Learning to Give
Asian Folktales
A great way to learn to understand people and their environment is to study their folktales. Stories from China, Vietnam, India, Iran, Persia, and Palestine offer an opportunity for readers to investigate the cultures of Asia. A list of...
Curated OER
Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
Curated OER
Property, Theft and Generosity
Students examine excerpts of Lewis and Clark's journal entries during their expedition. They identify any disputes with the Indians over land and discuss how they might have been avoided. They add entries to their journals.
Curated OER
Gifts of All Sizes
High schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this stewardship instructional activity, students consider human capacity for generosity as they read folktales from different cultures that feature characters giving of themselves.
Curated OER
European Folktales
Students analyze strong female characters infive different European folktales. In this European folktales lesson, students identify the setting and culture described in each folktale to gain understanding of the environment and people...
Curated OER
What Sharing Really Means
Learners read the story "Sharing in Africa". As a class, they brainstorm a list of holidays and celebrations in various cultures and identify the Congo on a world map. To end the lesson plan, they focus on one paragraph of the story,...
Curated OER
Jewish Folktales
Students write an essay and create illustrations of Jewish culture. In this literature-response lesson plan, students read various Jewish folktales. As they read, students study the geographical, cultural, and historical background of...
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Examining What Sharing Really Means
Learners read "The Senegalese Miracle". They discuss the amount of sharing the author finds in Africa. They examine the relationship the author has to the locals.
University of Pennsylvania
From the Dreyfus Affair to the World Today
Historical events do not occur in a vacuum. Such is the case of the Dreyfus Affair, where the connection between Captain Alfred Dreyfus, Emile Zola, and Hannah Arendt is fused by the events of the early 20th century. The informative...
University of Pennsylvania
Mock Trial of Alfred Dreyfus
What if scholars based mock trials on history? The fourth installment of a five-part series on the Dreyfus Affair asks learners to read various pieces of evidence before conducting a mock trial for a French officer. Teams answer...
University of Pennsylvania
Decoding Propaganda: J’Accuse…! vs. J’Accuse…!
Reading snail mail is a great way to go back into history and to understand others' points of view. The resource, the second in a five-part unit, covers the Dreyfus Affair. Scholars, working in two different groups, read one letter and...
Curated OER
Learning to Give: Generosity of Spirit Folktales
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
What Sharing Really Means
Learners examine the meaning of generosity and how sharing can be a cultural trait. In this cultural trait lesson, students read a text about the culture of generosity in Africa. Learners complete a discussion activity and journal activity.
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African Folktales
High schoolers read African folktales. In this literature lesson, students share prior knowledge about South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. Then high schoolers work in groups to read an assigned African folktale and answer response...
Curated OER
A Single Lucid Moment
Students examine a case study of contrasting values between cultures. They read and discuss a story of a family of Peace Corps volunteers in Papua New Guinea, write a response to the story, and write a script for a dramatization of the...
Curated OER
Examining What Sharing Really Means
After reading "The Senegalese Miracle" about the degree of sharing the author encounters upon arrival in Africa, class members read Mike Tidwell’s “Sharing in Africa” and compare the two stories. This cultural diversity lesson concludes...
Curated OER
Sleuthing A Writer's Skills
Students read The Train Ride Home by Robin Solomon. For this literature response lesson, students will inspect the writing of Solomon to determine how she established a certain tone through her word choice and paragraph structure....
Curated OER
Chinese Folktales
High schoolers examine Chinese folktales. In this literature and philanthropy instructional activity, students read Chinese folktales and analyze their literary elements. High schoolers consider the effects of generosity in the tales and...
Curated OER
Seeing Things From the Someone Else's Point of View
Students attempt to see the world from someone else's perspective. In this Peace Corps lesson plan, students read "Sharing in Africa." The piece challenges readers to consider how show respect for the cultural values of others while not...
Curated OER
The Importance of Being Flexible and Open-minded as a Visitor to Another Culture: Lesson 2 For "The Train Ride Home"
Learners examine the advantages of being flexible when visiting or living in a different culture. They read and discuss a first-hand account by a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, and write a letter from the point of view of a...
Curated OER
Ilunga's Harvest Lesson
Learners study the concept of culturally based impulse to share as opposed to watching out for oneself or family by reading and responding to "Ilunga's Harvest."
Curated OER
Modeling Our Writing Style After Another Author's Style
Students reread "The Senegalese Miracle" from a previous lesson plan. As they read, they must underline as many images related to their senses as possible and share their findings with the class. In partners, they practice chunking...
Curated OER
A Story of Giving
Students read a fable and identify their traits and values. They discuss how their family gives to others. They also predict the results of a lifetime of philanthropic giving.
Curated OER
Everyday Heroes
Learners research how Ernie Pyle's descriptive narratives and "every man's" perspective of the war allow them to examine personal traits such as courage and heroism. The activity can be extended to include more examples to teach...