Curated OER
Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Writing Folktales
Students consider the structure of folktales. In this writing skills instructional activity, students list the attributes of folktales that they read in class. Students then complete handouts based on the elements of the tales as well as...
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Point of View to Ponder
Students view (or read) The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty. They
discuss other literary pieces that include the misleading first person narrator. They
role play fictional characters from literature and present a short anecdote in a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. For this epic poetry lesson, young scholars research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the...
Curated OER
Writing Applications
Tenth graders read the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and complete characterization activities. In this characterization lesson, 10th graders work in tiers to examine the text for evidence about the way Dickens uses the...
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Author, Author!
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
Curated OER
She's All Over the Map
Students consider female authors and their literature. Working in partnerships, they research and map the life and work of a Nobel Prize-winning female author of their choice. Students write individual letters expressing their thoughts...
Curated OER
The Civil War Through a Child's Eye
Learners use primary and secondary sources to observe a child's view of the Civil war. In this Civil War lesson, students understand that different people had different perspectives on the war. Learners recognize the difference between...
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Carson McCullers: Loneliness and Frustrated Love
Pupils examine the themes of loneliness and frustrated love in the work of Carson McCullers. In this theme analysis instructional activity, students complete a comparison of patterns in the novels of McCullers as a part of a theme analysis.
Curated OER
A Tree is an Ecosystem
Young scholars make observations about trees. In this ecosystem lesson, students observe and record all living and non living things they find under a tree, look for birds nests, evidence of woodpeckers and take samples such as leafs,...
Curated OER
Reading Multicultural Literature
Students read several fictional pieces which examine issues of urbanization and rural cultures. They discuss how the place a person lives affects the kind of person they become.
Curated OER
Exploring Science Fiction
Twelfth graders read a variety of science fiction short stories. Using the text, they identify the components that make it science fiction and a well written piece of literature. They record their observations and share them with the...
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Writers and the Old South Myth
Students are introduced to authors of the South. In groups, they compare and contrast the pastoral and counter pastoral traditions present in some forms of Southern literature. They use a database to examine the covers of the books...
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Studying The American Musical Theatre
Students discover the group dynamics necessary to produce an American musical in this six day lesson. Themes and characterization techniques are explored during collaborative small group research projects.
Curated OER
"The Necklace" and "Cinderella"
Tenth graders complete literature analysis activities using Guy de Maupassants "The Necklace" and the Grimm Brothers "Cinderella." In this literature analysis lesson, 10th graders discuss the life and career of Guy de Maupassant and take...
Curated OER
The Ballad of the Sad Café
Students view the film "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and analyze it for stereotypes of mountain and hillbilly communities. They identify and discuss Appalachian values represented in the film and write a report on their observations.
Curated OER
Unforgettable Personalities
Students read an essay titled, "Unforgettable Personalities" to study the influence of character's traits on the resolution of conflict in a narrative. They discuss and complete a worksheet that compares their own personality traits to...
Curated OER
How Does Ancestry Affect Folklore?
Students break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...
Curated OER
Timeline - United States and Germany, Before, During, and After World War II
Students read novel Rosa's Miracle Mouse, research assigned years in small groups, and create timelines and Powerpoint presentations detailing interaction between Germany and the United States before, during, and after World War II.
Curated OER
Artists Giving Back
Learners define serial reciprocity through art and make a classroom goal for the giving back. In this serial reciprocity lesson, students read Camille and the Sunflowers and discuss why the arts are important in communities. Learners...
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Cloud Haiku
Pupils listen as a haiku is read by the teacher, determining what season is being portrayed in the poem. Students work together as a class and create a model haiku, then complete a worksheet, completing their own poem. Pupils will use a...
Curated OER
A Picture's Worth 500-700 Words
Students interpret and analyze a work of art and write a narrative for the piece of art. In this narrative art lesson, students analyze a work of art and then write a short story 500-700 words long to narrate the art.
Curated OER
Novel Lesson 3
Learners examine the horrors of war through literature. In this Vietnam lesson, students read Fallen Angels and participate in discussion groups that focus on characterization and the realism of war included in the novel.
Curated OER
Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
Students examine work by Mark Twain in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. For this cross curricular lesson, students gather biographical information about Twain, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast him with Lincoln...