National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Crossing the River
Young scholars analyze the multiple voices in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. In this multiple voices lesson plan, students explore the use of symbolism with the narrative voices of the text. Young scholars write a detailed profile of...
Curated OER
Endeavor: Preparing Ourselves for Future Destinations
Students define the word endeavor and then practice the art of self-discipline. They create character trait charts and discuss how strong character traits help students meet their future destinations.
Curated OER
Macbeth - Analyzing Characterization in Drama
The writing activity in this lesson could be used to assess student understanding of previously taught concepts of how language reveals character.
Curated OER
I Am What I Think I Am!
Pupils study conative and cognitive strengths through characters in literature. For this conative and cognitive strength lesson, students read about a favorite character or historical person. They make a chart of the difficulties the...
Curated OER
Interview With A Legend
Eighth graders investigate how Language Arts and Social Studies can be integrated in the curriculum. They conduct research about a famous person in history. Then students use the information to write a report for the class. Then students...
Tellagami Labs
Tellagami
Bring the world of video messaging into your classroom with this creative communication application. Offering the ability to create animations with customized characters, backgrounds, and recorded messages, this resource is guaranteed to...
August House
Anansi and the Tug o' War
Combine art, math, language arts, drama, and delicious Jell-o with a instructional activity based on the African folktale Anansi and the Tug o' War. Kids make predictions and discuss plot points of the story before joining in...
Weebly
Author Study: Eric Carle
Dive into an author study of one of the most beloved children’s book authors, Eric Carle. After reading some of his stories, including Papa Get me the Moon, A House for Hermit Crab, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Very Busy...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Chalk Talk
Discussion doesn't always need to be spoken. Before you begin The Tempest by William Shakespeare, have kids connect their ideas and experiences to central questions of the play with a silent discussion activity. Once they have...
Curated OER
Daily Actings
Students view clips of Anna Deavere Smith's work. They interview people on video or audiotape to learn their lines, dialect, and syntax to assist them in theater. They create a play which emulates the people in which they interviewed.
Curated OER
Using Inspiration Software to Explore Characters In Stories
Students identify characters, their qualities, and examples of their qualities and use Inspiration to organize them in a clear and understandable format. After a lecture/demo, students use the program on the next story by themselves.
Curated OER
RESPECT -- A Basic Skill
Seventh graders are shown a variety of advertisements and commercials and note the product being sold. As a class, they compare and contrast their answer to the actual product. To end the lesson, they discuss whether or not they would...
Curated OER
Hairy Monster Stories
Learners work together to create a hairy monster. They discuss the elements of a character sketch. They use a rubric to guide them as they write a sketch of their hairy monster.
Curated OER
Personality and Lord of the Flies
Students use the Internet to review personality types and to associate characters from Lord of the Flies with the personality types listed. They also write a theme comparing and contrasting the personalities of two characters in Lord of...
Curated OER
Bunnicula
Students create a dictionary of vocabulary after reading a story. Individually, they create a story web making sure to include all of the basic story elements. They also create a timeline and write a book report of all important events.
Curated OER
Lesson One: Characterizing Philanthropic People
Familiarize your class with philanthropy and involve individuals in philanthropic activities. First, determine the traits of philanthropic people. Class members attach sticky notes with character traits written on them to each side of at...
Curated OER
Ask the Oracle
Students invent an imaginary character that has the ability to time travel to China and create stories in the tradition of a traveler's tale, whereas their characters visit China's capital city, Beijing, and go to the Great Wall of China...
Curated OER
Soap Operas
Students examine American culture through research on various soap opera websites. They access a soap opera website, participate in a chat group, evaluate the contents of the website, and write a summary of a character and plot.
Curated OER
Communicating Values and History through Masks
Students create an African style mask that depicts a value or character trait that is important in their community.
Curated OER
Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party
Seventh graders collaboratively research the life and times of Charles Dickens as it relates to a character from the story, and write and present a first-person character analysis.
Curated OER
Anansi Goes to Lunch
Second graders read the story Anansi Goes to Lunch and complete language arts activities connected to the story. For this language arts lesson plan, 2nd graders complete activities including discussion, reading, writing, drawing, and...
Curated OER
The Cultural Geography of East Asia
Pupils use information from the Asia Society's AskAsia Web site to explore the cultures of China, Japan, and Korea. They answer four questions and then use what they have learned to write a letter of introduction to a Japanese exchange...
Curated OER
The Travels of Babar: An Adventure in Scales
Students become familiar with the musical notify that are associated with the character in Monstel's The Travels of Babar: An Adventure in Scales, so that they can listen attentively to the performance and understand and appreciate ow...
Curated OER
What is "The American Dream"?
Students read the story Marriage is a Private Affair and analyze the 'American Dream.' In this American Dream activity, students free write about the American Dream. Students read the story and discuss the themes. Students write a letter...