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Lesson Plan
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Anti-Defamation League

The Revealers: Discussion Guide for Grades 6-8

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Suspense! Rebellion! Cyberbullying! No wonder Doug Wilhelm's novel The Revealers appeals to middle schoolers. Instructors new to using the novel and experienced veterans will find this discussion guide invaluable. Discussion questions,...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Instructors expect great things from a good teacher's guide, and this one delivers. The 48-page guide to Charles Dickens's Great Expectations provides information about plot developments and new characters and places introduced in each...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

Teacher's Guide: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
An 11-page teacher's guide that focuses on Delia Owens' bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing is packed with discussion questions and activities. Text-dependent questions, activities, and writing prompts are also included. It's a valuable...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
A teacher's guide to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness proves that it is not impossible to delve into the heart of darkness. Containing a wealth of information about Conrad, the Scramble for Africa, and the history of the Belgian Congo,...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of H.G. Wells's The Time Machine

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Imagine being able to travel back and forth in time! H.G. Wells uses that scenario in his novel The Time Machine to comment on what he saw as the flaws in Victorian society and the industrial age. This teacher's guide is one of the best...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to Lord of the Flies by William Golding

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Many critics consider William Golding's Lord of the Flies as one of the best English language novels of the 20th century! It is also one of the 100 most challenged books taught in schools! Instructors willing to accept the challenge of...
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Unit Plan
Intel

Starquest

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...
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Organizer
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Waunakee Community School District

Identifying Themes in Literature

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
If your language arts learners have a hard time determining the universal theme of a written work, use a straightforward worksheet to help them find it. After reviewing a list of common themes, kids note the title, character, plot, point...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cinderella

For Teachers K - 2nd
Explore positive and negative character traits and universal themes in the story of Cinderella with primary learners. Story elements are reviewed and discussion questions are listed. Learners practice retelling the story and begin a...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

A Voice for Hard Issues

For Teachers 7th Standards
Ouch! The final lesson in the 12-resource poetry unit models for young writers how poems can be used to voice hard truths.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Theme

For Teachers 7th Standards
A study of Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If," launches a lesson about theme. Class members read Kipling's poem and poems by other seventh graders to identify the themes.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Abigail as Mother (Part 1)

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
In part one of a two-part series, scholars compare two of Abigail Adams' letters: one to her son and the other to her daughter. Researchers use the provided worksheets to contrast evidence of the tone and themes in the two letters.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Abigail and Her Sisters

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The 10th lesson in this series has researchers examining a packet of letters from Abigail Adams to her sisters. Scholars note examples of the themes that appear throughout the letters.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech as a Work of Literature

For Teachers 6th - 12th
To appreciate the oratory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, scholars examine the rhetorical devices and influences that make the speech so famous. They examine background information, conduct a close reading of the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

"The Interlopers": Are You Ready to Rumble? Conflict, Motivation, and Setting

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Capulets and Montagues. Sharks and Jets. Nortenos and Surenos. Gradwitzes and Znaeyms? Hector Hugh Munro's short story "The Interlopers" invites high schoolers to consider the causes of conflicts and reflect on what it takes to resolve...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere: Poetry Analysis - Theme And Metaphor

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Walt Whitman's poem "A Noiseless Patient Spider" provides high schoolers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of perseverance and fortitude. After drafting a Quick Write about a time they tried and tried again to accomplish...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Monster Monday - The Good, the Bad, and the Sparkly: Vampire Tropes through History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fangs, capes, pale skin, and beady eyes! High schoolers investigate the tropes associated with vampires by examining excerpts from stories and films. They then create a timeline that reveals how the depictions of vampires have evolved...
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Lesson Plan
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K20 LEARN

Lord of the Flies Unit, Lesson 4: Bad to the Bone

For Teachers 9th Standards
Is the nature of humans inherently good or evil? That is the question scholars consider in the fourth lesson of the Lord of the Flies unit. In a Four Corners activity, they examine statements about human nature and stand by the poster...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

I Theme, You Theme, We All Theme For Ice Cream: Themes In Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Teach readers how to distinguish between a topic and a story's theme in a short lesson that uses the children's book, Should I Share My Ice Cream, as an exemplar. After listening to the story, pairs generate a list of topics covered in...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Being Mindful Of Sadness In "The Scarlet Ibis": Theme And Characterization

For Teachers 9th Standards
James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis" provides readers with an opportunity to consider how they can support others who are experiencing distress. Participants learn self-care tips and connect to the short story's characters. They...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Antigone's Themes Today: The Greek Drama Antigone

For Teachers 10th Standards
Is Antigone relevant to today's readers? After reading Sophocles' tragedy, scholars must decide if the themes are universal and timeless. Class members engage in a series of activities designed to have them closely consider the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Visual Exploration Of Theme: Picture The Theme

For Teachers 8th Standards
"What is the theme of this story?" Now there's a question that can strike fear in the hearts of learners. Here's a lesson that uses photographs to introduce the concept of theme. Scholars examine six photographs and then attach a theme...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Stone's Throw Away - The Dangers Of Tradition: The Lottery

For Teachers 9th Standards
Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" is the anchor text for a lesson that teaches young readers how to use the Tip of the Iceberg strategy to go below the surface of a tale. After reading the short story and an article about the...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Willa Cather's My Ántonia

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Willa Cather's My Antonia might seem like a hard sell for today's teen readers. Rather than dramatic plot twists, trysts, and terrors, the novel celebrates the pioneer spirit that lead immigrants to a small Nebraska town. The Signet...