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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Genre: Short Story

For Teachers 6th Standards
Discover the genre of short stories with sixth graders. They discuss the characteristics of short stories from the book America Street. Then, they compare and contrast movies and television shows and chart story characteristics. Various...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is a mystery?

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
What is a mystery? Learners complete an anagram worksheet to discover the mystery genre. First, they listen as the teacher reads from All About Mysteries and notes defining words on the board. Then they read a mystery and examine it for...
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Worksheet
Education City

Reading Comprehension

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th Standards
Celebrate National Reading Month in March—or any month of the year—with a selection of versatile graphic organizers. The worksheets prompt readers to compare characters easily, predict what will happen next in a story, track their...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Thanksgiving with Richard Blanco's "América"

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Traditions, like the times, are a-changin'. Middle schoolers conduct a close reading of Richard Blanco's poem "América" and consider how Blanco's family approached his suggestions for adopting a new approach to their Thanksgiving meal.
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Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

A Guide to the Works of Jacqueline Woodson

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
The works of Jacqueline Woodson introduce readers to diverse characters and themes. A guide covers many of the author's best-known books such as Brown Girl Dreaming and Locomotion. Dive & Discuss and Explore & Extend activities...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

I Need A (Super)Hero: Literary Elements And Narrative Writing

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Need a hero? Super! Groups create their modern-day marvel and craft a narrative with all the elements required in such a tale.
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

Educator's Guide: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed Standards
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is filled with secrets. Help readers find the clues, solve the riddles and puzzles, and unwrap the mysteries with a six-page guide that includes before, during, and after reading discussion questions and...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pandemic Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Links to other pandemic poems are provided in the optional extensions
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Lesson Plan
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Where I'm From: Symbolism in Paint and Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After a review of symbolism, class members use the provided worksheet to first list the objects they observe in Arnold Mesches' painting "Coney Island" and then suggest possible symbolic meanings for each of the objects. A second...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Phillis Wheatley's poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is the focus of a lesson that asks readers to consider how the poem is a critique of slavery. Groups comprise a list of words and phrases they notice as well as questions...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

The African American Experience

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Disrespect can be as subtle as a frown or a turn of a head. To prepare for a study of Toi Derricote's poem "The Weakness" class members create wordless skits that demonstrate subtle or not so subtle signs of disrespect. After a...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Theme Analysis in A Christmas Carol

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Why does Charles Dickens have Ebenezer go from scrooge to light-hearted and generous? From "Bah, humbug!" to "God Bless Us, Every One!" After rereading Dickens' preface to A Christmas Carol, learners analyze quotations from the tale that...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Scrooge as He is Revealed during the Ghostly Experiences

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Readers learn how to use both direct and indirect characterization clues provided by Charles Dickens to understand the complexity of Ebenezer Scrooge's character. Scholars collect evidence of comments Scrooge hears, how he responds to...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Language Analysis Based on Stave 1

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Class members meet the original scrooge, the Dickens character whose name has become synonymous with a cold-hearted, tight-fisted, miser. Using the provided worksheet, readers closely examine context clues to determine the meanings of...
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for The Call of the Wild by Jack London

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Three activities are designed for readers of Jack London's The Call of the Wild. First, class members research and create posters that reflect the setting of the novel. Next, groups create posters with images that represent each chapter...
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Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Readers take part in three activities after reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. To understand the importance of diction, class members analyze Stevenson's characters' language to denote their social status. After completing...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days” by Walt Whitman

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Walt Whitman's poem "As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days" offers scholars an opportunity to practice their noticing skills. They first examine a postcard of the Newport News Shipyard listing things they notice about the image and how...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Launching Frightful’s Mountain: Building Background Knowledge and Establishing Reading Routines

For Teachers 6th Standards
Welcome to Frightful's Mountain. The teacher introduces scholars to the text Frightful’s Mountain by reading the first chapter aloud. Learners then talk with a partner about the text. The instructor models answering focus questions as...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing and Discussing: Modern Voices

For Teachers 6th Standards
This is the way we go to school. Scholars take a look at two poems about different ways to get to school, TyrannosaurBus Rex and Point A to Point B. Pupils work in triads to analyze the poem images and determine the theme. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Launching Modern Voices: Concrete Poetry

For Teachers 6th Standards
Challenges are different for today's kids. Learners begin to think about their own challenges by examining the adversities faced by children in medieval villages. They complete a graphic organizer as they watch the video Hackschooling...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing: Drafting Body Paragraphs and Revising for Language

For Teachers 6th Standards
This is a formal affair. Scholars take a look at using formal writing in essays. They analyze the model essay Are We Medieval?: Opportunities in the Middle Ages and Today? They then begin working on the first draft of their own essays.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Examples from Life Today

For Teachers 6th Standards
Does that happen in real life? Scholars look at their Themes of Adversity graphic organizers and think of examples in today's world for each type of adversity. They determine if today's world has the same struggles as those in the Middle...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Revisiting the Text: What Are the Adversities They Faced?

For Teachers 6th Standards
Where's the evidence? Scholars take a look at the evidence section of a Literary Argument Essay Rubric. They discuss terms used in the rubric and then begin thinking about collecting evidence for their own essays. They also revisit their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Qualities of a Strong Literary Essay

For Teachers 6th Standards
Put it all into words. Scholars work toward writing an argumentative essay. They begin by examining and marking strong words in Are We Medieval? A Literary Argument Essay Prompt. Learners then use Qualities of a Strong Literary Argument...