+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast: Literary Analysis

For Teachers 7th
Great for a reading intervention or remedial Language Arts class, this lesson uses two stories from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III ("Terri Jackson" and "Mary Lou" to reinforce note-taking skills, story elements, and comparing and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching the Hindu-Buddhist Tradition in East Asian Culture Through Asian Literature and Film

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Two Poe Classics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and discuss The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart. In this poetry lesson plan, students construct a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two pieces of literature.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Help Me Learn About the Holocaust

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young readers select a book from a provided list to use as the basis for an intensive class study of Holocaust novels. After completing their novels, groups create a multimedia presentation highlighting the elements of literature...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Multimedia Book Report

For Teachers 8th
Young readers plan and draft a book report focusing on the five key components of a novel: plot, character, setting, conflict, and theme. After completing a story board, pupils then prepare a PowerPoint book report that is shown to the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activity 3: Composing Personal Narratives

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What was your most (exciting, maddening, nervous, thrilling, etc.) experience in school? A part of a unit on narrative writing, in this lesson class members review the elements of the form and then choose an event when they learned a...
+
Handout
Novelinks

Tunes for Bears to Dance to: Concept Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Considering using Robert Cormier's young adult novel, Tunes for Bears to Dance to for book circles or as a whole-class anchor text? Check out this overview of the key concepts and issues raised by the novel.
+
Unit Plan
Film Foundation

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: What Is a Movie?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Watching is not the same as seeing. Transform viewers from passive watchers to active students of film with this 34-page packet, filled with lessons and activities that use Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to examine the technology, the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Popcorn Literacy

For Teachers 2nd
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...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Improvisational Setting - "Where are You?"

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore setting through improvisations.  In this theatre lesson, 2nd graders perform a variety of improvisations in different settings and chart how they established the setting in the different environments. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of Fiction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore fiction that moves individuals to social action. In this literature instructional activity, students read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and analyze its literary worth as well as its investigative journalism. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Owl" A Haitian Folk Tale

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read and discuss the Haitian folktale, "Owl." They compare it to the story, "Brer Possum's Dilemma," using a Venn diagram to show how they are different and alike. In groups, they retell the story in a skit format.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Community Map of The Giver

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers read "The Giver" after finishing the unit on inventions and inventors. Using the information in the novel, they develop a geographic map illustrating the community in the story. They identify human and physical features...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thank You Ma'am Langston Hughes Process of Discovering Theme

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the elements of the plot and identify and express this story?????™s theme.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery and Mayhem

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students use literature to examine the violence and loss of innocence during the 1960s. In this U.S. history lesson, students read Robert McCammon's Boy's Life to investigate the social unrest, violence and loss of innocence in the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nasreddin Hodja - Turkish and Middle Eastern Folklore Philosopher

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read a readers theater written by Nasreddin Hodja. In this Nasreddin Hodja lesson plan, 3rd graders learn about the philosopher and participate in one of his reader's theaters.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If These Walls Could Talk: Seeing a Culture Through Human Features

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read Talking Walls and discuss the walls presented and their importance to the culture. In this geography lesson, students locate and label each country/continent discussed in the book on a world map. Students take a walk and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does Ancestry Affect Folklore?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Higher Power of Lucky

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete activities using the book The Higher Power of Lucky. In this literature instructional activity, students read the story and identify the parts of the story. They create a wind chime like that found in the book. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature’s Fury—Myths and Drama

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. For this dramatic performances lesson, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Science Fiction

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders read a variety of science fiction short stories. Using the text, they identify the components that make it science fiction and a well written piece of literature. They record their observations and share them with the...
+
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Life's Lessons: Survival of the Fittest

For Teachers 8th
Students analyze Jack London's use of anthropomorphism to identify the importance of adaptability in life. In this literature lesson, students use the novel The Call of the Wild to identify key elements in survival. Students complete...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Country Twice Divided

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study biography from the 19th century. They read "The Red Badge of Courage." Students research a topic from the list provided in the lesson and write a 5-7 page paper. They study lyrics and melodies of the confederacy and...