Curated OER
Jan Brett Author Study
Students practice utilizing the internet to look up information on the author Jan Brett and the books she wrote. They visit a variety of websites to assess the biography of Jan Brett and retell a story that she wrote in their own words...
Reed Novel Studies
Fuzzy Mud: Novel Study
Trouble always finds trouble. While avoiding a bully, Tamaya and Marshally from Fuzzy Mud take a trip through the off-limit woods and find themselves lost. To complete the worksheet study, scholars analyze several literary devices, learn...
EngageNY
Studying Author’s Craft: Carlotta’s Journey
The longest journey begins with a single step. Scholars analyze the details of Carlotta Walls LaNier's journey through the desegregation of schools in the United States. They continue reading the author's memoir, A Mighty Long Way and...
National Endowment for the Arts
Reader Resources: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A handy guide offers high schoolers support as they read the American novel, The Great Gatsby. Complete with a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, a timeline of the Roaring Twenties, discussion questions about the novel, and more, this...
Orlando Shakes
To Kill a Mockingbird: Study Guide
Who was Harper Lee, and what led her to write one of the most celebrated novels of all time? Scholars learn about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird and read a summary of a dramatic production of the novel. They also discover the...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Model Essay: Studying Argument
Scholars begin writing an argument essay based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They read and analyze a model essay, considering the author's thinking before writing it.
EngageNY
Planning for Writing: Studying Model Writing and Determining a Theme in The Lightning Thief
A theme runs through it. Scholars analyze how a common theme runs through the myths they have read and The Lightning Thief. They complete graphic organizers and view a four paragraph model essay. They analyze the essay for structure and...
Curated OER
Author Study - Gerald McDermott
Students listen to story written by author Gerald McDermott, compare and contrast other stories they have read written by same author, create Venn diagrams showing similarities and differences among stories, and determine which story is...
Curated OER
Author Study: Barbara Park
Students examine the life and books of author Barbara Park. They read her interviews and examine her Junie B. Jones series.
Curated OER
Author Study
Young scholars work collaboratively to create PowerPoint presentations on an author of their choice. This lesson is written for a first and third grade joint project with students pairing up across grade levels.
Curated OER
Robert Munsch: Author Study
Students study Robert Munsch's style of writing. For this literature lesson, students read many of Robert Munsch's books, write a list of the characteristics found in his books, and write or orally tell a story using some of these...
Curated OER
Leo Lionni Author Study
Students identify Leo Lionni as an author in this lesson. They identify the types of illustrations used in his books. They also create a picture of a mouse, using a drawing program on the computer. They change the colors of the mouse by...
Curated OER
Awesome Authors
Students are introduced to authors and discover they are real people. Using the author's stories, they are incouraged to write their own stories using technology. Using the internet, they research facts, ideas and stories and develop a...
Curated OER
Pilkey Author Study
Third graders read and hear stories by the author, Dav Pilkey and research the list of books written by this author. They become illustrators to the novel "Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel," then they create a timeline of their lives...
Curated OER
Put the NEW in NEWBERY
Students read Newbery award books. In this Newbery book instructional activity, students look online to find all the books that have received this award and look through online reviews to find one they would like to read. After finishing...
Curated OER
Noteworthy?
Why do we have CliffsNotes? SparkNotes? Middle and high schoolers examine arguments for and against the recent influx of book notes, or study guides. They stage a debate in which they represent Advocates For or Critics Against the use of...
Curated OER
Three Skeleton Key: Elements of Literature
Rats! How are they described in "Three Skeleton Key," and what happens to the characters in the story? Study the vocabulary and the story with these worksheets. Learners complete pre-reading activities, study vocabulary, complete...
Planet e-Book
Dubliners
The Dubliners contains 15 short stories all bound in one book. The stories begin with narration by young children, and as they progress, so do the ages of the narrators. The author, James Joyce, focuses most stories on characters that...
Curated OER
Educator's Guide: Holes
You'll be a star at your next grade level meeting with an educational unit on Louis Sachar's Holes. Based on both the novel and film, the lessons include applications to language arts with character studies and movie reviews; social...
K20 LEARN
Between The Lines: Inferences In The Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass Excerpt
Good literature can be much like an iceberg requiring readers to presume that the bulk of the meaning may be inferred to be found below the surface. Here's a lesson that asks scholars to conduct a close reading of passages from The...
K20 LEARN
That Which We Call a Rose: Connotation and Denotation in Romeo and Juliet
Words carry weight. And some words carry baggage. Scholars learn the difference in a study of connotation and denotation. Individuals sort the cards into three groupings using words from Shakespeare's play. After sharing within groups,...
ReadWriteThink
Teaching Point of View With Two Bad Ants
What better way to explain the concept of point of view than from an ant's perspective! After reading Two Bad Ants, pupils identify the point of view of the ants by studying the text and pictures. Then, they fill out a chart that...
Digital Public Library of America
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Any classroom study of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved requires careful planning and scaffolding. A primary source set that includes a video, illustrations, photos of artifacts, and a broadside of the Fugitive Slave...
Curated OER
Author Study - Mo Willems
Students listen to books written by Mo Willems each day and discuss the story elements of each. In this reading strategies lesson plan, students decide after reading through the whole series of books, what their favorite book is and...