Curated OER
Mastering the Mighty Melville
“Bartleby the Scrivner” as an existential forerunner to The Office? Dense and often dark, Herman Melville’s stories abound with Biblical allusions and complex symbols. If you are considering using Melville’s novels or short stories with...
Curated OER
All in a Day's Work
Who is Herman Melville? Read and discuss "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Then, discuss the film adaptations of Melville's work and translate a passage of the text into modern-day English. Discussion questions are...
Curated OER
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
In this online interactive reading comprehension activity, students respond to 12 multiple choice questions about Melville's Moby-Dick. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Spark Notes
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: Study Guide - Mini Essays
In this online interactive literature learning exercise, students respond to 7 short answer and essay questions about Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Students may check some of their answers online.
Spark Notes
Typee by Herman Melville: Study Guide - Mini Essays
In this online interactive literature activity, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Herman Melville's Typee. Students may check some of their answers online.
Curated OER
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about Moby-Dick. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Annenberg Foundation
Gothic Undercurrents
Terror, mystery, excitement. American writers of the 19th century, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson, used these elements to create morally ambiguous tales that challenged the prevailing belief in...
Curated OER
Typee Quiz
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 25 multiple choice questions about Herman Melville's Typee. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Billy Budd, Sailor Quiz
In this online interactive reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 25 multiple choice questions about Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Library of Congress
Moby Dick
Few first lines of literature are as well-known as the first line from Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Readers discover the classic text that contains these lines using a digital eBook. The online version contains page-by-page navigation...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Narrative Voice in Moby Dick
Call him a reliable narrator! Ishmael is the focus of a lesson that asks readers to analyze the complex character of Herman Melville's narrator as he is introduced in the first chapter of Moby Dick.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Dramatic Perspective in Moby Dick
A lesson on Herman Melville's Moby Dick asks readers to compare the first person point of view of Ishmael in Chapter 1 to Captain Ahab's dramatic monologue in Chapter 37. Readers cite evidence from the chapters to support their analysis...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Literary Genres in “Moby-Dick”
Moby Dick is more than a whale of a tale narrated by Ishmael. A activity studying Herman Melville's classic novel asks readers to examine the different genres the author weaves into his story. Instructors model how to conduct a stylistic...
Curated OER
Finding the Main Idea
Thar she blows! An excerpt from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick provides the text for an exercise in finding the main idea. After recording the main idea of the passage, readers also provide two supporting ideas. An answer key is provided.
Digital Public Library of America
The American Whaling Industry
When thinking about the American whaling industry most imagine Moby Dick and Nantucket sleigh rides, harpoons and scrimshaw, whale-oil lamps and baleen in women's corsets. But it may come as a surprise that the industry was also...
Curated OER
Literature Study Guide - Moby Dick
Complete with a reading schedule, literature question page, and supplementary list of literary activities, this book report form on Moby Dick would be an good resource for your junior high or high school class. The guide includes...
Curated OER
Moby Dick Activity Worksheet and Progress Test
In this Moby Dick activity and progress test learning exercise, students respond to a total of 18 short answer, multiple choice, matching, and fill in the blank questions pertaining to Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
Curated OER
Moby-Dick
High schoolers take on the persona of a sailor or a captain of a whaling vessel in New England in the 1800s and write five journal entries as that person. For this Moby Dick lesson, students research the whaling industry in 19th century...
Curated OER
Literature of the Islands and the Sea
Students read an age-appropriate novel in which an island setting plays an important role from a provided list. This will help them understand life on an island. They will analyze the plot, theme, characterization, setting, and style...
Curated OER
From Fact To Fiction: Moby Dick
Students examine what makes a tragic hero and whether Captain Ahab fits the criteria. In this literature lesson, engage in group discussions and examine Captain Ahab from the novel Moby Dick. They will then engage in a debate and...
Curated OER
Moby Dick Word Search
In this Moby Dick word search, learners identify terms that are found in the book. A list of approximately 70 vocabulary words is provided. An answer sheet is available.
Curated OER
Exploring Animals in Literature
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Enterprise and Commerce
Using Mark Twain's The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, invite your learners to consider the concept of virtue in a democratic society devoted to gain and self-interest. This stellar resource guides your class members through a close...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Freedom and Individuality
What are the strengths and weaknesses of American individualism and independence? Explore these principles through a close reading of Jack London's To Build a Fire, and engage in high-level discussion with your class by analyzing the...