Curated OER
Comparing Themes and Plots: "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Minister's Black Veil"
Students read two stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne and write an essay comparing plots and themes. In this Nathaniel Hawthorne short stories lesson, students read "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Minister's Black Veil." After a class...
Curated OER
Literary Analysis - Young Goodman Brown
Why is literary analysis so important? Readers explore writing a literary analysis by reviewing literary elements such as character, metaphor, plot, setting, simile, personification, and style. They read "Young Goodman Brown" by...
Curated OER
African-American History and Culture in the English Classroom
Ninth graders identify and recognize characteristics of nonfiction in literary works, explore language and culture of Gullah people, compare and contrast purposes of spirituals and quilts in terms of their relationships to escape from...
Curated OER
Process-Writing
Students prepare to write a discursive composition. They pay particular attention to generating, selecting, ordering and organizing ideas. Students incorporate the use of linking devices and paragraph planning.
Curated OER
The Call to Greatness: A Search for Moral Integrity in the Urban Classroom
Eleventh graders read a variety of novels surrounding the theme of "greatness." In groups, they discuss various aspects of each novel and create a group bulletin board to identify and display the most important information from the...
Curated OER
Who's In, Who's Out?
Students identify feelings they have when being included or excluded in a group. They develop a survey to give to different groups who feel excluded. They present the information they gather from the survey to the class.
Curated OER
ESL Conversation-School
In this ESL conversation about school worksheet, students complete a dictation activity and read and discuss several articles about various aspects of school. A reference web site is included.
Curated OER
Writing a Query Letter
Young scholars examine how to write a query letter to a publisher. They plan a short story they would like to write, conduct Internet research about possible publishers, and write a sample query letter.
Curated OER
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies
Students complete a graphic organizer over symbolism in the "Lord of the Flies". They work together in groups to interpret passages they find of interest. They draw a respresentation of them as well.
Curated OER
Life In A Castle
Young scholars use the internet to examine life in a castle. They examine pictures of castles and describe them. They write to someone close to them explaining their life in a castle.
Curated OER
A Day in the Life
Students, while studying the "day-in-the-life photographs" of a Deai student, compare and contrast the lives and activities of Kojiro, one other Deai student and themselves. Sequential order plays an important role within this lesson for...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music in America - Episode 3: Can I Get A Witness: Lesson 2
Students watch a video on spiritual music, then engage in a discussion about the artists and styles mentioned in the video. They discuss vocal improvisation, and engage in a call and response to "This Little Light Of Mine.'
Curated OER
Research a State in the United States
Students research one state of the United States of their choice. Using the internet, they gather as much information about the state as possible along with appropriate images. They present their findings to the class in the form of a...
Curated OER
Acronyms - Characters in Hawthorne's Stories
Students create acronyms for book characters. In this literature study, students learn about and create acronyms for characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories The Minister's Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown. Students' acronyms...
Curated OER
Excel, Word, and Basketball
Wow, this instructional activity packs a punch. Pupils interview basketball players, write about a game, and use Excel to organize statistics related to the players and the points scored. Afterward, they create posters, presentations,...
Curated OER
Past Imperfect: Examining Secondary Sources of the American Revolution
Ninth graders respond in essay form to the following writing prompt. Mel Gibson, star of The Patriot, is quoted as stating, "If one were to adhere to historical accuracy all the way, you'd probably have the most boring two hours on...
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...
Curated OER
Lesson: Michael Blum: National Identity at a Distance
Immigration, refugees, and cultural change due to the movement of people around the globe is discussed. Learners examine the work of Michael Blum to gain an understanding of how national and cultural identities shift due to immigration....
Curated OER
Shizuko’s Daughter: Discussion Web
Is Yuki a selfish character? Analyze her motivation and behavior during a unit on Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori. Readers fill out two sides of a graphic organizer with reasons why or why not she is selfish, and then come up with a...
Curated OER
Writing/Performing One Act Plays (all, Reading/Writing
Students, after reading one-act plays or scenes from plays, compose a short, one-act play which involves two characters.
Curated OER
Mythopoly: Where in the World Is Odysseus?
High schoolers study Greek mythology. Among other activities, they evaluate a work of art and discuss the influence, significance, and history as it pertains to mythology. As a culminating activity they create a board game that shows...
Curated OER
Writing the Resume: Defining a Job Target
Students identify their own interests by reviewing job postings, reading about different types of professions, and by reviewing their personal interests.
Curated OER
Writing a poem
Students imagine themselves someplace -- the beach, a mountain top, a city street -- anywhere.
Curated OER
What Makes the Writer Write?
Students study Charles Dickens's Great Expectations to gain insight into a classical piece of fiction and to explain how writers respond to social conditions. They also consider how that response is important today.