Curated OER
Design a Book Cover
Class members take on the role of graphic designer and craft a cover for a book they are reading. Individuals formulate a proposal outlining the images they will use to not only grab the interest of readers, but hint at the mood and...
Penguin Books
The Curriculum Guide for The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
The death of a parent can turn a child's world upside down. A curriculum guide for The Secret Hum of a Daisy explores defining moments in the main character's life, including the loss of her mother. Chapter-by-chapter discussion...
Curated OER
Enter Players: Constructing Character Connections in Hamlet
Students research the characters of Hamlet. In this Shakespearean literature lesson, students complete a pre-reading activity designed to improve their familiarity with the characters in the story. In small groups, students work to...
Curated OER
Twelfth Night: Thrusting Greatness Upon the Television 1
Students create skits based on pairs of words. In this Twelfth Night instructional activity, students create a cluster map in which they brainstorm a dialogue/scene based on their word pair. Students perform and record their scenes and...
Curated OER
The Witch of Goingsnake
Students identify figurative language in a proverb and write an interpretation of the proverb prior to reading The Witch of Goingsnake. In this The Witch of Goingsnake lesson, students read a native American proverb and determine whether...
Curated OER
Figurative Language and Symbolism
High schoolers identify figurative language and symbolism in poetry as well as prose. For this literary elements lesson, students read and discuss the role of symbolism in Yellow Man by Moonlight, A Christmas Carl, The House of Wings,...
Curated OER
Historical Heroes and Character Sketches
Pupils write a character sketch and present it in first person. In this historical heroes and character sketches lesson plan, students "meet" Harriet Tubman (played by their teacher) and discuss her contributions. Pupils read examples...
Curated OER
Stories of Nepal
Students explore folktales and fairy tales from Nepal to help them understand the Nepalese culture, and to compare the stories to the ones the students may know. After reading the stories, students consider what rural life is like in...
Curated OER
Learning to Give: Generosity of Spirit Folktales
Students read two Inuit folktales about life and death. In this language arts lesson, students study the models of giving found in these Inuit tales about life, death, grief, sacrifice, and generosity. As the class reads these tales,...
Curated OER
Chinese Folktales
Students examine Chinese folktales. In this literature and philanthropy lesson, students read Chinese folktales and analyze their literary elements. Students consider the effects of generosity in the tales and in their own lives.
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. For this descriptive writing lesson, students read the example letter and analyze the corrections in the letter. Students read the example thank you notes and focus on the...
Curated OER
Chronicling the Journey
Students chart the order of events in literature. In this literature lesson, students read The Odyssey and summarize the epic journey in their own words. Students then write about journeys they have taken in their own lives.
Curated OER
Persuasive Letters and The Tell Tale Heart
Young scholars write persuasive letters based on "The Tell Tale Heart." They brainstorm topic sentences, main ideas, and details. They analyze the character and determine if he is innocent or guilty. They create a map listing their...
Curated OER
Get your Snow People Here
Students recall information from the story Snowballs to complete a story map. They also compare and contrast two Snow People and cooperatively create an original snow person.
Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Chapter 24, 25, 26
Students demonstrate understanding of the plot of chapters 24, 25, 26 of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings lesson, students read and discuss highlights of each chapter. Students practice QAR...
Curated OER
Street Language
Students consider the impact of language. In this literacy instructional activity, students read an article about literary classics being rewritten in "youth speak" (the article is not included). Students read and discuss the article.
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Iran to Replace 40 Ambassadors
In this English worksheet, students read "Iran to Replace 40 Ambassadors," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Curated OER
Planet of the Apes
The "Planet of the Apes" is becoming a staple in many high school classrooms and provides a way to explore a variety of topics.