Orlando Shakes
In the Heights: Study Guide
Before Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda gained fame with In the Heights. A study guide prepares theater goers for a performance of the musical about a group of friends living in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. Resources...
Curated OER
Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members explore...
Curated OER
Movie Analysis
Fourth graders discuss main concept, supporting details, plot, setting, major events, problems, conflicts, and resolution in two short stories. They apply these terms to a movie of their choice. They compare analysis of movies to...
Curated OER
Literature Study Contracts
Students complete activities with a leveled chapter book. In this literature lesson, students read a novel and complete several graphic organizers and activities as they read. They focus on characters, settings, vocabulary, and plot.
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Rights in Conflict
Learners study situations where rights are in conflict. In this conflict in rights lesson, students review a conflict situation and the Supreme Court ruling for the issue. Learners review the Bill of Rights and then receive their own...
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Story Creation Magic: Character, Setting, Plot
Students review the terms plot, setting, and characters and examine how all of these elements are needed to make a story. They are given parts of stories and they try to identify all of those parts of the story.
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Scrambled Stories
Character development, setting, and plot? Sounds like the makings of a good narrative story. Young authors read and analyze several narrative examples, and then they use what they know to pen an original composition. They work both in...
Curated OER
Conflict Mediation - Part 1: Getting ready
Fourth graders (two) enter the classroom arguing loudly. They are asked to tell what they observed. Students look through the mediation packet and begin to brainstorm answers to "What is conflict?" They discuss various conflict scenarios...
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Honor People's Personal Space and Three Ways to Handle Conflict
Students discuss how better behavior can make their school a safer place. Using volunteers, they demonstrate being too close to someone when talking and invading their personal space. Using this example, they identify the three positive...
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Parts of the Plot: Constructing a Plot Diagram
Sixth graders conduct a plot diagram for a short story. They identify the problem, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. Students are able to sequence events in a story, and identify the parts of the plot...
Curated OER
Grab Your Reader: Great Leads
Get your readers' attention with this Six Traits of Writing lesson plan. First, young writers draft ideas in an organized manner utilizing words, sentences, and multiple paragraphs. They also use voice to fit the purpose and audience and...
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What Can I Do?
Students explore ways to handle conflict. In this mental health activity, students investigate ways to tell others how they feel and discover that identifying their emotions can help them resolve conflict.
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Popcorn Literacy
Second graders participate in a book share that facilitates mastery of literary elements (in a delicious way). At the conclusion of a book, 2nd graders are required to discuss setting, plot, character, problem, and solution/resolution in...
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Poetry: A Picture of Feelings
Students take a field trip to a place of interest. After the trip they share with a partner their most memorable memory about it. Later, they paint a picture representative of the trip and illustrate it with a poem using at least two...
Curated OER
Character Tea Party
A tea party in Wonderland? An East Egg brunch with Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Nick? Breakfast with Miss Havisham, Lady Macbeth, and Abigail Williams? Or dinner with Andre, Hamlet, and Randle Patrick McMurphy? Class members select a favorite...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. For this epic poetry lesson, young scholars research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Teacher Guide
Massive storms, shipwrecks, survivors stranded on an island ruled by an aging magician, and strange creatures—Shakespeare's The Tempest appeals to today's middle schoolers. For this unit, seventh graders read selections from an adapted...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 1: Unit 3, Lesson 18
Why is Romeo and Juliet considered a tragedy? Class members conclude their reading of the play, focusing on the final lines of Act 5, scene 3. They also consider how Shakespeare structures the text, orders events, and manipulates time to...
EngageNY
Gathering Evidence and Drafting a Two-Voice Poem (Chapter 13: "Los Duraznos/Peaches")
Begin class with a short comprehension quiz and review and then move into a new genre: two-voice poems. The activity provides information about this type of poetry as well as a video example made by eighth graders that you can show your...
Curated OER
Story Setting - The Art Lesson by Tomi dePaola
Students read the book The Art Lesson by Tomi dePaola and analyze the story. In this setting lesson, students discuss the importance of the setting and how it helps us understand the story. Students answer questions and chart their...
Curated OER
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 5 short answer and essay questions about The Notebook. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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Mythology Study Guide
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer and essay questions about noteworthy myths. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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The Plague by Albert Camus
In this online interactive reading comprehension activity, students respond to 15 multiple choice questions about Albert Camus's The Plague. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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Developing Open-Ended Questions
Students work in groups of two to develop questions and sample answers that are relevant, accurate and use higher level of thinking skills about a literary unit. Students present their questions and answers to the class as a review of...