Rather than a whodunit, "The Masque of the Red Death" is the perfect story to analyze how Poe combines literary devices to create the suspense that grips readers. The richly detailed activity is carefully scaffolded, moving from teacher...

To make the point that there are many forms of language, each with its own purpose, class members select 10 lines from Doescher's play, translate these lines first into contemporary English and then into "SMS/Tweet." 

Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass provides the text for a study of how writers bring characters to life. Using the provided character mapping worksheets, readers respond to questions and then write a short character sketch.

As part of their reading of The Hobbit, readers create a biopoem for one of Tolkien's characters.

Using The Odyssey in your classroom? Then this resource is for you. After listening to a reading of a portion of Book 9 of The Odyssey and watching a PowerPoint about Greek heroes, partners complete a "Think Pair Share" chart...

The metaphor of a pot of soup and a series of colorful templates remind young writers of the elements that make for a rich story. Pepper the plot with carrot/character, potato/point of view, corn/conflict, tomato/theme, and season with...

Young readers delve into The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan with a discussion and writing activity about characterization. After reading the first four chapters of the book, they discuss the various obstacles that the characters face, such as...

"It seemed the more I knew about people the more I knew about the strange magic hidden in their hearts." Ultima's strange magic and the hidden hearts of Narciso, Tenorior, and the other foils in Bless Me, Ultima, are examined in the...

Introduce protagonists, antagonists, antiheros, and foils to your unit on Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying. After reading the first 13 chapters from the book, learners discuss Grant's behavior and reactions to different events,...

Readers of To Kill A Mockingbird are asked to select one child character and one adult character and examine how their views change over the course of the novel. In addition, groups search for evidence of how the events in the story...

After an overview of the format of the literary analysis essay, viewers examine paragraphs that model “A,” “B,” “C,” and “D” level work. Each graded paragraph is followed with an analysis which explains the score. A real strength of the...

Study characterization, plot, setting, and symbols in William Golding's Lord of the Flies with a thorough reading guide. It provides reading comprehension questions for each chapter, as well literary devices, symbols, and character...

Looks, says, does. Show your writers how to bring characters to life. Color-coded slides highlight various methods of characterization and how to spot clues to a character’s motivation. A great addition to your curriculum library! 

What do Robert Downey Jr., Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Fritz Weaver, Roger Moore, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Daffy Duck have in common? Why, it’s elementary, my dear Watson! They all have portrayed Sherlock Holmes. Literary detectives...

Here’s a series of exercises designed to be used after readers have finished reading The Hobbit. Pairs identify the speaker of a series of quotes, match characters with qualities, and provide evidence from the story to support their...

As your authors prepare to write a hypothetical novel, they need all the inspiration they can find! Using a book they have already read (and enjoyed), learners complete a literary analysis by filling in eight short-answer questions....

Lensey Namioka’s Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear provides an opportunity for young readers to observe how writers bring their characters to life. Each class member selects a character to trace through the novel, recording...

What do Columbus, Aeneas, Scarlet O’Hara, and Frederick Douglass have in common? How can a hero in one age be a villain in another? Does heroism depend on the context of time and place? Are there traits that all heroes share? After a...

This activity spans five days and culminates in a role-play where judges consider the arguments of each learners to determine the top five villains or heroes of all time. Learners discuss characterization of heroes and villains, theme,...

A villain is necessary in any great story! As your creative writers begin brainstorming characters, remind them not to skimp on their antagonist. This worksheet helps guide learners in detailing a villain, and adds some silliness to keep...

Work on narrative writing with this lesson, in which middle schoolers analyze the characters from a selected piece of literature and write narrative diary pieces as the character. They work to understand the point of view of the...

Moral choices arise when a character is imbued with great talent or super powers. A study of these choices form the basis of a unit focused on character development in the first two novels of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series. The...

A comprehensive and immersive series of lessons that examines various aspects of story development leads learners into writing a narrative of their own. Writers develop an understanding of the writing process as they use the learning...

The villain is sometimes the best character in a book. They are usually troubled, dynamic, and will do anything to stop the main character. Have your class better understand villainous antagonists by creating one in class. They work...