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Scholastic
A Reading Guide to Sarah, Plain and Tall
Eliminate the hard work of creating an entire literature unit with this reading guide for the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. From background information about the author and her motivation for writing the story to...
Novelinks
Wuthering Heights: Unsent Letters
To demonstrate their understand of the characters in Wuthering Heights and their motivations, readers assume the identity of one of the characters and write a letter to another character in the Bronte's novel.
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3
Focus on complex characters with a lesson from a series that teaches individual skills from the Common Core. Specifically, this resource provides practice with standard RL.9-10.3. Get pupils thinking and talking about characters with the...
Curated OER
James and the Giant Peach Character Study
Every book has a few great characters, but James and the Giant Peach is the only one whose characters travel in a piece of fruit. The class creates T-charts for the main characters of the novel, while reading the book. They write actions...
Novelinks
The House on Mango Street: Letters/Unsent Letters
Class members conclude their reading of The House on Mango Street with an assignment that asks them to compose letters to characters using their own voices or that of another character in Cisneros' story.
Leading Learner
Using Music to Tell a Story or Describe a Scene
Young composers demonstrate their understanding of the stylistic features of descriptive music, including pitch, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and timbre, by developing a melody and countermelody for a main character in a story. As part of...
Novelinks
Walk Two Moons: Unsent Letter
Take a journey with your class as they explore the different settings from Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Middle schoolers write postcards in first person as if they were the characters of the story.
Novelinks
Things Fall Apart: Problematic Situation
If you could pick characteristics you would want your child to possess, what would they be? To better understand Okonkwo, one of the key characters in Things Fall Apart, class groups engage in an activity that asks them to consider this...
BBC
Julius Caesar Teacher Pack
A great actor has the ability to make or break a play. A series of lesson plans related to William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar looks closely at the choices actors make during a production of the play to help provide insight into the...
Curated OER
The Kite Runner: The Pomegranate
To better understand the conflict between Amir and Hassan, two characters in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, readers assume the voice of one of the boys and craft a letter to the other that explains his feelings and concerns.
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2
There is nothing more frustrating than discussing theme in literature, and now the Common Core requires that your learners determine two or more, and discuss the development of it throughout the text. This is crazy, but manageable with...
York Catholic
Elements of Drama
Introduce young actors to the key elements of performance with this handout that defines key staging terms and activities.
Quia
Charlotte’s Web Lesson Plan
Make your classroom into a place of kindness and compassion with E.B White's Charlotte's Web. The first four pages of the lesson plan guide you through several steps and projects, including discussions on Charlotte and Wilbur's...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Bio Poem
Readers of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale demonstrate their understanding of the play by selecting a character and crafting a bio poem that reveals his or her fears and aspirations.
Bright Hub Education
Teaching "Gone with the Wind" in High School: Ideas & Activities
Plan on using Gone with the Wind as a reading selection? Here's a packet of prompts for activities and assessments.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Interactive Reading Project
Students discuss books they are reading during the semester through e-mail with other students. They complete a reading interest survey, e-mail their partner weekly, and read and suggest six novels by the end of the semester.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Spring in Fialta
This fascinating short story written by Vladimir Nabokov is examined in detail in this comprehensive site. Read about the characters and their motivations as well as a discussion of significant quotations from the story.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Medea
Read about the play Medea, the characters and themes in this fascinating site. Although Euripides lived between 480 and 406 B.C. his plays still hold relevance today. This site explores in detail the characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Candide
This interesting and informative site looks at Voltaire's humorous criticism of power and wealth. Find out about the characters and their motivations in this comprehensive site.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: The Chosen
Chaim Potok's first novel, The Chosen, of two Jewish boys coming of age is examined in depth in this interesting site. Find out more about the characters, their motivations and the themes in the novel.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess' Clockwork Orange contains to be a novel worth reading. Find out about the characters and their motivations in this outstanding site.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Death of a Salesman
This Pulitzer Prize winning play is thoroughly analysed in this excellent site that looks at the characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: A Doll's House
This wonderful play is looked at in depth in this comprehensive site that analyses characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: The Giver
This young adult Newberry winner by Lois Lowry is analyzed in detail in this informative site that looks at characters and their motivations.