Curated OER
"Spelldown" by Becky Mushko
Learners read Spelldown, by Becky Mushko and consider how it portrays the Appalachian community. They define and discuss vocabulary presented in the story and write a comparison/contrast paper analyzing two of the story's characters. The...
Macmillan Education
The Tell-Tale Heart
Rather than who done it, the mystery literary detectives have to solve as they examine the evidence found in Edgar Allan Poe's famous "The Tell-Tale Heart" is why did he do it?
Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
Curated OER
Arkansas Civil War Bandits and Outlaws
Young historians study civilian Arkansas during the Civil War. They look at the many challenges they faced to keep their homes in order while the men were at war. Learners hear stories of bands of outlaws who ravaged the state during...
Curated OER
The Mastodon Kill
Using the book Bandits, Bears, and Backaches, learners develop an understanding of the pre-history of Arkansas. They follow the trail ofthe giants mastodons and paleo Indians who lived there long ago. The emphasis on this lesson is on...
Florida Alliance for Arts Education
Theatre Arts
What skills do storytellers employ to bring to life the characters and events in their tales? After listening to a recording of a Haitian folk tale, class members consider how tone of voice, pace, and gestures can be used to enliven a...
PBS
Exploring First-Person Narrative
If you really want to know, this is a terrific instructional activity all about narratives, which is just a fancy way of saying telling stories. And you get to do it without being phony or anything. My favorite part is that you get to...
Curated OER
Photo-Based Reading Projects
Students practice using a digital camera and identify the various parts. As a class, they review recent vocabulary and signs used in their community. In groups, they take pictures of various items and write complete sentences describing...
Curated OER
Tell Me a Train Story
Second graders write a short story about train track safety and make a train shaped book.
Curated OER
Revising Your Mystery Story
Students edit and improve their short stories by examining character description, dialogue, and plot elements. In peer editing groups they correct gramatical and spelling errors. they read aloud their new story drafts.
Curated OER
Things That Make You Say Aaaa!
Students discuss how to identify the a=/a/ in spoken words. They discuss a meaningful representation for the sound and a letter symbol. They identify the /a/ sound in words. Students read a story and blink their eyes when they hear the...
Curated OER
Find Your Style
Students read a story and demonstrate their fluency and comprehension by retelling it to a partner. In this reading lesson plan, students follow a note taking sheet provided.
Curated OER
Surviving the Depression-1930-1939 Lesson 2: Life During the Depression- Stories
Students interview individuals who lived during the Great Depression era to investigate the economic hardship that was experienced. They determine the motivations of philanthropic Americans who shared and gave during this era after...
Curated OER
This Glue is Sticky!!
Students examine the letter 'i'. Through instruction and modeling they explore the sound the letter makes, how the letter is written, words that contain the letter, etc. As the teacher reads a story, they identify words with the short...
Curated OER
Apple
First graders recognize the short vowel a in written and spoken language. Through matching and listening activities, they discriminate the vowel sound /a/ from other phonemes. Students associate the phoneme with its letter representation...
Curated OER
I Can't Stop Itching
Students recognize the short vowel i in written and spoken language. Through matching and listening activities, they discriminate the vowel sound /i/ from other phonemes. After reading the story "Liz is Six," students draw a picture with...
Curated OER
Model Lesson Plans
Ninth graders study how to identify and analyze the use of figurative language used in selected poems, short stories or other pieces of prose chosen by the teacher. These pieces of literature represent at least two pieces by one writer...
Curated OER
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
Students use video and the Internet to make predictions, draw conclusions, determine conflict and point of view while reading a short story. In this short story analysis lesson, students watch a related video and complete a prediction...
Curated OER
Writing A Character Sketch
Students are introduced to how a character sketch is an outline of a character that includes the character's outward appearance, family members, personality, interests, and beliefs. They then think of a character they would like to use...
Curated OER
The Birds
Twelfth graders read and discuss the short story, "The Birds." They watch the movie and compare its ending to the ending written in the story they read. They an essay from a list of essay topics.
Curated OER
The Land and the Water
Third graders read "The Land and the Water," a fictional short story and an article about John F. Kennedy, Jr. and compare and contrast fictional tragedy to a non-fiction tragedy. They fill out a Venn diagram and write an essay using...
Curated OER
Writing the Mystery with a Purpose
Students present the outline of the mystery story they are writing while working in reciprocal teaching groups. They respond to group members writing before they continue to finish revisions.
Curated OER
Multimedia Book Reports
Students read a chapter book of 100-200 pages in length. They create a story map and multimedia book report. Pupils review the elements of a story map such as: characters, setting, problem, important events, solution, etc.) Students...
Curated OER
A Turkey for Thanksgiving - Lesson #2
Second graders investigate realistic fiction, holiday celebrations, making tally charts. In this multi-disciplinary lesson plan, 2nd graders listen to a story about Thanksgiving and one about the Chinese New Year to develop an...