Lesson Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Comparing and Contrasting Yourself to a Character

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
First and second graders explore character as a story element. They  listen to the first part of the story First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and observe the teacher modeling a compare and contrast characters activity. Learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Connection

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners discuss their personal connections with stories they've read in the past and identify techniques to connect with more stories. They create illustrations, construct task cards, and complete sentence stems based on books they read...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newcomers

For Teachers K - 3rd
Explore emotions associated with moving to a new home with young learners. First they listen to the books Painted Words/Spoken Memories by Aliki and Going Home by Eve Bunting. Then they are invited to share their experiences as well as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Fabulous Fables

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast Cultures

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Using informational text to make cross cultural comparisons is a great way to build a global understanding and comparative analysis skills. With several handy worksheets and a Venn diagram the class will read to make cross textual...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Text Features of a Self-Written Fable

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Make learning the parts of a book fun by having pupils construct their own glossary entries, table of contents, and title page. Beginning with a review of text features and a hunt for examples, kids use previously written fables to...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 1 Assessment: Analyzing an Interview with a Rainforest Scientist Part 2 and Comparing and Contrasting Texts About Rainforest Biodiversity

For Teachers 5th Standards
The end is in sight. Pupils complete an end of unit assessment, analyzing an interview with a rainforest scientist and then comparing and contrasting two informational texts. Next, they complete a self-assessment to reflect on their...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Identity Lesson 3: The Archetypal Approach to Literary Criticism

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
As class members continue their study of approaches to literary criticism, readers examine the symbolism and archetypal patterns in John Knowles' A Separate Peace, and how these parallels are used to develop a theme...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literary Comparison

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Compare and contrast two pieces of literature with this instructional activity. With the use of a Venn diagram, pupils make connections between literature and real-life situations. They practice skills of surveying a text looking for...
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

The Nazi Party Platform

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Not all party platforms stay democratic. A resource covers many political issues in Germany during the time of World War II, and teaches pupils about the Nazi party platform and what went wrong. Individuals participate in a warm-up...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Edgar Allan Poe Short Story WebQuest

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce your class to Edgar Allan Poe with a series of mostly self-guided tasks and assignments. Class members follow the list of tasks, starting by watching a video with background information and ending with a compare-and-contrast...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Joy Luck Club: Problematic Situation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How do your learners react in conflicts with authority figures? Help them begin Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club with an activity about different conflicts that kids can run into with their parents. Each scenario prompts learners to rank...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guided Reading with David's Drawings by Cathryn Falwell

For Teachers 1st
First graders participate in a guided reading lesson plan. In this guided reading lesson plan, 1st graders read David's Drawings by Cathryn Falwell, which is a realistic fiction book on the DRA:16 level. They determine the author's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading For Meaning

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Select an article that explores people of another culture. After reading it as a class, distribute copies of this worksheet. It asks for a brief summary, encourages readers to make text-to-self connections, and asks learners to identify...
Lesson Plan
3
3
Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Identity Lesson 5: Motivation - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides the lens class members use to analyze and evaluate the motivations of the characters in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation" and scenes from Mean Girls. Readers then select a character from A...
Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Ecosystems

For Teachers 5th Standards
Explore the Earth's different ecosystems through four lessons, an assessment, and extension activities. Lessons include informative text and step-by-step instructions to apply knowledge in interactive, and thought provoking ways; such as...
Lesson Plan
1
1
EngageNY

End-Of-Unit 2 Assessment: On-Demand Analytical Essay About How Esperanza Changes Over Time

For Teachers 5th Standards
Close the unit on Esperanza Rising with an in-class analytic essay on how Esperanza changes over the course of the novel. Writers can use any of their notes and work from the unit as well as their drafts of the first two paragraphs of...
Lesson Plan
Macmillan Education

Self/Social

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Body language, our perception of others, and how to make a better impression socially are the focus topics for this lesson, which is part of a 23-lesson series on building important life skills. Learners complete a questionnaire on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maus: Problematic Situation Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Do people really need “a newer, bigger Holocaust” in order to change? Or is it possible that by making text-to-self connections to the stories of others people that they can change? In order to connect to Art Spiegelman’s Maus, class...
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Concluding the Novel

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As I Lay Dying is a beautiful book and a wonderful vehicle for understanding, interpreting, and comparing themes. The class reads and analyzes the novel, discusses possible interpretations, and characterizations. They compare the themes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Other People's Decisions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students analyze people's choices from different points of view. They read different scenarios and explain how they would react personally in that situation. Then they analyze what they would do in another character's position and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan for Scaffolding Complex Texts

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd Standards
Enhance a class read-aloud of the children's story Hi! Fly Guy with this reading comprehension lesson plan. Children first listen as the teacher reads the story, stopping along the way to discuss any unfamiliar vocabulary. The...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Give budding historians a guided exploration of the Declaration of Independence, historic photos, videos, and more as they deepen their understanding of the American Revolution and the attitude of the colonists leading up to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast an informational article with a fictional story. They read the story "The Contest" as a class, and discuss the different types of literature genres. Next, they complete a vocabulary worksheet and a...