Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5: Structure of an Argument
Imagine a cross-curricular project that not only rewards learners for examining the textbooks used in their other classes but builds literacy skills as well! Groups compare the formats and writing style in their various textbooks. Teams...
Pearson
Langston Hughes
An author study provides learners the opportunity to explore in depth the life of, the influences on, and the works of a single literary figure. Introduce middle schoolers to Langston Hughes with a unit that models how to approach an...
Reed Novel Studies
Where The Red Fern Grows: Novel Study
Does hard work and determination really pay off? It seems that way for Billy, a character in Where The Red Fern Grows. After working for two years, he finally has enough money to buy the pups he's always wanted. Scholars read about the...
Curated OER
Letters to Poets
Add a strong poetry lesson to your literature unit. Middle and high schoolers investigate their writing voices with journaling and group discussion, then choose a famous poet to study. They write letters to their chosen poets, explaining...
Los Angeles Unified School District
Capitalism and Socialism
Capitalism, socialism, communism ... these may seem like a whole bunch of isms to your scholars. High schoolers won't confuse them after completing an informative resource. Your class masters how to use primary sources to critically...
Annenberg Foundation
Slavery and Freedom
How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...
Global Oneness Project
A Collapsing City Skyline
Have your high schoolers learn about the modern history of Myanmar by close-reading an article about the city and people of the city Yangon. As they'll learn, the country is going through some dramatic transitions. After reading the...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies: Chapter 2 Reading and Study Guide
For this comprehension check worksheet, students define 8 vocabulary words, define 5 literary terms, and respond to 15 short answer questions pertaining to chapter 2 of The Lord of the Flies in order to help them better understand the...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies : Chapter 11 Reading and Study Guide
In this comprehension check worksheet, students define 11 vocabulary words, define 2 literary terms, and respond to 11 short answer questions pertaining to chapter 11 of The Lord of the Flies in order to help them better understand the...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies: Chapter 10 Reading and Study Guide
In this comprehension check worksheet, students define 5 vocabulary words, define 5 literary terms, and respond to 11 short answer questions pertaining to chapter 10 of The Lord of the Flies in order to help them better understand the...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies: Chapter 12 Reading and Study Guide
In this comprehension check worksheet, students define 6 vocabulary words, define 2 literary terms, and respond to 12 short answer questions pertaining to chapter 12 of The Lord of the Flies in order to help them better understand the...
Curated OER
American Robin: Territory Study
Students read the article, American Robins: Territory Study, discussing the vocabulary, underlining key words, and taking notes. They write journal entries, and develop various writer's workshop assignments.
Reed Novel Studies
Elijah of Buxton: Novel Study
Most think Elijah in Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis gets famous for being the first African American child born free from slavery. However, his true fame comes from his adventures to capture a thief. Readers study Elijah's...
ReadWriteThink
Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues
Young environmentalists learn how to craft a persuasive essay about an environmental issue they consider important. After studying the components of a persuasive essay and examining a student model, writers brainstorm possible topics and...
Soft Schools
Rewriting Similes and Metaphors
As part of a study of comparison, kids transform similes into metaphors and metaphors into similes.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Literary Genres in “Moby-Dick”
Moby Dick is more than a whale of a tale narrated by Ishmael. A lesson studying Herman Melville's classic novel asks readers to examine the different genres the author weaves into his story. Instructors model how to conduct a stylistic...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Dancing With the Indians
Students read Dancing With the Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Native American festivals and traditions. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
Reed Novel Studies
Lion: A Long Way Home: Novel Study
Home is where the heart is. Saroo, a main character in Lion: A Long Way Home, desperately wants to be home. However, he is lost in a train station and has no way to contact family or get back to his home. Scholars learn new vocabulary,...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 1: Close Reading/Socratic Seminar
John Knowles' A Separate Peace provides readers with an opportunity to develop their close reading and analytical skills as they look for what Knowles feels are the factors that shape our identity.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Election Day, November, 1884" by Walt Whitman
To begin a study of Walt Whitman's poem, "Election Day, November 1884," learners first call out a word or two that describes their reaction to the recent presidential election. They then read an encyclopedia entry about the Presidential...
Curated OER
Chinese New Year
Students complete a variety of activities as they study Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac. They act out a story of the Chinese Zodiac. They make several crafts including Chinese lanterns and paper fortune cookies.
Curated OER
War Literature
Working in groups, young historians review a war poem written by Stephen Crane. After reviewing the poem, they present an oral interpretation of the poem and hold a panel discussion about their analysis. The panel is made up of five or...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
African American Life After the Civil War - Sharecropping
What is the sharecropping system? What role did it play in the post-Civil War economy of the South? Who were the sharecroppers? Who employed them? How were they paid? To answer these questions, kids examine a series of sharecropper...
Curated OER
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Imagine what it was like to be a slave in the United States in 1845. Eighth graders are given an opportunity to experience life from the point of view of Frederick Douglass as they read and discuss an annotated passage from Narrative of...