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Evaluating a Book By Its Cover
Students practice using predictive strategies before reading a book. In this literacy lesson plan, students identify the theme and characters of the novel based on the cover illustrations.
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Planning a Story
Have your class write stories. Learners discuss how to create a great beginning, develop a list of characters, and provide a resoulution of a story. There are some aspects of this presentation that could be altered to provide clearer and...
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Dream Book Collage
Learners discuss dreams and they types of dreams they have. They read the book "Dinosaur Dream" by Dennis Nolan and discuss the characters and events in the book. They look up vocabulary words and create a collage utilizing as many...
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The True Story
What's your favorite fairy tale? Seventh graders rewrite their favorite fairy tale from another character's perspective rather than the one in which it is written. This instructional activity helps readers become familiar with the...
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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Journals
Like the characters in Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, class members write frequently with a series of journal topics that form the basis of the final writing assignment about their personal “heavy boots.” Alas, no list of topics is...
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The Art of Charity in Characterization
Young scholars garner knowledge of characterization of the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and see that even the less savory characters must be flushed out in description of personality and physical traits.
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Literary Element: Character Trait
In this literature worksheet, students identify that writers have a difficult job when it comes to developing characters. They identify and describe various character traits matching them to an example from the novel read in class.
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Conventions: Adjectives
Fifth graders study adjectives. In this grammar lesson, 5th graders name a particular person at the school describing that person with adjectives and describe a charcter from a book read using adjectives as well.
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James and the Giant Peach
This James and the Giant Peach worksheet provides 15 short answer questions and extension activities. They address characterization, basic reading comprehension, making personal connections to the reading, and more. The formatting is...
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Examining Character Traits through Character Mapping
Some of what we know about a character is directly stated. Some of what we know is inferred by events in the story. Character maps help primary learners recognize the difference. After modeling with a story your class has read, pupils...
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The Outsiders Essay Question Options
Extend your study of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton with an essay. Pupils can choose one of the three prompts provided on this page and write about either characterization, conflict, or theme. Each prompt includes a brief definition of the...
Novelinks
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers: Literary Mandala
Explore the concept of yin and yang with this resource. On the first page, learners study a picture of George Bush. Then, have learners choose a character from The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. After brainstorming adjectives and choosing...
PB Works
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Record the plot elements of The Cay on this activity. Pupils note basic information about the book and answer questions about the introduction, point of view, character, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 10: Character Development
Make a study of Timothy and his development as a character over the course of the first half or so of The Cay. This idea focuses in particular on chapters 10 through 12. Learners start out by working on double-entry journals created in...
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Reading Fiction - Character
The goal of this lesson is to have learners understand how character is created through a combination of what they say and do, and what others say about them. In pairs, learners construct a short dialogue between a parent and child after...
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Lesson Plan 2: Good Novel, Bad Novel
What are the characteristics of a good piece of writing? What makes a story interesting? Give your pupils a chance to define the qualities of good novels and what they see as the qualities of bad novels. Class members record these...
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Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury: Narration, Voice, and the Compson Family's New System
High schoolers complete a variety of discussion and writing activities surrounding the study of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.
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Defining Success
The class defines what it means to be successful by examining the achievements of Rich Wilson. They create headlines for a mock paper, discuss achieving personal goals, and create a scrapbook of his journey. Tip: Use this resource when...
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Comparing Good and Bad Character Traits of Historical and Current Figures
Students create a chart with two columns. In one column include good and bad character traits of historical figures in biographies and historical fiction. In the second column include good and bad character traits of current famous...
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Introduction To Literary Analysis
Explore the fascinating ways in which authors use specific literary devices to create interesting and realistic texts. Using non-fiction articles with the subject of rogue waves, an excerpt from The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger,...
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The Right Character Produces Positive Outcomes
Students explore the meaning of character and why positive character is important. They explain the difference between character and personality. Students determine the difference between right and wrong character. They explore the...
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Character Traits
Explore character traits using this resource. After reading the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, learners fill in a graph identifying character traits. Then, they write and put on a skit. This resource provides a motivating way to...
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Managing Conflict: Channeling Anger
Help kids learn how to cope, manage, and channel their angry feelings. This slide show provides space for learners to discuss how they feel when they are angry, ways they can channel their anger, and several alternative strategies for...
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Biopoem: Bud, Not Buddy
Young poets focus on one character from a story they are reading, collect details, and use a biopoem template to analyze this character. The activity can be used with any text.