Looking for a fresh, surreal, and seriously challenging ELA synthesis unit?​
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This is the one your most curious, creative students won’t stop thinking about.
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This free unit on Helen Oyeyemi’s genre-defying story collection offers a mind-bending break from the traditional canon. With stories that feature puppets that feel real, haunted libraries, secret gardens, and unplaceable keys, Oyeyemi invites students to question what’s real, what belongs to whom — and what the title might really mean.
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Designed for 9th and 10th grade ELA classrooms, this unit pairs beautifully as an alternative or extension to The Lord of the Flies — but with more ghosts, more imagination, and more intellectual edge.
🌀 Close reading activities for selected stories
🧩 Thematic explorations around identity, ownership, truth, and imagination
🛠️ Literary analysis tools for unpacking surrealism, symbolism, and structure
đź“ť A rigorous, scaffolded literary synthesis essay that asks students to push their ideas further than a typical lit analysis
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Whether you teach it as a stand-alone unit or as a counterpoint to more traditional texts, this unit is designed to challenge and inspire students who crave something different.
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✨ Want to be notified when this unit goes live (for free!)?​
Pop your email below and I’ll let you know as soon as the unit is live (preview my free materials for The House on Mango Street and One More Thing to get an idea of what you're waiting for) — all resources will be completely free to download and use!