriate content—something that will grab a student’s interest (i.e., high-interest)—at a readability level that is accessible (i.e., low-readability).” There are hundreds of hi-lo readers within the MeL eResources. One series that is especially popular with secondary students is the Orca Soundings series.
There is much more to explore in the eBook High School Collection, including countless biographies and memoirs, titles on society and social issues, and mental health texts for teens.
Brought to you by Ann Kaskinen from the MeL Team.