Kids love to pretend. Use this imaginative energy to develop their understanding of characterization. Class members dress up as a character from their novel-writing project and sit for a filmed interview. In responding to questions about...

Students analyze two of Dorothea Lange's portraits and create their own portraits of classmates. In this portrait analysis lesson, students define portrait and discuss two images of Lange's. Students interview a classmate and use Lange's...

Students demonstrate question and answer/interviewing skills. They brainstorm questions they would like to ask each other and then interview their partner who will be a fairy tale character. Interviews will be filmed with a video camera.

Young scholars investigate characteristics of friendship through literature and interviews then share their ideas through posters. They role play scenarios related to friends and problems they might have. This lesson reflects cross...

Students read Witch of Blackbird Pond and role-play events in the story.  In this Character development lesson, students interview the characters.  Students design a timeline with pictures to show the events of the character's...

Students explore the definition of a portrait. In this portrait analysis lesson plan, students discuss two of Dorothea Lange's portraits and create their own portraits of their classmates.

Mickey Mouse, Elmo, and Tintin? Belgian cartoonist Georges (Herge) Remi’s famous comic character launches a study of primary and secondary source material and the impact these sources have on storytelling. Class members also examine the...

Young scholars, using the Internet, communicate with peers around the world about winter-themed books. They study authors, write book reviews, re-write endings, interview book characters, create scene dioramas, paint murals, and write...

Following the method used by Truman Capote, class members research a major character from his novel, In Cold Blood, and then conduct an interview with that character. The resulting research is used to craft a newspaper article about the...

Explore the concept of retelling a story with the Gingerbread Man. Read various gingerbread man stories with your class. They will create character puppets and retell the story to one another and in small groups. Additionally, they will...

Pages and pages of engaging activities, worksheets, and writing projects on teaching folktales and fables await you! You don't want to miss this incredible resource that not only includes a wide range of topics and graphic...

Students interview a hero. For this heroes lesson, students read Number the Stars to begin a discussion about heroes and then create mind maps on each character. Students pick a local hero and interview them and then write a personal...

Students participate in a play. In this historical figures activity, students choose a person from history and take on their role. Students research the character, create historically accurate costumes and work in groups to prepare a...

Sixth graders write descriptive narratives about animals. In this descriptive writing lesson, the teacher models how to write a paragraph with interesting sensory words and exciting verbs. Students choose a picture of an animal they want...

Students develop characters and role-play. For this character portrayal lesson, students analyze the importance of body language, develop a character to portray and interview another students character.

Students discuss and define the term citizenship. In this character education lesson, students explore the responsibilities of citizenship in small groups. Additionally, students compare events in history and discuss their personal...

Students view clips of Anna Deavere Smith's work. They interview people on video or audiotape to learn their lines, dialect, and syntax to assist them in theater. They create a play which emulates the people in which they interviewed.

Students read 'Marty and Me' by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. They compare their lives with Marty's life, which in most cases, is very different. They find similarities and differences and create a montage. They include information about...

Students investigate their own family's genealogy by conducting oral interviews and doing Internet research. In a series of activities, students acquire inquiry and research skills, develop an appreciation of their heritage, and classify...

Eleventh graders complete background reading of Europeans and the Native American Indians. They work in groups and represent an area of European colonization and create a "character" to represent their colonists on a class talk show....

Study the literature of their region to make connections between the past and the present. Create and publish a regional magazine, which is filled with cultural events from the region.

If the world were 100 people...17 would not have access to safe drinking water, 18 would not be able to read or write, and 52 would not have a primary education. Using the theme of "100 people," this resource explores other major issues...

Students research the role of the cook on board HMS Victory. In groups, they create a multimedia presentation, explaining what it would have been like to be the ship's cook. They present their projects to the school cafeteria staff.

It's all about the spin! In an introduction to propaganda techniques and soundbite politics, scholars first learn about common propaganda techniques before seeing them in action in the context of the 2016 election cycle. Activities...