Curated OER
Graham's Appalachian Spring: A Study
Young scholars explore choreographic narrative. In this choreography lesson, students explore the elements of Appalachian Spring as they develop a series of written responses to assignments that challenge them to investigate the...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 2008 Presidential Primaries
Take a trip back in time with this political cartoon analysis activity, which has scholars reading background information on the heated 2008 primary campaign to help them approach two political cartoons. Three talking points (or writing...
Curated OER
Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Students read and discuss poems by Robert Frost. Students collaborate in small groups to draw inferences about speakers' character and motives and to gather evidence supporting those inferences.
Curated OER
Gearing up for Grammar
Students input autobiographical information to apply in a Diamante' poem that utilizes the different parts of speech. Students interact with each other sharing their autobiographical information completed on the database created....
Curated OER
Focus on Figurative Language
Using the poems "First Snow" by Ted Kooser and "Eating Alone" by Yi-Young Lee (or other suggested poems by Robert Frost or Sara Teasdale), middle schoolers search for examples of figurative language. Guide your learners by discussing...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5
"Timid, scared, terrified." High school scholars examine words, their denotations and connotations, in a series of exercises that use lines from Shakespeare to explore figurative language and word relationships. Participants then...
Curated OER
Julius Caesar: Fate Versus Free Will
Tenth graders engage in a study that is about Julius Caesar while reading a play. The role of the main character is examined while looking for motive and tension presented by Shakespeare. They write a summary and critique of the play.
Curated OER
Poetry Movies
Students research, analyze, and describe a poem using the Internet and a variety of technology applications in this Language Arts lesson for the High School classroom. Emphasis is placed on the creation of a Keynote or PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Lesson Three: Poem Pieces
Students read and analyze stanzas of Civil War poem, The Flags of Michigan, to get perspective on what life was like and how Americans viewed Civil War, rewrite stanzas in modern language, and share new versions of poem with classmates.
Curated OER
Poetry
Fourth graders participate in reading and listening to poetry. They are exposed to a variety of poems and examine and identify basic elements of poetry. They write their own poems and recite a poem with enthusiasm, expression, and props.
Curated OER
Hearing the Poetry of Langston Hughes Through the Sounds of Jazz
Young scholars have an appreciation of Langston Hughe's poetry and his use of jazz rhythms, have the ability to read poetry closely, and freewrite to gain a fresh perspective on music and literature.
Curated OER
???Autumn in the Palace of the Han??? by Ma chih-yuan
Students read and analyze a play that takes place in the late 1200s under the Yuan dynasty of the Mongols. They examine the structure of Yuan plays, participate in performing sections of the play, write a three page essay, and analyze...
Curated OER
Global Peace Lesson Plan
Fifth graders recognize the characteristics of poetry. In this poetry lesson, 5th graders listen to poetry by Dionne Brand and discuss the meaning of the poems. Students construct their own poems and present them as an assessment.
Curated OER
"Railroad Bill, A Conjure Man"
Students create questions to ask the poet, Ishmael Reed about his poetry. After the poet speaks, students are broken into groups and are to analyze a poem and report back to the class on their findings.
Curated OER
Lesson: Weaving Words
A woven rug depicting birds and cornstalks becomes the inspiration for a lesson on critical thinking and creative writing. Learners analyze the symbolism found in the rug and then compose a descriptive paragraph or poem that embodies the...
Curated OER
Hermeneutics: Teaching Students Author's Purpose
Your developing literary critics discuss 'perspective' and discuss how the same occurence can be interpreted by two different people in two different ways. They read Ryszard Kapuscinski's untitled poem, infer meaning of the poem, and...
Poets.org
Ghosts and Spirits
Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...
Curated OER
What is Good Use of Time?
Students analyze the best uses of time in other cultures. In this time use lesson, students read the poem 'Soccer Into Dusk' and 'The Meaning of Time' as analysis of time usage in other culttures. Students complete a discussion, journal...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 7: Pronouns
Take a break from literature study to address some grammatical concerns. Using a text you've already read in your class, show how to analyze pronoun use. After watching the master, pairs analyze a short excerpt on their own, identifying...
Curated OER
Creating a Science Fiction Story
As the culminating activity in a unit study of science fiction, young writers demonstrate their understanding of the genre by producing their own graphic novel. After deciding on the main elements of their story, individuals use a comic...
Curated OER
Personal and Ethical Skills
Fourth graders work together and generate a list of skills needed to work with diverse groups of people. They brainstorm the meaning of "diversity."' Students write as many skills as they can in two minutes. They listen and share ideas...
Curated OER
A Good Man is Hard to Find
Students, in groups, read and analyze the short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O'Connor. They present their findings tot he rest of the class and then connect the various themes discussed to outside material, events...
Curated OER
A Rose Is a Rose
Flowering learners explore the concept of figurative language as it relates to poems, songs, or creative written expression. In this creative writing instructional activity, they complete several phrases using similes, metaphors, and...
Curated OER
“Home on the Range”
Fourth graders analyze the song "Home on the Range" and identify its meaning and setting. In this timeline and retelling lesson plan, 4th graders use dictionaries to find definitions of unfamiliar words, create a timeline and...