Curated OER
6 Room Image Poem (adapted from Georgia Heard’s Awakening the Heart)
Students explore emotions and memories in preparation for poetry writing. In this poetry instructional activity students use a graphic organizer and prompts to begin to describe a specific memory which they will turned into a poem.
University of Arizona
Fusing Firecrackers with Narrative
Improve your youngsters' descriptive writing. They study an object and write about what they see as a warm-up, then they read an excerpt from Paul Guest's memoir, One More Theory about Happiness. The next part of the activity prompts...
Curated OER
Traveling Through Literature
Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary lesson plan. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states mentioned. An...
Curated OER
Anne Frank Project
Students read information from the Holocaust Museum. They also read Anne's Diary for 1942. Students choose three entries from 1943 and read them, students complete a response sheet for entry. They watch the film "Life is Beautiful" and...
Curated OER
Our Town
With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...
Reed Novel Studies
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: Novel Study
Don't count your eggs before they hatch—unless they are dragon eggs. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher follows the main character as he finds himself hatching dragon eggs. Scholars work through the resource and read how Jeremy tries to...
Reed Novel Studies
Out of My Mind: Novel Study
Have you ever felt trapped in your own body? That is likely how Melody in Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind feels. As scholars read to find out how Melody finally expresses herself, they complete sentences with new words, describe...
Reed Novel Studies
Pictures of Hollis Woods: Novel Study
Scholars read about Hollis, an orphan in Pictures of Hollis Woods, and complete worksheet activities. Activities include using vocabulary words to complete sentences, answering comprehension questions, and writing poetry.
Reed Novel Studies
Surviving the Applewhites: Novel Study
The Bradys, the Flintstones, and the Simpsons are some of pop culture's most memorable families. So how do the Applewhites stack up? Using a novel study for Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, scholars answer text-based...
Reed Novel Studies
The Yearling: Novel Study
Ever known the feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard place? Jody, a character in The Yearling, knows this feeling all too well. Nature forces Jody to choose between his beloved pet and his family's food supply. Readers...
Curated OER
What Is Haiku
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the study of poetry while focusing on Haiku as a format. They practice reading a variety of different pieces of literature in order to increase exposure. Students discuss the author's...
Reed Novel Studies
Stella By Starlight: Novel Study
Who were the Ku Klux Klan, and what role did they play in the United States during the Great Depression? Using the Stella by Starlight novel study, scholars research the organization and answer questions relating to Sharon M. Draper's...
Reed Novel Studies
We All Fall Down: Novel Study
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? Will, a ninth grade student in We All Fall Down, was at work with his father in the World Trade Center. Scholars read Will's story of the accounts told in first person....
Center for Civic Education
The Power of Nonviolence: The Children's March
What was the Children's Crusade and how did it impact the civil rights movement in the United States? Your young learners will learn about this incredible event through a variety of instructional activities, from reading a poem and...
Reed Novel Studies
Lassie Come-Home: Novel Study
If only all best friends could be like Lassie! Lassie Come-Home offers a glimpse of the special relationship between man's best friend and a beloved owner. Scholars complete worksheet activities while reading about Lassie's adventures to...
Reed Novel Studies
Old Wolf: Novel Study
Do wolves ever attack humans? An informative novel study for Old Wolf helps pupils conduct research to answer the question. They also decode anagrams, learn about onomatopoeia, and write quatrain poems about themes from the novel.
Reed Novel Studies
The Summer of Riley: Novel Study
The Labrador retriever is America's most popular dog breed. With the novel study for The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting, scholars learn more about the sweet, lovable animal. Additionally, they write quatrain poems, explore foreshadowing...
Reed Novel Studies
The Whipping Boy: Novel Study
Sometimes people find friendships in the most unlikely places, and The Whipping Boy is no different. Few would think that Jeremy and the Prince for whom he takes whippings could ever become friends. However, after a hostage situation...
Reed Novel Studies
Rules: Novel Study
Have you ever been so focused on others, that a look in the mirror surprises you? It seems that Catherine, a character in Rules, does just that when she focuses so much on her autistic brother's behaviors that she is surprised by her own...
Reed Novel Studies
Ruby Holler: Novel Study
A journey of a lifetime awaits you in Ruby Holler. Troublesome orphaned twins pair up with an older couple for a magical adventure. However, the journey must begin with the pairs staying together in Ruby Holler. Scholars soon learn of...
Reed Novel Studies
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
A long-awaited trip home quickly turns bad for Charlotte Doyle in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. Scholars read of Charlotte's trials and tribulations as they complete sentences with vocabulary words, answer comprehension...
Curated OER
Honoring Our Veterans Through Poetry Prewriting
Learners learn about the origins of holidays and cultural practices in the United States
Curated OER
Personally Poetic
Students create an Acrostic poem using notes from biography journals. In this poetry and journal instructional activity, students read a biography of their choice and take notes in their journals. Students review an acrostic poetry...
Teacher Vision
The First Thanksgiving - Pilgrim Study Unit
Students explain the origins of Thanksgiving. As a class, they list all the meanings, stories, and images that come into their minds when they hear the word "Thanksgiving." After reading about Thanksgiving, pairs of students create 4...