Curated OER
Doll Making
Students discuss folktales and read Tiger and The Big Wind, listening for animal characters for later discussion. In this language arts lesson, students complete a T chart on characters and make a doll for one either chosen or assigned....
Curated OER
Short Story Lesson Plan
Students read and discuss the short story, "The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm," by Mark Twain. They assume the role of the main characters in the story and write a humorous letter of complaint using a business letter format. They...
Curated OER
Figurative Language-Part 1
Young scholars explore figurative language. For this figurative language lesson, students look up, define, and give examples of a list of literary terms.
Curated OER
Reading the Play
Students read the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare. In groups, they identify the instances of similes, metaphors and personification. They use the Internet to compare and contrast the events in the play with historical facts....
Curated OER
Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
Students study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.
Curated OER
Greek Theater Masks
Sixth graders learn the importance of mask in Greek theater, explore the history of Greek theater, integrate planning - design and construct a mask that shows exaggeration of features, build up features using paper mach mash, enhance...
Curated OER
Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
Learning for Justice
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's poem, "Still I Rise", offers young scholars an opportunity to consider how poets use literary devices to create powerful messages. After a close reading and discussion of the poem, class members reflect on how they can...
Curated OER
Imagine That! Analyzing Imagery
Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...
Curated OER
Review of Literary Devices
Sixth graders review literary devices. They use both fiction and nonfiction texts to review metaphor, simile, alliteration, imagery, symbolism and personification. This lesson plan has a scripted guide for the teacher to follow.
Curated OER
Review of Personification and Alliteration
Learners review personification and alliteration. In this literary devices lesson, students use personification and alliteration in a sentence. Learners draw a picture reflecting personification.
Curated OER
Hyperboles
Want to see the best instructional activity is the entire universe? Who doesn't love to exaggerate now and then? Get your class cozy with hyperbole as you read the story My Dad by Anthony Browne. During the reading you'll chart...
Curated OER
Simile Stories
Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text. In this similes lesson, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet. Students write their own similes using various adjectives.
National First Ladies' Library
All the News That's Fit to Draw: Political Cartooning and the Presidency
Young scholars research, analyze and study the history of political cartooning in the United States. They recognize a political cartoon, be able to identify the main idea, the symbols and the exaggeration and caricature in political...
Curated OER
Helping Others
Learners explore philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students read The Seven Chinese Brothers, identify the elements of the story, and then go out in the world to help others by sharing their talents.
Curated OER
Imagery and Sound Devices: In Preparation for Reading Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine
Twelfth graders analyze Ray Bradbury's use of techniques and elements of fiction as well as nonfiction in the novel Dandelion Wine. In this novel analysis lesson plan, 12th graders analyze the sensory techniques in Dandelion Wine....
Curated OER
History According to Shakespeare
Students read Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar while identifying a number of literary elements including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. As a response activity, they simulate a mock trial, and finally, compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Language Arts, Music, Poetry: Blues Style
This lesson focuses on how the blues both operates as poetry and informs the poetry of many prominent African American poets. Learners consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance of the poetry of...
Curated OER
Poetry of Abraham Lincoln
Fourth graders analyze Abraham Lincoln's poems "The Bear Hunt" and "My Childhood's Home" for word choice and deeper inquiry into the vocabulary he uses to convey emotion. They identify rhyming words and patterns in these poems. ...
Curated OER
The Art of Political Cartoons in Revolutionary America
Young scholars analyze political cartoons. In this colonial America lesson, students examine the provided political cartoons and respond to analytical questions about each of them.
Curated OER
Elements of Messages
High schoolers examine media messages. In this media awareness lesson, students analyze political cartoons and identify the literary elements they incorporate. High schoolers also use the Media Elements Handout to identify the elements...
Curated OER
Persuasion and Use of Language
Students discuss connotative language, hyperbole, allusion, and rhetorical question. In small groups, they read one section of the "Speech to the Virginia Convention" and analyze these devices. Groups present their results to the class.
Curated OER
American Folktales and Tall Tales
Young scholars explore the elements of American folktales. They discuss how they are passed on from generation to generation, how they use exaggeration, and how they convey a message or make a point. Students identify common elements...
Curated OER
How to Be a Conservative as Told by Ronald Reagan
Students interpret quotations from Ronald Reagan. In this conservative politics lesson, students analyze quotes from Reagan on the topic of conservatism. Students paraphrase each of the quotations and discuss them.