Curated OER
Comic Book Characters
Explore gender stereotypes by analyzing how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using the provided Comic Book Analysis sheet, young scholars record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. Then the...
University of Virginia
Uncle Tom's Cabin: Reading the Novel
Teach the importance of context and perspective with a unit focused on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The first lesson considers the role of female characters and readers, including the gender expectations of the time. The...
Curated OER
European Folktales
Students analyze strong female characters infive different European folktales. In this European folktales lesson, students identify the setting and culture described in each folktale to gain understanding of the environment and people...
Curated OER
Women in Shakespeare's Plays
Readers match the name of a female character from a Shakespearean play to the correct play that woman is in. Strong, mostly central female characters are covered.
Curated OER
Convincing Characters
Young scholars create vivid, active characters for a story. In this character lesson, students discuss the characters in books they are familiar with. Young scholars create a list of novels they have read and discuss the character types....
Curated OER
A Closer Look at a Fairy Tale
Students read fairy tales to study the role of male and female characters. In this fairy tales lesson, students discuss the elements of fairy tales. Students discuss morals and lessons in fairy tales. Students use the worksheet 'A Closer...
Prestwick House
The Help
Kathryn Stockett's The Help opened up a rich, vivid world of strong female characters and stark societal injustices. As high schoolers read the novel, they complete a crossword puzzle that includes clues from all chapters of the book.
Curated OER
Story vs. Plot
Students, after reading and discussing the two texts by Flannery O'Connor, "Good Country People" and "Greenleaf," analyze the plot, tone, characters, themes and setting in each story. They write their own short stories dealing with a...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies: Fun Trivia Quiz
Assess your class on Lord of the Flies with this basic comprehension quiz. This online quiz is composed of ten multiple choice and true/false questions about the characters and plot of the novel. Learners receive immediate feedback when...
Curated OER
Bronte and Rhys' Portrayal of Bertha
Students, while reading and discussing the two texts by Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys, compare/contrast the two main characters and juxtapose them as the same character told from two different points of view. They gain insight of how to...
Curated OER
Imaginative Power - Exploring Superheroes
Third graders identify super human powers and their uses found in comic and cartoon characters, identify use of visual elements such as line, shape, and color, and create drawings of an original super character with at least two extra...
Curated OER
Great Women in Mythology
Take a closer look at the women in myths around the world. Some are goddesses, some are mortal. Test your readers with ten multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Curated OER
THE GOOD AND THE BADDE: ARE STEREOTYPES A PERFECT FIT?
Students examine stereotypes of women from The Good and the Badde in juxtaposition with the female characters in The Taming of the Shrew. Through this exercise, students locate evidence from the text of the play to support or refute...
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird
From the setting to the tone of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this PowerPoint provides a great review of the book for the classroom. It outlines key elements, describes important characters, and gives a brief review of the history...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Searching for Women and Identity in Chopin's "The Awakening"
The final lesson plan of a three-part series on Kate Chopin's The Awakening has scholars investigate life as a woman in late nineteenth-century America. They research the role of women in society through the eyes of the characters in the...
Curated OER
Creating a Character Chart for the Secret Garden
The Secret Garden, is a wonderful book to read with your class. After reading, why not employ the lesson plan presented here as a follow up activity? In it, pupils create character charts that portray the tremendous changes that take...
Prestwick House
Wuthering Heights
How many ways can you break down a classic novel? Based on the acclaimed Romantic-period novel by Emily Bronte, the Wuthering Heights activity pack includes a pre-reading exercise. Next, learners create a resume for one of the...
Curated OER
Exploring the Sky: Reading Maria's Comet
Discover the science behind astronomy. After reading the book Maria's Comet, which is about a young woman who breaks new ground by becoming a female astronomer, young learners practice reading comprehension with worksheet questions about...
Institute for Humane Education
Where Are the People like Me?
Are some characteristics more desired than others?Scholars examine attributes of characters in books, models in catalogs, and articles in magazines. Discussion leads to identifying characteristics they see more often as well as...
Curated OER
A Closer Look at a Fairy Tale
In this literature instructional activity, learners will analyze male and female roles in the story, "Little Red Riding Hood." Students will write the messages or lessons the story is trying to teach. Then learners will complete a chart...
Orlando Shakes
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!): Study Guide
What do Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman have in common? They're all characters from beloved holiday movies that viewers revisit in the play Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!). Scholars conduct research...
Curated OER
Fairy Tales
Class groups examine fairy tales from a feminist and a Marxist perspective, identifying how these tales present gender roles and class/power systems. The groups then script and perform their own tale that uses one of these lenses.
Curated OER
Archetypes
Ideal for a college-level children's literature class or in a story-writing unit, this presentation defines not only the archetypal characters in literature but provides ample examples from fairy tales to modern films. The slideshow...
Curated OER
Julius Caesar: Fate Versus Free Will
Tenth graders engage in a study that is about Julius Caesar while reading a play. The role of the main character is examined while looking for motive and tension presented by Shakespeare. They write a summary and critique of the play.