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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Thinking About Theme

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Writers use the literary element of conflict to develop their theme. Use the conflict between the Johnny and the ScreeWees in Terry Pratchett’s Only You Can Save Mankind to model how a major theme is revealed. The conflict between the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plot and Conflict

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students listen to a short story by Mildred Taylor entitled, "Song of the Trees." They focus on and discuss the elements of plot and conflict. They determine which events are examples of the central conflict and which elements of the...
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Activity
Curated OER

The Outsiders Essay Question Options

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Extend your study of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton with an essay. Pupils can choose one of the three prompts provided on this page and write about either characterization, conflict, or theme. Each prompt includes a brief definition of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fairy Tales Retold

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use writing processes effectively to adapt and retell stories. They reread a favorite fairy tale, then adapt and retell in a PowerPoint or other multimedia presentation. They present their rewritten and edited presentations to...
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Activity
Prestwick House

Wuthering Heights

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How many ways can you break down a classic novel? Based on the acclaimed Romantic-period novel by Emily Bronte, the Wuthering Heights activity pack includes a pre-reading exercise. Next, learners create a resume for one of the...
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Worksheet
EdHelper

George Washington's Socks by Elvira Woodruff

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
A solid, straightforward book report form is an excellent addition to your literature unit. Class members note the main characters, point of view, plot elements, and other important details from a story, adding their favorite part from...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Understanding Protagonists and Antagonists

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
How can you tell if a character is a villain? What about a hero? Work on literary analysis with an engaging language arts worksheet. After completing an activity about the four types of conflict, learners fill out a character map about a...
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Lesson Plan
Hampton-Brown

Esperanza Rising

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Accompany a reading of the novel, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, with a series of lessons that dive deep into the literary world of a young girl and the journey she takes to start a new life. Lessons and their...
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Organizer
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Writing Educators Symposium

Asking the Right Questions

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
It can be difficult to find the theme of a book or story if you don't know the questions to ask. Teach your kids to discern the universal theme in works of literature with a set of activities that promote critical thinking and active...
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Activity
Curated OER

Hoot: Concept/Vocabulary Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Augment your unit on Carl Hiaasen's Hoot with a series of activities about the environment, civil disobedience, making an impact in the world, and growing up. A list of literary concepts and themes helps you to write your lessons to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Plays from Children's Stories

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain how individual elements (e.g., plot, theme, character, conflict, etc.) comprise the structure of a play. They write an original one-act play with developed characters, specific setting, conflict, and resolution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan 7: The Elements of Story

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Budding novelists work on character development by relating to the characters in their stories. They imagine their own hopes and dreams and recall those of characters from books they've read. Learners also consider struggles the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare 2000

For Teachers 12th Standards
Young thespians can try their hand at writing a script and acting out a scene, while gaining a deeper understanding of the universal topics presented in Shakespeare's wide array of plays. Begin the lesson by conducting a compare and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare 2000

For Teachers 12th
Comparing the more modern film Ten Things I Hate About You to The Taming of the Shrew leads to an understanding of how Shakespearean plots can be applied to modern-day situations and characters. As a culminating activity, groups select a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Character

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Readers practice character analysis by reviewing Gary Soto's short story "La Bamba" with the whole class (anything you've read together will work). They design t-shirts that feature traits and story elements to reveal the nature of a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drama from Animal Characters

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Learn about animal habitats, characteristics, and writing in a different perspective. The class composes a narrative from the perspective of a fresh water animal, they include a problem and the animal's reaction to the problem. The...
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Organizer
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Teacher's Corner

Dr. Seuss Story Map

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
Guide young readers through their first book report with a story map designed for a Dr. Seuss book. After your class finishes their story of choice, they list the title, characters, conflict, and other elements of literature on the book...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Panther in the Basement

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students produce an ongoing journal in which they relate their personal response to literature. They examine the theme of the rights of the individual versus the whole. They explore conflict in Panther in the Basement.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unforgettable Personalities

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read an essay titled, "Unforgettable Personalities" to study the influence of character's traits on the resolution of conflict in a narrative. They discuss and complete a worksheet that compares their own personality traits to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plot of a Short Story (SMART Board)

For Teachers 8th
Using the SMART Board, teacher reviews the elements of a short story while students follow along in their notebook. Continuing with the SMART Board, teacher introduces the definition of plot and the five parts as students take notes....
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Handout
Vanier College

Analyzing Short Stories/Novels

For Students 9th - 12th
Good questions can help focus readers' attention on the elements writers use to add depth to their stories. The questions on this worksheet do just that and encourage readers to think critically about a story and author's purpose.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Soldier's View of the American Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction Lesson to the Book Where the Red Fern Grows

For Teachers 4th - 6th
An excellent lesson plan on the classic book, Where the Red Fern Grows. Learners view the W. Wilson Rawls website and engage in a series of activities generated by the website. They write in their reflective journals, watch a video, and...