National Endowment for the Humanities
The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that includes asking...
Curated OER
Casting Light On The Dark Ages
Students research life in the Middle Ages on the internet and write a comparative analysis of the differences between life in the Middle Ages and life today.
Curated OER
The Romantic Age in British Literature
Put the Romantic Age into context for British Literature classes with a PowerPoint that defines and characterizes this movement in literature, music and art. Notable painters, writers, and musicians are listed, as are key romantic themes...
Curated OER
The Odds of Dying During a Plague
Sixth graders explore plagues in the middle ages. In this social studies lesson, 6th graders examine the impact of deadly plagues on past societies and how the governments were forced to make drastic changes in response to the plagues
Curated OER
Checkmate: Chess, and the connection to the Middle Ages
Students investigate the different aspects of Medieval Times and the connection to chess. In this world history lesson, students complete a chart answering questions about the lifestyles of men and women in the Medieval Times. Students...
Curated OER
Exploring Arthurian Legend
Students use the internet to track the growth of the King Arthur legend from the Dark Ages to its arrival on the silver screen.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: A Guided Tour
Albert Bierstadt's painting Wind River Country shows viewers how a reader progresses through a story. Your class studies the light and dark areas, how the eye moves across the painting, and what attracts the audience to the work, and...
Curated OER
My Own Backyard
Students explore and react to the painting The Road to Santa Fe. In this interacting with art instructional activity, students locate various objects in the painting. Students copy the angle of objects by using their bodies. Students...
Penguin Books
Addressing Text Complexity - Making Independent Reading Meaningful
Many English teachers dream of a classroom full of readers silently enjoying their books. A useful guide helps make that dream become a reality by providing book recommendations for a range of readers. Each suggestion includes the...
Curated OER
Wookey Hole Caves: The Legend of the Witch
In this reading worksheet, students read a three paragraph story about a legend of a witch who lived in the time of the Dark Ages in caves at Wookey Hole. Students answer 6 essay questions about this story from the UK.
Curated OER
A Prelude To Beowulf
Students study the literature and literary techniques of the early Middle Ages, thus preparing students to read Beowulf with an appreciation for its artistry and beauty. Students solve online riddles, write riddles and study Anglo-Saxon...
Curated OER
Camping/Catching Fireflies
Young scholars create glow in the dark simulated lightning bug jars after reading stories about fireflies.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Suspense Writing Prompts
"I don't know what to write about!" How often have you heard that lament? Here's a list of 10 prompts that provide a starting place for suspense stories.
Curated OER
How To: Friendly Letter Writing
Second graders investigate the proper mechanics of a letter by writing to fictional characters. In this friendly letter lesson, 2nd graders read the book Stars in the Darkness, analyzing the story and characters with classmates. Students...
Curated OER
Ocean Exploration
Students explore a simulated ocean floor. In this environmental lesson plan, students take on roles of an ocean dive team exploring the ocean floor. Dive logs will be created and the students will explore their sections of simulated...
Curated OER
Love of Learning
Third graders discuss times when learning has been fun and when it hasn't. They imagine that the are going for a ride in an aeroplane. Students imagine that they are looking through the window at the land below, they see the uneven shape...
Curated OER
Good Old-Fashioned Books
Teen Read Week offers learners the chance to discover the educational, as well as entertainment, value of reading.
Curated OER
Cooperative Conjectures
Students compare and contrast how animals have coexisted with humans. They also identify industrial changes and how animals were affected. They use the internet to research information and present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Ancient Greece
In this ancient Greece worksheet, students read a factual story giving the basic history of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Students answer 8 questions.
Curated OER
Senior English Beowulf Test
The first thirty-seven questions on this assessment check for knowledge of the events in Beowulf. The short answer prompt asks readers to identify five characteristics of an epic and to give examples from Beowulf in support. Finally,...
Poetry Class
Eccentricity and Sound
What do Lady Gaga and Dame Edith Sitwell have in common? As they examine Sitwell's poetry, class members learn that the similarities are far more than their unique appearance.
Curated OER
Texture Hunts and More: Madonna and Child with Saints
Young scholars investigate different painting techniques by studying classic works of art. In this art history lesson, students observe the famous Madonna and Child with Saints painting and describe the texture and images they notice....
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...
K12 Reader
Oliver Twist
Middle schoolers demonstrate their ability to summarize by crafting a summary of a passage from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Oh that Dickens should be so laconic.