Challenge your class with this lesson! Learners read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, discuss context clues, identify main ideas and details, and analyze story elements. Discussion questions and activities are broken down for each chapter...

Narrative essay writing is the focus of a series of exercises that model for learners how to not only read a narrative, but how to also examine the techniques fiction writers use to create a setting, develop their characters, represent...

What positions should the volleyball players be in for a free ball? What position should they be in for a hard hit? Then where do they each move, transitioning to offense? Lesson 11 goes over these questions regarding positioning and...

The focus of Lesson three in this 20 lesson plan volleyball unit is setting the ball. Proper technique for hand position, contact position, stance, and facing direction are reviewed. These skills are practiced individually and in small...

Lesson seven out of this 20 lesson unit focuses on setting up to attack. There is a lot to consider and know with regard to attacking to score a point. This piece focuses on passing the ball to the setter, who then focuses on setting the...

Explore San Francisco's Chinatown in a lesson plan about the first few chapters of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Kids research Chinatown on the Internet and create a virtual tour of the neighborhood, including the foods, cultural...

Through this exercise, high schoolers identify character traits present in Romeo and Juliet. They listen to an excerpt from "The Office of Christian Parents: Showing How Children Are to be Governed" and participate in a Socratic...

There is nothing more exciting than allowing learners to express themselves through a creative medium. In groups, they write narrative stories, focusing on building a strong storyline and dialogue. Next, they transform their stories into...

Students read "Fans Gear Up to Say Goodbye to 'Friends'" from The New York Times and discuss the elements of the sitcom 'Friends' that made it such a success. After brainstorming reasons for 'Friends' popularity, students work in groups...

Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...

Students distinguish the elements of fiction in a short story. In this fiction elements lesson, students complete nine lessons of activities to learn about the elements of fiction in short stories.

Ninth graders review the parts of a plot sequence for a short story. They think of a famous Disney movie and plot the events of the movie in the correct plot sequence. They do the same for a comic strip, labeling the exposition, rising...

How does your data stack up? A hands-on activity asks pupils to collect a set of data by measuring their right-hand reach. Your classes then analyze their data using a free online software program and make conclusions as to the...

Put the better archer in a box. The performance task has pupils compare the performance of two archers using box-and-whisker plots. The resource includes sample responses that are useful in comparing individuals' work to others.

Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...

Students explain how individual elements (e.g., plot, theme, character, conflict, etc.) comprise the structure of a play. They write an original one-act play with developed characters, specific setting, conflict, and resolution.

In this exercise, learners examine the difference between a theme, topic, and moral. After a class discussion on the definition of literary themes, the instructor reads The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler. Next, individuals analyze the...

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Students practice identifying points on a coordinate plane, creating charts, and calculating ratios. In groups, students play a "battleship" game where they determine the location of their own fleet and attempt to find the location of...

Students review the literary elements of plot and conflict. In this plot and conflict instructional activity, students read a story and answer questions about the plot and conflict within. Students create a concept map for the novel to...

Young scholars complete a research project. In this mythology lesson, students identify the similarities between world mythology and The Lord of The Rings trilogy. Young scholars complete character plot diagrams for each episode of the...

Lights, Camera, Action! Pupils read Little Women and create, act, and direct a melodrama that Jo March and her sisters would enjoy. The lesson plan comes complete with resources for the educator on melodrama as well as examples...