Curated OER
Better Biographies Book Reports
In this literature and literacy learning exercise, students follow directions for writing a book report based on a biography. They fill in the title, author, illustrator, and publisher before listing the character traits of the person...
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Jobs
Students evaluate the jobs that their parents do. In this literature-based social studies lesson, the teacher introduces the concept of work both at home and on the job and leads the children in the creation of a Venn diagram to aid in...
Curated OER
The Life and Lines of Robinson Jeffers
Robinson Jeffers had various twists and turns in his life that make for a great quiz! Fairly long questions are complex and detailed. Contains a lot of biographical information and a little bit of information about his poems.
Curated OER
The Purloined Letter
These questions about Poe's The Purloined Letter focus on publication and outside sources along with details of the story. Hopefully this story is not a mystery to you!
Curated OER
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz Quiz
Can you imagine an entire mountain consisting of a solid diamond? It is possible, though a bit farfetched in The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story is meant to be a satire about wealth and greed; the quiz asks...
Curated OER
Learning Rhymes
Students practice reading and writing in this cross-curricular lesson for the early-elementary classroom. Emphasis is placed on daily practice, individual improvements, and positive reinforcements for jobs well done during the activity.
Curated OER
Wild Things - Texture And Pattern
Students implement textures and patterns in creating an imaginary Wild Thing, using the book and illustrations in Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak serve as Inspiration.
Curated OER
Producer to Consumer Fun
Pupils explore the world of economics. In this economics lesson, students examine literature and participate in discussions to learn about production and consumption. Pupils are encouraged to visit a farm or tour a factory to investigate...
K12 Reader
Yeats and the Poetry of Ireland
W.B. Yeats' poem, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is featured on a instructional activity that asks readers to respond to a series of reading comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Sharing African Culture
Students investigate African American culture by reading aloud an African folk tale and illustrating the tale. They use their illustrations to create a book or a bulletin board that retells the folk tale.
Curated OER
Reading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content
Why do we read primary source documents? What can they give us that other writings cannot? Provide your learners with any of the primary sources attached here (there are seven), and have them complete the graphic organizer (which opens...
Curated OER
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Conforming?
Dive into Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and determine what it means to conform in society, and discuss as a group with the thoughts and plans available in these documents. Included are multiple activities and brain targets that form the...
Boston University
South African Short Stories: Apartheid, Civil Rights, and You
How are short stories from South Africa connected to issues of civil rights in the United States? A unit plan uses South African short stories to discuss issues such as apartheid, colonization, and civil rights. Questions and activities...
Candlewick Press
The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds
Using the graphic novel version of The Odyssey? Here' s just the thing. A teacher's guide complete with background information, discussion questions, and activities.
Curated OER
"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"
Do you want to live forever? After reading Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” class groups adopt the roles of an ethics committee, product manufacturers, concerned scientists, and potential users of an...
Curated OER
The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Realism
Is it possible to tell a true war story? Tim O’Brien says that fiction is for “getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient for the truth.” To get at the truth about war, class members examine primary source materials from the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Practical Criticism
As an introduction to literary criticism, class members recreate I.A. Richards' close reading experiment. Individuals select a poem, paraphrase the story, focus on the imagery used, consider what the imagery adds to the tale, and...
Curated OER
William Apess and the Mashpee "Revolt" of 1833
Prompt your class with the following question: What was the status of American Indians in Massachusetts during Jackson's presidency? To answer this question, class members will read a series of primary source documents (attached),...
Curated OER
A New Point of View
Analyze point of view and how it affects a literary work with this lesson. Middle schoolers create a written piece that focuses on point of view. They review the literary term "point of view," and explore examples of the term in text....
Curated OER
Holocaust Studies: Five Poems by Dan Pagis
Teaching a unit on the Holocaust? Consider using the personal statements of Dan Pagis’s poetry to contrast with the more “distanced” historical accounts found in textbooks. Five poems, discussion questions, and background notes are...
Curated OER
Once Upon a Time...
Model for emergent readers how to write a story by interpreting picture clues. For guided practice a second book is used, and then pupils work independently or with an adult to write their own stories based on illustrations.
Curated OER
Day and Night
Good Night, Moon is a classic little ones absolutely love. It's a sweet book that can be used, as in this lesson plan, to start a conversation about the difference between night and day. After reading the story, the class brainstorms...
C.S. Lewis Foundation
Educator’s Guide to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe #2
This chapter-by-chapter guide to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, designed to be used in either a classroom or homeschool setting, contains vocabulary lists, discussion questions, and writing prompts.
C.S. Lewis Foundation
Educator’s Guide to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader guide includes chapter-by-chapter vocabulary lists and quizzes, discussion questions and writing prompts, and an explanation of Narnia expressions. Great for mainstream classrooms and homeschool situations.