Does your class love reading cartoons? Use their talents and interests to examine the process of writing a story they wish to tell through a cartoon. They develop the beginning, middle, and end of a story based on their original...

This may be a lot to ask of a high schooler, but then again, who knows? Pupils work in groups to explore, write, and then perform an original opera. They view versions of The Magic Flute and La Traviata, then compose a plot, characters,...

Students practice their writing techniques by creating a novelette.  In this creating writing lesson, students brainstorm and decide on a topic they would like to expand upon in order to create their own novelette.  Students...

Comparing the more modern film Ten Things I Hate About You to The Taming of the Shrew leads to an understanding of how Shakespearean plots can be applied to modern-day situations and characters. As a culminating activity, groups select a...

Discuss the lives of artists in the Lyme Art Colony in the 1900s with this resource. Young historians write and perform a short scene depicting individuals who lived in the Griswold boardinghouse, used by the colony artists. They use the...

Seventh graders write scripts for scenarios to be "re-solutioned". One re-solution scenario will be role played for whole class. They also identify what personal responsibility means and who is responsible in taking personal...

Students discover writing strategies authors use to enhance characters.  In this character writing instructional activity, students are read the Knuffle Bunny books by Mo Willems and analyze the story, characters and settings as...

Young scientists observe deforestation from satellite photos and discuss the importance of forests to the global environment. They then simulate a plot of forest when farmers move into the area over the course of seven years. Finally,...

Students take a medical issue and explore it, debate it, and convince others of their point of view. They improve research skills and writing skills. Students are able to define a problem, debate it, and identify which is the best...

Students revise Spanish mystery stories. They sequence the events from a group's mystery story and suggest revisions for the setting. They revise their stories using the suggestions from classmates and describe characters in folktales....

Pupils participate in cyber hunt activities involving Lewis and Clark in order to gain a better idea of what it was like to be an explorer of the vast western lands. In this history lesson, students may choose to study the route that...

Students explore the feelings surrounded by humiliation, resentment and retaliation in the context of school violence.  In this character building lesson, students examine possible reasons for school violence and focus on possible...

Students discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical instructional activity, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with...

Students investigate the Middle Ages and it's relation to the theater.  In this acting lesson, students read Arthurian stories form the Middle Ages and practice using vocabulary words from the Medieval Times.  Students write a...

Learners study and perform Aesop's fables. In this Aesop's fables instructional activity, students read and/or listen to a number of the famous fables. They make masks based on the characters and perform a fable using the masks. They...

Students explore language arts by analyzing a children's book in class. In this vocabulary lesson, students read the book Slowly, Slowly, Slowly... by Eric Carle. Students identify the characters, setting and plot of the story before...

Students explore the reasons Mangrove forests are in jeopardy.  For this lesson, students read an article that discusses specific facts on Mangrove forests, then complete numerous activities that reinforce the information, such as...

Young scholars complete word study activities, read a story and write a descriptive paragraph about the setting of Goo Goo Avenue in Lawton 1901.

Students explore Shakespeare's portrayal of deception. In this plot activity, students examine the use of deception in "Much Ado About Nothing." Students write their own mini-versions of the play that are limited to 3 minutes.

Fifth graders read Dear Mr. Henshaw and identify the character trait of self-respect as exhibited by Leigh throughout the story. They evaluate the author's use of letters to tell the story and discuss how the story would be different if...

Fourth graders use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast various versions of the story The Three Little Pigs. They write a Cinquain, and then act out their version of the Three Little Pigs in a skit.

Students study the tale of Robin Hood to further their knowledge of character traits, improve their vocabularies, and increase their knowledge of the Medieval Ages. In this Robin Hood lesson, students complete 14 lessons that help them...

Students examine the concept of the tragic hero in Shakespeare's King Lear and explore how it affects the plot of the play. In this theatrical analysis instructional activity, students investigate the redemption or defeat of King Lear...

Students read "The Mitten", by Jan Brett. They discuss vocabulary presented in the story and sequence significant plot events. They make masks to represent several of the characters and act out the story.