Can animals sense an earthquake before the ground starts to shake? Read two short passages that feature stories about animals that acted strangely just before an earthquake. Learners then answer a few reading comprehension questions...

I know exactly how you feel. That may be a statement between Henrietta Lacks and John Moore. Scholars read John Moore's story and compare his story of cell use to that of Henrietta. Learners record in a vocabulary journal, analyze...

There's more to newspaper articles than meets the eye. Scholars learn the different features of a newspaper article, including headline, byline, subheadings, etc. Pupils circle the features in an article as the teacher discusses their...

Students read two books and complete a compare and contrast of the two books. In this compare and contrast lesson, students read two books in the same genre and write an essay comparing and contrasting them.

Students read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and write a comparison of the two books. In this Tolkien novel analysis instructional activity, students read the novels and select characters, plot, theme, or...

Miss Frizzle's class provides the inspiration for your young learners! Read "The Magic School Bus Explores Outer Space," and discuss the solar system. First learners will complete a KWL chart about a planet they're assigned to. Then, as...

Learners will compare and contrast two songs from the Civil War era, one from the North and one from the South. They'll write a comparative essay on their songs, and then compare their essays and songs with others in their small groups....

Are you thinking about incorporating a film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel in a study of The Great Gatsby? Check out a guide loaded with suggestions for how to supplement a reading of the novel with scenes from three film...

In this literature instructional activity, students respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Crafting a compare-contrast essay can prove to be a challenge even for experienced writers.  Eradicate the mystery with a PowerPoint that details the rationale for and the structure of this form of expository writing. The 20-slide...

Students review John Lawson's writings to discover the impact they had on emigration to America. Using the writings, they analyze the influence of them and review the early settlement of the colonies. They write their own essay sharing...

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the play at the bottom of the page.

For this literature worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Bradbury's Farenheit 451. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Students compare and contrast a classic fairy tale with a fractured one and complete a graphic organizer. Then they write a persuasive essay following the steps of the writing process. Finally, students publish their completed essay and...

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 16 short answer and essay questions about Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

In this literature activity, students respond to 15 short answer and essay questions about Dream of the Red Chamber. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Give your class a taste of the Common Core with a practice test that includes both literary and informational reading passages. Pupils respond to related multiple choice questions and longer written response questions. See the...

Students explore "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, "The Magic Barrel" by Bernard Malamud, and "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. In this shorty story analysis lesson plan, students write down facts about each of the main characters from the...

Students explore fantasy through The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  In this literature instructional activity, students investigate character analysis through book comparisons.  Students read The Hobbit and one other book by J.R.R....

The world is full of possibilities for your ELLs. Help them explore their career options with a instructional activity that incorporates Internet research and expository writing. Not only will they learn more about their careers of...

To Kill a Mockingbird, Hunger Games, Brave New World. Welcome to Banned Books Week. As part of a study of censorship and book banning, class members investigate censorship, the purposes of censorship, and First Amendment rights,...

After watching West of the West's documentary on Catalina Island, The Magic Isle, class members research how Walt Disney's and William Wrigley's different visions impacted the island.

Do pictures really last longer? A prompt from the 2001 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions asks scholars to analyze the opinion that photography actually limits people when it comes to understanding the world....