Curated OER
Carousel Brainstorm Book Report
Young scholars participate in a group review activity to analyze and discuss a book they have all read. They write a paragraph summarizing the findings related to one of the topics. Older students might summarize three topics or all the...
Curated OER
Use Literature to Teach Tolerance
Students listen as teachers read a different book or a different passage that focuses on the theme of tolerance. Students then write a paragraph each day to tell how that day's book/passage taught them the importance of tolerance.
Curated OER
Pastimes
Learners define and discuss personal pastimes, listen to the story Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, discuss owling as rural pastime, demonstrate comprehension by writing responses to story, and discuss how climate and geography often determine...
K5 Learning
The Whistle
Get a quick peek into the life of Benjamin Franklin with a resource with a comprehension worksheet that asks learners to read a short tale, respond to a series of questions based on the passage, and then to identify the moral...
Curated OER
Round-Robin Reading Quiz
Small groups of learners read text round-robin style, and then work individually to answer three questions based on the text. Next, they share their questions and responses and add ideas from the group. The reading strategies detailed...
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...
Curated OER
Gingerbread Baby Unit
Learners participate in a variety of activities surrounding the book, Gingerbread Baby, by Jan Brett. They can create a house, a map, ornaments, and their own books. Additionally, they can draw, paint, or write out attributes for each...
Curated OER
Counting Up/Down Stories
Mirroring Jerry Spinelli's style in Wringer, chapter 5, pupils use the "counting up/down technique" to recall an important moment in their lives. In the book, the character is being punched, and between blows he remembers details...
Harper Collins
Ramona Activity Booklet reading comprehension
Add a some variety to a reading of Beverly Cleary's Ramona series with this collection of fun worksheets and activities. From a basic reading comprehension crossword puzzle to a quiz that determines which character...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast Versions of a Story
Compare and contrast reading passages with the ever favorite story of Cinderella. The versions in focus include an Italian version and a Native American story followed by three questions designed to share similarities and...
Appalachian State University
What Are Graphic Novels?
To do this engaging and pleasurable activity, your learners should have already read a graphic novel, and produced a piece of writing that can be reproduced into the format of a graphic novel. This exercise provides a script that...
Curated OER
Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit
Students explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. For this literature and cultural lesson, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Students identify the ways the...
Curated OER
Jane Eyre - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about Bronte's Jane Eyre. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 15 short answer and essay questions about Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
In this literature activity, students respond to 20 short answer and essay questions about Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Smithsonian Institution
Water/Ways: The Poetry of Science
Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...
Curated OER
The Giver: K-W-H-L Strategy
Explore the theme of release and death in Lois Lowry's The Giver with a K-W-H-L chart. After noting what they already know, kids come up with a list of questions about topics that they would like to know about, as well as how they...
Prestwick House
Star Wars and the Hero's Journey
Is Luke Skywalker the archetype of a literary hero? Follow the path of the Hero's Journey with an engaging lesson that details the plot structure, applies it to Star Wars: A New Hope, and invites class members to choose their own...
Curated OER
Kid Lit Crit
Young scholars explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.
Curated OER
Lesson 1: Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury
I love Faulkner, his experimental style and stream of consciousness are so exciting. Your learners can analyze William Faulkner and his novel, The Sound and the Fury by defining his place in American literary history and exploring...
Curated OER
Harry Potter and the Spellbound Children
Help your class explore the world of Harry Potter. Learners visit selected websites to learn the background about the book series, discover details about the marketing of the books, and investigate book banning.
Curated OER
The Way to Rainy Mountain
Students read and analyze the N. Scott Momaday novel, The Way to Rainy Mountain. They share photos of an older family relative, write about the relative, listen to an excerpt from the book, and conduct an Internet research on the Kiowa...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Korea: P'ansori
Twelfth graders read different versions of P'ansori in an attempt to gain exposure to this form of literature. They gain information in order to help understand the context of how they are part of the Korean culture.
Curated OER
Rewrite, Revise, Recycle
Students examine different pieces of literature that have a similiar theme. They read an article about reusing ideas for television shows. They work together to create their own program proposals. They also create backstories for one of...