Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Summer of the Monkeys: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
There are more than 260 types of monkeys in the world. With the novel study for Wilson Rawls' Summer of the Monkeys, pupils research interesting facts about the banana-loving primates. They also practice exaggeration, write...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

An Educators' Guide to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Books can help teens understand complex global issues. A helpful educator's guide introduces readers to what it's like to be a refugee. Lesson components for the novel Shades of Gray include an anticipation guide and writing and...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

An Educator's Guide to Matched by Ally Condie

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Even supposed Utopian societies have their flaws. Using an educator's guide, individuals explore the society Ally Condie creates in Matched. Reflective writing prompts double as discussion questions and cover key themes in the novel, as...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt - Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Children in foster care face a lot of uncertainty in their lives. A guide for the novel One for the Murphys introduces a main character, Carley, who is thrust into the foster care system. Chapter-by-chapter questions cover key...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson 2: Values and Barriers

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Scholars investigate and discuss the importance of values and how they can be used to break barriers. Small groups work collaboratively to examine the text and draw inferences to answer questions. A writing assignment challenges pupils...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson 1: What Are Barriers?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Scholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier...
Lesson Plan
Adult Fiction by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys: Educator Guide

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The spirit of the Civil Rights Movement lives on in a more literal than figurative way in Ghost Boys. A focused lesson plan features Jewell Parker Rhodes' novel about ghosts of slain black teenagers, including the main character, Jerome,...
Lesson Plan
Free Library of Philadelphia

Resources for Ghost Boys

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

The Hate U Give

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas became a quick hit in the young adult literature genre before its adaptation in the 2018 film of the same name. Use a thorough lesson, discussion guide, and series of activities to discuss the social...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Hidden Messages in Spirituals

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...
Lesson Plan
Read Write Think

Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot!

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Have you ever looked for a new way to teach an old concept? Scholars thinking about the rising action of a story in a whole new perspective. However, Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot! challenges readers and allows for much...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The field mouse, also known as the meadow vole, is most active at night, so hide the cheese! Scholars research these interesting rodents and record three fascinating facts using the novel study for Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. They...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Moon Over Manifest: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Manifest, Kansas is a town where anything is possible. Scholars explore the fictional setting using an engaging novel study on Clare Vanderpool's Moon Over Manifest. After answering questions about the text and complete a vocabulary...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

One Crazy Summer: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer describes three girls who go looking for their mother who ran out on them. Scholars complete a novel study guide with vocabulary exercises, character descriptions, and comprehension poems.
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Old Yeller: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Fred Gipson's Old Yeller tells of a stray yellow dog who becomes the best friend a boy could ever have. While reading the novel, learners complete sentences with new vocabulary words, answer comprehension questions, and create...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy: Novel Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What do wizards smell like? A novel study for Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy walks readers through chapter one to help them answer the question. Scholars also practice vocabulary from the chapter and invent original similes.
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

One-Eyed Cat: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The Great Depression was a devastating period in American history that lasted for an entire decade. Using an enlightening novel study, scholars uncover additional facts about the era. They also write quatrain poems focusing on themes...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Old Wolf: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Do wolves ever attack humans? An informative novel study for Old Wolf helps pupils conduct research to answer the question. They also decode anagrams, learn about onomatopoeia, and write quatrain poems about themes from the novel. 
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Of Mice and Men: Novel Study

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Why is personification such a popular literary device for many authors? Learners answer the question as they engage in activities from the novel study for the classic Of Mice and Men. They also scan the novel to find examples of the...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

My Side of The Mountain: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Some money, a pocketknife, a ball of cord, and some flint and steel ... is that enough for a 14-year-old to survive alone in the wilderness? Scholars explore the topic of survival with the novel study for My Side of the Mountain....
Activity
Perfection Learning

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
A revolutionary work of literature requires a revolutionary assessment project. A series of activities on Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings includes discussion questions, a plot synopsis, and a selection of both short...
Lesson Plan
Learning to Give

What Are Your Thoughts?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The varying responses of the characters in Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to the discrimination they experience or perpetrate provides readers with an opportunity to not only examine the feelings of the characters but...
Worksheet
Macmillan Education

White Fang

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Jack London's adventurous novel White Fang may seem removed from students' everyday lives, but with an engaging set of reading activities, learners can relate to the story's themes. A three-page assignment delves into the...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Native Voices

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Navajo people build their dwellings with the doors facing the rising sun in the east to welcome wealth and fortune. Pupils learn about the traditions of the Navajo people in the first part of a 16-part unit. They explore American...