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Activity
Phantom of Opera

The Phantom of the Opera: Ideas for Research and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the background...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Little Mystery and Intrigue in Writing Short Detective Stories

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Pupils read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original detective as...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Untold Story: The Black Struggle for Freedom during the Revolutionary War in Maryland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The American Revolution brought freedom to select groups and ignored others. An enlightening resource highlights the struggle of African Americans during the American Revolution and their efforts to escape slavery. Scholars analyze...
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Writing
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K12 Reader

Swooping Seagull

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Take a dramatic trip to the beach with a narrative writing prompt. Kids examine a picture of a seagull stealing food from a man at the beach, and write a short story from either the seagull's or the man's perspective.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Tales through Performance

For Teachers K - 4th
Students compare and contrast versions of The Three Little Pigs. In this fairy tale lesson, students read 3 versions of the fairy tale and dramatize them in order to analyze the similarities and differences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast an informational article with a fictional story. They read the story "The Contest" as a class, and discuss the different types of literature genres. Next, they complete a vocabulary worksheet and a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GREEK MYTHOLOGY, LEGENDS AND HEROES

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the effect of background and culture by creating a family tree and "mythical" story or legend based on Delmas Howe's painting Atlas.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison and Contrast - Two Short Stories

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers choose two short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. They then write a paper comparing and contrasting the two short stories that Edgar Allan Poe wrote using appropriate conventions.
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Lesson Plan
University of Southern California

Coming to America After the War

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1920s Images and Ideals PowerPoint Project

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students explore Teaching the American Twenties, noting fashion, life styles, Hollywood, key authors, key people, and key events. They explore the sites and note what they can identify from the time period for this collection. They write...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison and Contrast - D. H. Lawrence

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read The Horse Dealer's Daughter and The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence, then write an essay comparing and contrasting the two stories. Learners choose some aspect to write about, such as themes, characters, setting, or plot.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Femme Fatales - The Landlady and Mrs. Maloney: Character Analysis Across Multiple Texts

For Teachers 9th Standards
Two stories by Roald Dahl, "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Landlady" provide readers an opportunity to compare stories by the same author. After a close reading of the stories, teams select a character from one of the tales, craft...
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Lesson Plan
Hampton-Brown

Esperanza Rising

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Accompany a reading of the novel, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, with a series of lessons that dive deep into the literary world of a young girl and the journey she takes to start a new life. Lessons and their...
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Worksheet
English Worksheets Land

Charlotte and Cherie

For Students 5th Standards
Could you imagine running into a stranger who looked exactly like you? Class members read about identical twins who were separated at birth, and answer three reading comprehension questions to practice comparing and contrasting details...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Story Pyramid and Summary

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars read a short selection of a story individually or as a class. On their own, they create a story pyramid for the selection and write a one page summary. They use text from the story for their supporting details. To end...
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Unit Plan
Syracuse City School District

Reading Comprehension Unit Plan

For Teachers 8th Standards
A unit plan uses short texts to teach literary elements such as theme and characterization. Included are passages by authors such as Walter Dean Myers and Sandra Cisneros. Activities include quick writes, filling in graphic organizers,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fairy Dictionary

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Use artwork to illicit responses in a writing journal, and then present your class with the short list of key terms provided. Can your learners add any of their own key terms? Segue for a second, and read tales such as Peter Pan or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes

For Teachers 12th
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elmer by David McKee

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students explore individual differences. In this literacy and self-esteem lesson, students listen to the story Elmo by David McKee, then describe what characteristics make Elmo special. Students complete a T chart showing how Elmo looked...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating A Different Point Of View

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore Indian marriage customs and culture.They connect and compare their own experiences with the experiences of characters from the short story Diamond Dust and rewrite a scene from the story from another point of view.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grand Canyon Suite

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Take a trip to the Grand Canyon! Lesson one explores how Ferde Grofe painted a musical landscape of America when he wrote the Grand Canyon Suite. Learners then examine art that shows the Grand Canyon in lesson two. Finally, lesson three...
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Lesson Plan
Education Oasis

Creative Writing Unit: Analyzing, Interpreting, Discussing and Writing Various Genres of African-American Literature

For Teachers 10th - 12th
A six-week unit takes high schoolers through various works of African-American literature, including poems, plays, and short stories. The lesson plan format includes a week-by-week description of activities, goals, materials, and...
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Worksheet
English Worksheets Land

Animals and Earthquakes

For Students 3rd Standards
Can animals sense an earthquake before the ground starts to shake? Read two short passages that feature stories about animals that acted strangely just before an earthquake. Learners then answer a few reading comprehension questions that...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Tales of the Supernatural

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scary stuff! Whether approached as the first horror story or a "serious imaginative exploration of the human condition," Frankenstein continues to engage readers. Here's a packet of activities that uses Mary Shelley's gothic novel to...