John Knowles' A Separate Peace provides readers with an opportunity to develop their close reading and analytical skills as they look for what Knowles feels are the factors that shape our identity.

Visual and print propaganda are featured in a lesson that asks readers of A Separate Peace to examine the techniques used in propaganda from World War I, World War II, presidential elections, and in the novel.

What are the effects of competition in an academic environment? The competition between the main characters in A Separate Peace motivates a series of activities that asks readers to take a stance on competition, and then to develop a...

Students complete an activity with the book A Separate Peace.  In this vocabulary lesson, students get a list of vocabulary words to find the definitions of. They make a bingo card with the words and the teacher reads the...

How does our moral reasoning shape our identity? After a study of Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Reasoning, readers use Kohlberg's theories to analyze the speech, thoughts, and decisions of a character in A Separate Peace. They then...

Tenth graders explore the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles. They discuss the events surrounding World War II and the events that were vital to progress during the war. Students locate New Hampshire on a map. They discuss the main...

Readers apply Sigmund Freud's theories of the unconscious mind and the psychological approach to literary criticism to analyze and evaluate the relationship between two characters in A Separate Peace.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides the lens class members use to analyze and evaluate the motivations of the characters in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation" and scenes from Mean Girls. Readers then select a character from A...

As class members continue their study of approaches to literary criticism, readers examine the symbolism and archetypal patterns in John Knowles' A Separate Peace, and how these parallels are used to develop a theme...

"How does our environment shape our identity?" After researching biographical information about John Knowles and considering how these experiences are reflected in A Separate Peace, class members consider the strengths and weaknesses of...

After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...

For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...

As part of a therapeutic and restorative exercise, pupils use worksheets to recall experiences and explore their reactions to major feelings, from anxiety and anger to joy and love. 

What is peace and what does it mean to our society? To understand why peace is celebrated and what character traits or concepts relate to the action of peace, learners engage in a discussion, story time, and a craft project. The lesson...

Empower scholars to take a peaceful stand against discrimination. The color of their clothes separates learners; then, only some are allowed to go to recess—this sparks a discussion about the concept of discrimination and how they felt...

"Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us." As part of a series of worksheets that provide readers with an opportunity to develop their primary source comprehension skills, kids examine an excerpt from...

Students discuss the topic of peace and community. They identify their own examples to support their own idea of peace. They create a list of items that would make their classroom a more peaceful place.

With new leadership comes new hope! After years of violence, the people of Colombia elect a new president ... could this mean an end to conflict? Civics scholars take part in a large group role-playing exercise designed to illustrate the...

Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...

Students discuss peacemaking. In this political policy and emotions instructional activity, students explore ideas for expressing feelings in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Students reflect on punitive and restorative justice.

Eleventh graders explain Davis's views on Southern Secession.  In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders read and analyze primary sources. 

Students, in pairs, explore how to set up and use a "Peace Place," which is a special place to go to center themselves when they are upset or angry.

Here are five quick lessons you can use to introduce your class to religions from around the world. They view and perform a Native American dance, watch a video on Judaism, compare the difference between Catholics and Protestants, watch...

Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...