University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South. In this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary. Learners analyze the images and consider the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Family Voices In As I Lay Dying
Learners analyze William Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying' and his use of multiple voices. In this William Faulkner lesson plan, learners analyze Faulkner's use of multiple voices in narration. Learners examine the Bundren family through the...
Curated OER
Newspaper Poetry
High schoolers cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
Curated OER
Iditarod Experience Journal
Students use online race updates of the Iditarod race and musher information to create a journal that one of the racers might have kept while participating in the race between Anchorage and Nome.
Curated OER
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Characterization Activity
Oskar Schell's narrative about his expedition to find out more about his father serves as a model for writers who are crafting their own narratives. Class members choose two characters from the novel and collect examples of the methods...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Students write a personal narrative and convert the story into digital format. In this digital storytelling lesson, students write a personal narrative, record the story, create images for the story, add animations or transitions, and...
Curated OER
Uncle Sam Wants You!
High schoolers examine several narratives exploring attitudes to World War II involvement at the time. They develop their own opinions and write a fictional personal narrative to record their observations.
Curated OER
Reflections of My Life--Student Autobiographies
Sixth graders provide a writing experience based on their own lives. The components of the writing process will be emphasized as well as narrative writing experiences. They then will publish their autobiography on the computer and use...
Curated OER
Shifting Gears
In this activity, students will write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
Curated OER
Themes in Literature - Langston Hughes "Thank You Ma'm"
Eighth graders study Langston Hughes, "Thank You Ma'am" to discover the elements of plot, character motives and reactions. They express the effects of trust and kindness by writing a reflective personal narrative. They illustrate the...
Starfall
Tate's Birthday
In this language arts worksheet, learners use the word bank in order to create a story related to a birthday suprise.
Starfall
Planting Seeds
In this literacy learning exercise, learners use a word bank to create a story about planting seeds.
Curated OER
From Missions to Ranchos
Fourth graders examine the conversion of the California missions into ranchos. They develop a pros and cons chart, write a first person narrative describing the changing life from the missions to the ranchos, and create a poster of...
Curated OER
The Goat in the Rug
Students write a personal narrative about something they produce at home. (examples: make a sandwich, clean room, set table, do homework). Students should remember to mention different types of resources and intermediate goods used.
Curated OER
Life Snapshots
Young scholars create Inspiration webs using graphics or photographs that depict high and low points in their lives. This technology-based Language Arts lesson for the upper-elementary or middle-level classroom is excellent for improving...
Civil War Trust
Genealogy
The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether they...
Scholastic
Hillary Conquers Everest
If a field trip to the summit of Mount Everest isn't in your school budget, make the trek virtually! An interactive lesson allows class members to follow Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's trail up the mountain, and provides...
Curated OER
Literary Odyssey
Students read and compare excerpts from The Odyssey and The Adventures of Telemachus. They create an original story based on a secondary character from The Odyssey as well as a sketch of one of the pivotal scenes from the story.
Curated OER
Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse
Students complete activities to analyze points of view in different texts. In this point of view lesson, students read Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Circle and discuss the points of view. Students choose a character from the story and...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Shaking the Family Tree
Create family trees while reading "Little House in the Big Woods." After examining Laura Ingalls Wilder's family tree, compare it to a real tree's roots and branches. Conclude with interviewing family members and decorating family...
Curated OER
Poetry Writing
Students compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.
Curated OER
Symbols of a Life
Students identify the narrative elements in a work of art and write their own narrative. In this narrative and symbolism lesson, students interpret narratives depicted in the given works of art and write a biographical narrative about a...
Curated OER
Autobiographical Talking Sticks
Students begin the lesson by developing a map of their lives. Individually, they take this information and write a personal narrative. They create symbols to represent the various times in their lives and introduce them into their...