Students investigate the role and nature of story-telling as it preserves history and culture and discuss how puppetry serves as an effective method of presentation. They create basic outlines for puppet shows that relay important...

Students inspire communication skills thru the lyrics of a song. Students watch and correlate the production of a fantasy film with speaking and listening skills. Students quote the themes from the video.

High schoolers view video clips of Shakespeare's plays. They discuss issues in his plays that challenge his authorship. They discuss the concept of a genius and identify what qualities a writer has.

Challenge geography classes to locate the major volcanoes and earthquake faults on a world map. In groups, they identify the pattern made and examine the relationship between the locations of the faults and volcanoes and tectonic...

Students research the slave, Denmark Vesey, and create a dramatic play depicting his life.

Students explore the components of racismas they read through Horton Foote's, "To Kill a Mockingbird." The trial of the main character reveals instances of justice in the face of prejudice and forms the focus of the lesson.

High schoolers consider the structure of folktales. In this writing skills lesson, students list the attributes of folktales that they read in class. High schoolers then complete handouts based on the elements of the tales as well as...

Students complete activities for an independent novel project. In this novel project worksheet, students follow the 13 steps to analyze and complete a comprehensive project about a novel they've read.

In this film analysis worksheet, students compare and contrast one of the themes in "Lord of the Flies" using the film "Au Revoir Les Enfants." Students write a comparison and contrast essay for the activity.

Students begin the lesson by responding in their journals regarding questions about their favorite fairy tales. They listen to a folk tale and answer questions based on the folk tale genre and then brainstorm aphorisms that convey moral...

Students explore  the pros and cons of bio-fuel use. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students visit selected websites to discover what bio-fuels are and the effect they may have on the environment.

The video "The Tales of Aesop" traces for viewers the history of fables and identifies their characteristics. The class then goes to the web site "The Fisherman and the Little Fish" where they examine the classic and a modern version of...

Pupils explore Native American literature. In this cultural diversity lesson, students read selected Native American books and analyze the themes of the books and familiarize themselves with the vocabulary used in the books.

Young scholars study the various aspects of tall tales. They read various tall tales and discuss the characteristics and literature aspects of tall tales. Students write their own unique tall tales.

High schoolers read several fictional pieces which examine issues of urbanization and rural cultures. They discuss how the place a person lives affects the kind of person they become.

Students investigate the concept that people died during the Civil Right;s Movement using the Matix method.

Young scholars identify the elements of science fiction and write their own example.  In this Journey to the Center of the Earth lesson students complete several activities about science fiction, authors and novels.

Students explore linear graphs, the parabola and the rectangular hyperbola.

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson focuses on how conflicts determine the resolution of the story. In this lesson, students learn how to recognize conflict, analyze linear plot, and determine how...

You will be able to analyze how flashback, foreshadowing, sub-plots, or parallel plot structures can be used in developing a plot in a short story.

A learning module that teaches students about writing a short story with a strong plot in seven mini-lessons: Introduction, Choose the Point of View, Figure Out What to Say, Suspend Readers in Midair, Write about a Central Theme, Read A...

A learning module that teaches students about writing a short story in six mini-lessons: Introduction, Understanding the Essence, Getting an Idea, Structuring Plot, Building Conflict, and Outlining Your Own Story.

This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...

This unit from the Yale University on elements of the short story is designed to develop student comprehension skills, particularly making inferences and generalizing. It also involves students in reading a number of short stories to...