Students explore global culture by researching a Mexican holiday. In this Day of the Dead lesson, students read assigned text which discusses the view of death in several different cultures including the U.S. and Mexico. Students write a...

Students study the Mexican holiday known as The Day of the Dead. In this holiday lesson plan, students study bones, listen to Tony Johnston's, Day of the Dead and learn on about the holiday. They listen to two more books before making...

Young scholars study the Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead. They view a video and research questions on the Internet. They synthesize the information from the websites and the topic for their RAFT writing assignment. They write...

Considering using Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies? Here's a resource designed to be used before and during a reading of her powerful story of the murder of the Mirabal sisters. Included in the packet is a vocabulary...

Use O. Henry's ubiquitous tale of love and poverty to explore irony. After reading the story, middle schoolers identify examples of all three kinds of irony in the story. With partners, they brainstorm original examples of irony. Then...

Combine literature and history with the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. Pupils read the poem and answer four questions about the text. 

Thirty-six pages familiarize scholars with the story and vocabulary of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After reading and listening to an abbreviated version of the holiday tale learners show what they know about the sequence...

Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...

Students research the culture of Mexico. In this Mexican culture lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation about the culture of Mexico and the students take notes. Students write an essay about what they have learned.

Plays are meant to be performed! After reading the entire play, invite your learners to choose a scene from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead that relates to earlier class discussion about characters, motifs, and themes to interpret...

Fifth graders describe ways in which people in the United States remember and honor the dead. They identify the similarities and differences between El Dia de los Muertos, Memorial Day, and Halloween.

Learn about the opioid and overdose epidemic in America with an article that explains what opioids are, how they are used, and how they are abused. Learners discover the death rates associated with opioid overdoses and other factors that...

The battle between the Free Staters and the Republicans in the 1922-1923 Irish Civil War provides the backdrop for “The Sniper.” Individuals prepare for a discussion of Liam O’Flaherty’s tragic short story by completing a study guide...

Students explore the Mexican celebration el Dia de los Muertos. For this Mexican celebration lesson, students discuss ways people in the US honor the dead. Students compare and contrast Mexican holidays and American holidays. Students...

A passage from Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper provides readers with a chance to demonstrate their ability to select evidence that shows the contrasts between the setting of Tom's real life and that of his dream life.

Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...

Readers demonstrate their ability to use word endings and word relationships to identify the parts of speech of the nonsense words in Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky."

Students study the Mexican traditions for the Day of the Dead. In this Mexican traditions lesson, students study monarch butterflies and learn about the role that the mariposa plays in the Day of the Dead. Students learn about migration,...

Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is one of the most famous and emotional tributes to Abraham Lincoln. Guide readers through the evocative elegy with a reading comprehension worksheet, complete with the poem's text and a...

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol may begin with the reminder of Marley's death, but it doesn't have to end with the last page of the book. Extend the reading into a crossword puzzle that includes clues about Jacob's accessories,...

A PowerPoint fill-in-the-blanks exam that tests learners knowledge of the life and times of William Shakespeare? Why not? The presentation could be used as a general review or as an introductory activity to assess prior knowledge.

Learners examine the day in the life of a homeless person. In this humanitarian lesson, learners examine the life of a homeless person while discovering the importance of social justice in our society.

All rise! Scholars put their skills to the test in a mock trial. Using evidence, photographs, and testimony, they role play the trial in the classroom. Rules of law—and the court room—come to life as the class becomes a place of law! 

Students write a persuasive essay about the death penalty. Students respond to students at St. Ignatius Catholic High School in Cleveland protesting the death of Adremy Dennis. Students research both sides of the debate, before writing...