Explore human diversity in this human rights lesson. Middle schoolers compare novels, speeches, videos, and short stories that promote diversity and basic human rights. They complete daily coursework as they read the selected literature...

Students examine variety of written pieces of quality fiction, discuss what different story elements are present and how those elements make stories as effective as they are, and create a class story.

Explore positive and negative character traits and universal themes in the story of Cinderella with primary learners. Story elements are reviewed and discussion questions are listed. Learners practice retelling the story and begin a...

Learners participate in an engaging, alternative assessment activity: making a silent film of an Edgar Allen Poe story. This project offers them an additional way to demonstrate their mastery of the topic. 

Students set up and maintain birdhouses on the school grounds in an effort to witness and capture (through video and photos) the major stages in the life cycle of cavity-nesting birds.

Students, after reading the book, "Esperanza Rising," create a virtual display by combining different story elements into a visual representation. They choose the setting and characters of a scene that will act as a springboard of ideas...

Students examine a Native American Cinderella story. In this Cinderella lesson, students listen to and compare Rafe Martin's, The Rough Face Girl, to other Cinderella stories. They complete the associated worksheets, role play scenes...

Students investigate the concept of setting with the use of reading different excerpts from multiple samples of texts. They execute well-thought out statements of the setting considering the important details that point it out during the...

Students examine the structure of the newspaper. In this newspaper lesson, students look at the different types of articles about giving, sharing, and acts for the common good. They realize the types of voice that are used in the...

Pupils create a slogan. In this heroes instructional activity, students identify traits from hero stories that match traits of real life heroes. They discuss what lessons they can learn from heroes about courage and come up with a one...

Learners examine the differences between the portrayal of characters in books and in motion pictures. Using the novel, The Kite Runner, students discuss the ways in which the characters can be interpreted. Learners create original...

Students conduct research on 1830s families and early New England culture. They conduct research on the Old Sturbridge Village website, participate in an online chat with a costumed interpreter, and continue to develop possible plots to...

The historical background for Fever 1793 is the focus of a pre-reading strategy that has class groups rotate through a series of stations stocked with photographs, articles, and other texts that describe the Yellow Fever outbreak of...

Everyone can be an MVP! Young learners create their own baseball cards about themselves in this autobiographical lesson. They use information about their lives to create a baseball trading card. They make flash cards using baseball...

Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...

Expand the vocabulary of young readers with this series of five activities based the children's book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. From playing bingo to group storytelling, a variety of different approaches are...

After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...

Earth Day is a great topic to write about, and graphic organizers can really help learners classify their thoughts. Here is a fantastic set of themed worksheets that will allow your class to explore and write about conservation. Each...

What does a dentist do? What about a farmer? Explore different jobs with a set of picture word cards. Each card in a set of 12 features the name of a career with a picture of the person who has that job. 

Create a silly cooking themed story using nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more! Pupils fill in the blanks using their knowledge of different types of fruit, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy, then read the story aloud to hear a...

The truth will always come out. A short performance task has learners considering a witness statement given to a detective. They apply special line segments in triangles and Ceva's Theorem to prove that the witness is actually lying.

Ten drama lessons are the perfect addition to your language arts or theater class. With a focus on script elements, plot development, and parts of a dramatic story, the lessons guide young playwrights through the steps of telling a story...

Scholars select a novel or play and then craft an essay that describes the setting's role in the story. Pupils also create essays that analyze a poet's use of language and the values of characters in a novel excerpt.