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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 3: King Arthur and the Round Table

For Teachers 4th Standards
Over four weeks, fourth graders study King Arthur and the Round Table, retold by Alice M. Hadfield. Fifteen lessons take pupils through each chapter, complete word work, and the writing process to draft paragraphs, sentences, dialogue,...
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eBook
Library of Congress

A Selection of Stories from The Æsop for Children

For Students K - 8th Standards
Read and incorporate a variety of Aesop's Fables into a fable genre study with an eBook produced by the Library of Congress. The interactive eBook contains 146 fables written by Aesop and includes colorful interactive illustrations by...
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Worksheet
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Read Works

Cats in the Catacombs

For Students 4th Standards
Fourth graders read a short story and then answer questions based on what they read. Learners are asked to support their answers with evidence from the text.
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Worksheet
Read Works

Sam’s Helicopter Ride

For Students 1st Standards
First graders read a short story and answer questions based on what they read. The question set includes multiple choice and short answer questions.
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Lesson Plan
Film English

The Man Who Planted Trees

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Grow an understanding of short story with a well-sequenced plan built around an Academy Award-winning short film. Class members explore the elements of an effective short story, and practice writing their own. They also watch the short...
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Lesson Plan
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Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

Reading Literature - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce’s short story, is used to model how structural moves, the decisions an author makes about setting, point of view, time order, etc., can be examined to reveal an author’s purpose. Groups...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Paul Chan: 1st Light and 5th Light

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Paul Chan's latest exhibit includes seven manifestations of light. Today, kids analyze the pieces 1st Light  and 5th Light. They consider the concept of opposed or dualistic realities found in literature, society, and Chan's work. They...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Who Am I?

For Students 4th - 9th
Your budding journalists need to understand the five W's for writing a news story. They read a story, complete several graphic organizers to help them organize and write their article, and then use a self-assessment worksheet to edit and...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Genre: Short Story

For Teachers 6th Standards
Discover the genre of short stories with sixth graders. They discuss the characteristics of short stories from the book America Street. Then, they compare and contrast movies and television shows and chart story characteristics. Various...
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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

The Anatomy Of A Story: Story Structure

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Somebody. Wanted. But. Then. Introduce your classes to the structure that supports stories with a lesson that teaches readers how to identify the four basic components writers use to craft their tales. After identifying these elements in...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Mood and Tone at Owl Creek Bridge: Mood and Tone

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Two versions of movie trailers for the film Mary Poppins launch a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious instructional activity about how mood and tone impact a reader's experience of work. Using the provided list, readers identify the words...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Motivations In "The Gift Of The Magi": Motivation In Characters

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
O. Henry's short story, "The Give of the Magi," launches a study of what motivates people to act as they do. Class members identify what they believe are the motivations of the characters in O. Henry's tale and then craft a one-page...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Consequences of Time Travel: Analyzing Short Stories

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder" is the anchor text in a lesson that asks high schoolers to find examples of cause, effect, and foreshadowing in the tale. They then create a brochure advertising trips with Time Travel, Inc.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Monkey's Paw - Be Careful What You Wish For: Foreshadowing

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
W. W. Jacobs' horror story, "The Monkey's Paw," is used to introduce foreshadowing. As they advance through the story, young readers make predictions about what might happen next and how the story might end. Pairs work through the story...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Most Dangerous Game

For Teachers 8th - 9th Standards
Readers of "The Most Dangerous Game" must argue which of Richard Connell's characters is the protagonist or antagonist. The lesson begins with scholars reading selected passages from the story and making predictions about who they...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

"The Story of an Hour" Lesson 4: Teacher's Guide and Notes

For Teachers 8th Standards
Learning how to summarize can be a challenge. Guide your writers through the process of summarizing a story using the children's tale; I Want My Hat Back for practice. Class members then use this "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then"...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

"The Story of an Hour" Lesson 3: Teacher's Guide and Notes

For Teachers 8th Standards
The third lesson in "The Story of an Hour" series introduces young readers to analogies; a literary device writers use to add depth to their stories. Instructors identify the three analogies in the tale, and class members consider the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Who's Coming To Dinner? Descriptive Writing

For Teachers 8th Standards
"The Dinner Party" is the anchor text in a lesson designed to encourage writers to use sensory details in their stories. After brainstorming descriptive words and phrases for the five senses, class members read Mona Gardner's stark tale...
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Unit Plan
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 5: Realms of Gold - Vol. 2 Poetry and Short Stories Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Seventh graders have a golden opportunity to learn how to read poems and short stories with a unit that introduces them to the techniques writers use to craft their works. They examine poems by William Carlos Williams and Edgar Allen Poe...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Femme Fatales - The Landlady and Mrs. Maloney: Character Analysis Across Multiple Texts

For Teachers 9th Standards
Two stories by Roald Dahl, "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Landlady" provide readers an opportunity to compare stories by the same author. After a close reading of the stories, teams select a character from one of the tales, craft...
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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

#Summarize: Summarizing

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
What are the effects of one's life experiences? Class members view a slam poetry reading, a speech by President Obama, and read a short story by John Steinbeck about responding to tragedies. They summarize these events and then craft a...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Active Or Passive?—"The Monkey's Paw": Grammar/Language Usage

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Don't you wish you could use passive voice? Be careful what you wish for! "The Monkey's Paw" is the focus of a grammar and language usage lesson about active and passive voice. Readers identify examples of active and passive voice in...