Curated OER
Hawthorne: Author and Narrator
Learners examine the difference between a narrator and author. They read Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, 'The Scarlet Letter,' write a description of the narrator, and research how Hawthorne was impacted by the politics of the time.
Scholastic
Ask the Author
Here is a quick activity that could help your kids with their reading comprehension. They practice a classic strategy that gets them to start asking questions about what they are reading, while they are reading it. They write out...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 6
How do authors use rhetorical devices and word choice to emphasize their ideas? Pupils consider the question while reading paragraphs 16–19 from Julia Alvarez's essay "A Genetics of Justice." Readers engage in evidence-based discussion...
Curated OER
Local Motives
Investigate current local elections across the United States with this New York Times reading activity. Using informational text, middle and high schoolers research local elections and create their own news reports about what they...
National Council of Teachers of English
Timelines and Texts: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
With the emphasis on incorporating more nonfiction in language arts classes the question arises about how to design activities that motivate kids to engage with informational text. How about an assignment that asks class members to...
Planet e-Book
Dubliners
The Dubliners contains 15 short stories all bound in one book. The stories begin with narration by young children, and as they progress, so do the ages of the narrators. The author, James Joyce, focuses most stories on characters that...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 9
Class members continue their discussion of David Mitchell's Black Swan Green, focusing on how the author uses the conversation between Jason and Madame Crommelynck to refine his central idea of the meaning of beauty.
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 3: Unit 1, Lesson 2
Is writing a craft? Scholars work in pairs and groups to uncover the author's craft presented in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. They answer guided questions, discuss with peers, and analyze the series of events. Completing a...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 3: Unit 1, Lesson 10
I know exactly how you feel. That may be a statement between Henrietta Lacks and John Moore. Scholars read John Moore's story and compare his story of cell use to that of Henrietta. Learners record in a vocabulary journal, analyze...
EngageNY
Grade 11 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 8
Using the resource, pupils consider how the author structures her argument in "An Address by Elizabeth Cady Stanton." Scholars complete a written response to identify one of Cady Stanton's claims and analyze how she uses reasoning and...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Model Essay: Studying Argument
Scholars begin writing an argument essay based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They read and analyze a model essay, considering the author's thinking before writing it.
Curated OER
First Grade Language
In this language arts worksheet, 1st graders answer multiple choice questions about abc order, research sources, and more. Students complete 25 questions.
Curated OER
The Art of Violence
Violence and human suffering, as represented in art and film, are the focus of an investigation of the power of visual images and the moral implications of such representations. Class members examine “Guernica,” Pablo Picasso’s massive...
Curated OER
Building Biographies: A Research Unit
Students explore the fundamental principles involved in completing a research project. Several handheld technical pieces of equipment are utilized to complete this activity.
Curated OER
Study Guide for Where the Red Fern Grows
One of the best fourth grade books of all time is Where the Red Fern Grows. Provide your class with interesting background on the book and the author as well as worksheets for every five chapters of the novel. The first part of the guide...
Arts Midwest
The Joy Luck Club: Culture and History
Explore San Francisco's Chinatown in a lesson about the first few chapters of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Kids research Chinatown on the Internet and create a virtual tour of the neighborhood, including the foods, cultural events, and...
Curated OER
First Steps Toward Source Citation: Author Research
Students, in pairs, research a prominent author and design a presentation poster for the rest of the class. They complete a Works Cited page for their presentation, as well.
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
My Favorite Martian: Workshopping Warrants
Sometimes explaining an argument can lead to confusion and miscommunication. Narrow down the details in written arguments with a group activity in which learners pretend to be aliens from another planet, struggling to understand each...
Curated OER
The ABCs of the Holocaust
The ABC book format is used to organize information found in a Holocaust research project. Class members use the library and/or online resources to collect information and organize their findings under key terms, places, or names. Before...
Orlando Shakes
The Great Gatsby: Study Guide
Uncover the exciting world of the Roaring Twenties with The Great Gatsby study guide. Individuals become critics as they write a review of the production. Scholars also read historical information and analyze the differences between the...
Curated OER
Valentine's Day: Love Letters
Oh the joys of love! As a special Valentine's Day assignment, budding authors research the life of one of the most romantic poets, Keats. They read the letter, "To Fanny Brawne, 13 October 1819," then compose a love letter of their own....
Curated OER
Author's Influence Project
Eleventh graders use technology as a tool to research authors of literature being studied. Then students use a presentation program to make final presentations. This lesson allows them to create an understanding of the context related to...
Curated OER
Research a Poet and Explicate a Poem by that Poet
Seventh graders choose a poet to research and find a poem by that author to explicate/analyze using a variety of sources for their research that will include their textbooks, the school library, and the internet. After conducting...