Students read an age-appropriate novel in which an island setting plays an important role from a provided list. This will help them understand life on an island. They will analyze the plot, theme, characterization, setting, and style...

Young scholars read and explore the themes of the book The Eighty Yard Run. In this literature lesson, students discuss their observations and predictions. Young scholars develop their own story which is similar to that of The Eighty...

Several questions in this interactive online quiz are formed in the "Which of these is NOT..." the answer format. In addition to assessing comprehension of Harper Lee's ubiquitous novel, it provides practice in standardized test-taking...

Young scholars explore fiction that moves individuals to social action. In this literature lesson, students read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and analyze its literary worth as well as its investigative journalism. Young scholars...

Students transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. Students then select literature they are familiar with to adapt into musical...

Students engage in a literature study unit. They use various exercises to build reading comprehension using a wide variety of literature texts. While reading the books, students are encouraged to think reflectively in order to appreciate...

Students read the novel Night by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and complete related activities. In this novel analysis lesson plan, students prompt write and discuss the answers. Students take notes on stereotypes and scapegoats...

Ninth graders examine the importance of family history.  In this Language Arts lesson plan, 9th graders read and discuss African oral literature with a focus on the roles of griots.  Students compare /contrast the elements of...

Students analyze the role of the forest in literature. They read various literature selections, analyze the role the forest played as a setting, character, or symbol, and complete a writing activity.

In this reading comprehension worksheet, high schoolers respond to 5 short answer questions about themes from Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Tired of those blank stares after your class reads a particularly complex passage from a Shakespearean play? Help high schoolers untangle that prose with a literature circle activity. Ten different roles prompt class members to focus on...

Traveling where no man has traveled before, Journey to the Centre of the Earth contains a secret code right to the middle of Earth! Scholars match 10 new vocabulary words, answer comprehension questions, create literary devices, and...

Why is personification such a popular literary device for many authors? Learners answer the question as they engage in activities from the novel study for the classic Of Mice and Men. They also scan the novel to find examples of the...

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...

Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials...

Young scholars create self-portraits using ideas from a particular theme and piece of literature in this high school Art lesson. Emphasis is placed on combining visual and literal material in a cohesive manner.

"How are belief systems represented and reproduced through nature?" This essential question guides lesson 6 of this unit on The Odyssey (the rest of the unit is linked). Students first write about a scenario in which they are...

Students analyze common recurring motifs and themes found in literature and artwork from various cultures. They research and report of the "trickster" motif found in Native american, Mayan, and Ethiopian cultures.

Middle and high schoolers work in groups to research tales of King Arthur, using primary sources. They present the major themes and symbols from these stories, and discuss how they still relevant in today's world. Use this lesson to...

A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...

Students discuss the illustration's allusion to the myth, Pandora's Box. Students locate instances of folk sayings or expressions that make these tales seem authentic to the reader. Students draw a Venn diagram comparing Catskinella and...

Scary stuff! Whether approached as the first horror story or a "serious imaginative exploration of the human condition," Frankenstein continues to engage readers. Here's a packet of activities that uses Mary Shelley's gothic...

Though it is Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights became one of the greatest of all-time. The classic novel gets an update in the form of an eBook. Readers learn about Heathcliff, Catherine, Edgar, and the other characters...

Political cartoons about the September 11 terrorist attacks provide an opportunity for class members to analyze the inferences embedded in the drawings.