Curated OER
Mrs. Watson Tall Tales
Tall tales are so much fun! Introduce your class to Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Davy Crockett, among others! Learn about their lives before reading some of the tall tales as a class. Then, write some tales of your own!
Education World
Every Day Edit - The Pig
Everyone loves pigs! Give this short, half-sheet editing practice to your middle schoolers to develop editing skills while they read about popular pig movies. They search for errors in capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Curated OER
Do You Prefer Your Children's Book Characters Obedient or Contrary? Opinion Writing
With this New York Times "Learning Network" exercise, high schoolers read an article about the death of Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are and then respond to several prompts that require them to shape their own opinions...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Year 4: Julius Caesar and Imperial Rome
The study of the life of Julius Caesar can be divided into three parts: his early life and military successes, his reign as dictator, and the rise of the Roman Empire after his death. Young scholars demonstrate their mastery of the facts...
Curated OER
Mythology Study Guide
After exploring the wonderful world of mythology, give your high schoolers this multiple choice quiz to assess their ability to recall pertinent information. There are 15 questions posed, and users can press "submit" to receive immediate...
Reed Novel Studies
The Warden's Daughter: Novel Study
Many have said home sweet home. However, what if home is in a prison? Cammie, a young girl in The Warden's Daughter, lives in the prison where her father works—and that is not even the toughest part of her life. Scholars read about...
Curated OER
Poetry Reading and Analysis Worksheet
"Things are not what they seem" in this poetry activity, which discusses Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life." Your students will see the world through the eyes of the transcendentalists after analyzing the meaning, context,...
Curated OER
Native American Literature
Introduce your class to the writing of the indigenous Americans and, even more well known, their story telling. An engaging presentation describes what kinds of texts would be included in the oral stories performed and some common themes...
Curated OER
I'm a Changed Pig - Personal Narrative
Young writers explore character arcs, conflict, and narrative in this complete and ready-to-use lesson plan from Scholastic. As a class read The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig and discuss the dramatic change the pig undergoes...
Curated OER
Romanticism 1800-1860
What do Roger Chillingworth, Dr. Heidegger, and Ethan Brand have in common? They are all American literature poster boys for Romanticism, advertising the dangers of valuing reason over feeling and intuition. Introduce your class to...
Curated OER
Identifying the Characteristics of a Myth
For this lesson created specifically to integrate the use of the SMART Board, Students view a variety of animated myths in order to create a web that identifies the characteristics of a myth. Then Students choose a myth from selected...
Curated OER
Fractured Fairy Tale Worksheet
Explore fairy tales using this worksheet. Learners read parts of traditional fairy tales and then write their own versions. They complete five fairy tales in this manner. What a motivating way to cover this concept.
Curated OER
A Beautiful Mind: Main ideas and supporting details
This activity that accompanies a reading of A Beautiful Mind includes over 20 questions that address theme, fact and opinion, supporting details, characterization, and quote comprehension.
Curated OER
Improving Descriptive Writing: Painting an Original Picture
Descriptive writing is rich in sensory appeals and paints pictures in the minds of readers. Show young writers how to use an on-line thesaurus and a cliché website to create fresh, descriptive writing. The presentation ends with an...
K12 Reader
Appositives at the Beginning or End
Identifying the appositives that are found at the beginning or the end of sentences is the focus of this worksheet.
Curated OER
Antonyms 3
Identifying the antonyms for vocabulary you're learning will definitely help ensure a deeper understanding. There are 10 words included, and a detailed answer sheet. Example words include climax, resolute, and ajar.
Curated OER
Antonyms 3: Level 10
Identifying antonyms is one strategy for increasing vocabulary and is the focus of a 10 problem, multiple-choice learning exercise. In addition to the practice, learners will also benefit from a close reading of the provided answers and...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension 5: Level 9
The piranha is the subject of a reading passage that is sure to engage your learners in a reading comprehension exercise. Pupils must employ multiple strategies to answer the questions based on the passage. Of particular value is the...
Curated OER
It's All an Allusion: Identifying Allusions, in Literature and in Life
To allude, or not to allude, that is the question: whether ‘tis better to make a reference and engage your audience or risk confusing them or sounding dated. After reading an article about, and loaded with allusions, class members take a...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 11: High-Intermediate Level
Build vocabulary and critical thinking skills with a sentence completion instructional activity that comes with an answer and explanations key. The key unlocks for learners logic and comprehension strategies they can use to determine the...
Indiana University
World Literature: “Wu Sung Fights the Tiger,” Anonymous - Commentary by Chin Sheng-t’an From Water Margin
Dive into classical Chinese literature with this packet. Provided first is a comprehensive summary and a half-page long historical context of Water Margin. As your class reads the section entitled "Wu Sung Fights the Tiger," pose the...
Curated OER
Mythology by Edith Hamilton: Silent Discussion
Get everyone up and participating! High schoolers reading Mythology, by Edith Hamilton, complete a graphic organizer independently, and then record one of their thoughts on the white board for a silent discussion. Decide how you're going...
McGraw Hill
Study Guide for Island of the Blue Dolphins
Dive your class into a reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins with this in-depth study guide. Breaking the novel into three parts, the resource begins each section with a focus activity that identifies a specific theme or question to be...
Harper Collins
Fly Away with Books Poster
Put up a poster near your class library to encourage your pupils to take trips to different worlds and times through books. The poster features one large hot air balloon made out of book covers and several smaller balloons, some with...