Scholastic
Identifying Types of Irony Using "The Gift of the Magi"
O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is the classic example of irony in literature. Teach young writers about the ways irony can engage their readers with an activity in which they write scripts using dramatic irony, situational irony, and...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Creative Writing Devices
Eighth graders review sound and rhythm devices and apply them to their own writing exercises. Next, they interpret the poem, "Where I'm From," as an example of a personal narrative. Using their understanding of poetic devices, they...
Curated OER
Stylistic Devices
Students review connotation and denotation and stylistic devices in poetry. They read the lyrics to a song as it is being played and then discuss the meaning of the song. As a class, students read poems, share their thoughts, and...
Curated OER
God's Weaving in Taylor's "Huswifery"
Eleventh graders trace Taylor's use of conceit or extended metaphor in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man, and write a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an...
Curated OER
"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Students complete reading and vocabulary activities for Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias." In this literary analysis lesson, students review vocabulary and related definitions for the text. Students read the poem and discuss the meaning.
Curated OER
Courage comes in all sizes: King Day
Third graders create a cinquain poem in groups about philanthropy and heroes. In this heroes lesson plan, 3rd graders review characteristics of heroes and how they demonstrate justice, kindness, and contribute to the common good. Then...
Curated OER
Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!
Students investigate recycling and reusing. They view an online video, create an recycled art collage using picture files in Inspiration software, and write a choral poem about recycling.
Curated OER
October's Lesson Plan
Students listen to poetry about crocodiles. After discussing the relationship between humans and crocodiles, they make a list of ways humans hurt crocodiles and then write Prelutsky's poem from the crocodile perspective.
Curated OER
Meet Danitra Brown Lesson on Friendship
Students discover the qualities of friends. In this character education lesson, students read the poem "Coke-bottle Brown" by Nikki Grimes. Students then discuss the Golden Rule and how it applies to friendships.
Curated OER
Fahrenheit 451
Students agree on a definition of censorship and then discuss incidents of censorship with which they are familiar. They might consider incidents in present-day America, elsewhere in the world, and in the past. Bradbury's novel serves as...
Curated OER
Multi-Media Hero Analysis
Students consider how the attributes of heroes have evolved. In this character traits lesson, students define heroism in their culture and research the epic heroes of literature. Students select heroes to write about and share their...
Curated OER
Imagery
Young scholars read the poem The Worker by Richard W. Thomas as an example of the effective use of imagery. Then they complete a 5-senses chart describing some part of nature, e.g. sea, clouds, etc. Then they write their own poem using...
Curated OER
Unrolling the Landscape
Learners create a landscape painting using traditional Chinese techniques. They review Chinese landscape paintings, paint an original landscape and write a poem to go with their picture.
Curated OER
Sanctuaries-Providing a Safe Harbor
Students investigate the role of marine sanctuaries in the conservation of oceans and the lives of plant and animal species that live there. They write poetry to exhibit what they learn.
Curated OER
Using Onomatopoeia
Students explore onomatopoeia. They discuss the definition of onomatopoeia. Students brainstorm words that use onomatopoeia and they create a words work to use as a reference for poetry writing.
Curated OER
Science Fiction
Students complete compare and contrast activities for two stories about racism and tolerance in the science fiction genre. In this literary analysis lesson, students read a Ray Bradbury short story and Walter Mosley poem, watch a related...
Curated OER
Create A Genre Crossword Puzzle
In this create a genre crossword puzzle instructional activity, 8th graders make a puzzle on the grid provided, using 21 terms, then create clues for each term using a definition or an example; grading rubric included.
Curated OER
Buggy Patterns
First graders discuss the definition of patterns, and sing the song, Going Buggy, identifying patterns in the song. They create original patterns using bug counters and insect stickers.
Curated OER
Dreams
High schoolers read poetry about dreams and determine the different types of dreams people have, such as the images in sleep, or as goals.
Curated OER
Other Voices - Latino and Chicano Literature and Identity in America
Twelfth graders analyze "Dedication" and "Child of the Americas" using a double-journal format. They compare responses and infer meaning from the connotations of select images in the poems write a paragraph describing the importance of...
Curated OER
Fictional Hereos
Students are introduced to the definition of a hero. As a class, they compare and contrast the difference between non-fictional and fictional hereos they have read about. They read a story, create a story map of one of the heroes and...
Curated OER
Commemorations Across Cultures
Students explore how different cultures commemorate people and events. They research how commemorations are created through music, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and poetry. In collaborative, students create a...
Curated OER
Guided Reading with Two Sweet Peas
Second graders read the book, Two Sweet Peas. Working in guided reading groups, they discuss moving, making friends, and the differences between poems and stories. They read the book silently and discuss the importance of being kind and...
Curated OER
"Tear him for his bad verses:" Cinna the poet and Shakespeare's Sonnets
Poor Cinna, the poet. His dream of “things unlucky” certainly comes true as the mob tears him apart, at first because they mistake him for Cinna, the conspirator, and then continue to “tear him to pieces for his bad verses.” As part of...