Curated OER
Granary Door Dogon, Mali
Learners explore a creation myth. In this visual arts instructional activity, students discuss the Dogon creation myth and the design and make refrigerator magnets in the style of Dogan granary doors. The design of the magnets should...
Curated OER
A Study Guide for The Phantom of the Opera
Immerse yourself in the beautiful, twisted world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. A detailed lesson plan provides important details about the writing, stagecraft, music, and literary elements of the famous musical, as...
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 6-12
After watching the documentary Dark Water about a traditional Chumash ceremony and reading a Chumash origin story, viewers are asked to create a coat of arms and to craft an essay that details a family tradition or their own origin story.
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Curated OER
Exploring & Creating Mythology
Students read and compare mythological stories from ancient cultures from around the world. In small groups they read a myth and present the storyline and themes to the class, and write an original mythological story of their own...
Curated OER
Looking at Illuminated Manuscripts: Illuminating Fables
Students examine a page from a Flemish bestiary. They compare the stories from the bestiary to the fables of Aesop, and culminate with the creation of their own manuscript based on a fable by Aesop.
Curated OER
Examining Conflicts At Camp Green Lake
Students complete an essay documenting a conflict present in the novel Holes. They define the six types of literary discussion as a class. After identifying one of these types of conflicts in the novel, students write a five paragraph...
Curated OER
Nothing To It!
First graders explore the zero property of addition and subtraction through the creation of a class book. Includes an assessment sheet.
Curated OER
I Went to the Crossroads: The Faust Theme in Music, Film and Literature
Students analyze song lyrics and discuss Faust theme in musical history. In this thematic lesson, students view a film clip and create a song lyric, poem or short story developed around the Faust theme. Students perform or present their...
Curated OER
Reader's Theater with a Twist
Second graders create a Reader's Theater script. In this reader's theater lesson, 2nd graders create their own script of a story in groups. They make props and act them out on FlipVideo and voice thread.
Curated OER
Tell a Tale
Students create a class story using picture cards. Each student picks a card, tapes it to the board, and retells the story in sequential order using the words then and next.
Curated OER
Rhyme Time
Students discover rhyming words. In this rhyming lesson, students read A Giraffe and a Half. Students examine rhyming words from the story. Working in small groups, students create rhymes in response to a prompt from the teacher.
Curated OER
Comic and Film Strip Writing
Students write a funny story and illustrate it in a comic strip. In this comic strip lesson, students study comic strips and determine the plot of each story. Students then write a short story and illustrate it using a comic strip...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling: At-Risk Students Find Their Voices
Students use digital cameras and software to create a digital story which consists of a series of digital images paired with a narrarated soundtrack. They focus on relevant images and a presecribed sequence of steps to provide a vignette...
Curated OER
The Patchwork Path
Fourth graders investigate slavery by reading a book with their classmates. In this abolitionist movement lesson, 4th graders read the story The Patchwork Path, and discuss the creation of the Underground Railroad. Students create...
Curated OER
Writing a Children's Book -- Young Authors
Students practice their writing skills by creating a children's book. They integrate five elements of short stories into the narrative. They share their stories with their book buddies.
Curated OER
Bringing It All Together
Learners create a small, six page newspaper to prepare for a staff position. For this newspaper creation lesson, students fill out story idea sheets, pick timely stories, assign photos, and arrange for editorial art to be drawn for their...
Curated OER
Combining Words with Art
Third graders make an accordion-fold book, review the vocabulary of visual art and are introduced to calligraphy. They plan a story using a sequence of words and sentences.
Curated OER
From Remus to Rap: A History in Theory and Practice of the African-American Storytelling Tradition
Learners examine the specific form and function of tall tales and toasts.
They discover the importance of performance in the telling of a story and the importance of rhythm in the telling of toasts. They create stories of their own, in...
Curated OER
Creating A Classroom Newspaper
Students participate in a culminating project to create a classroom newspaper. They use the skills of prewriting, writing, revising, editing, drawing, and scanning. This is all done so that students can master all the facets of creation...
Curated OER
Writing Application: The Canterbury Tales
Students read stories from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and create their own tale. In this writing applications lesson, students read the tales and analyze the specific details that Chaucer use. Students work in groups to...
Curated OER
Lonely Fish
Students read the book The Rainbow Fish. In this citizenship instructional activity, students discuss how the characters in the story resolved conflicts. Students create a rainbow fish from foil and cotton.
Curated OER
A Travel Journal for Homer's Odyssey
Students identify their favorite excerpts from "The Odyssey". They add graphics and music they find on the internet to the words. They share their creation with the class.
Curated OER
Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai
Young scholars study Japanese folk tales focusing on the traditional values and key elements. They compare the Japanese values with their own. They discuss Japanese art before designing a set of kamishibai on which they write a summary...