Curated OER
The Perfect Man: Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography
Eleventh graders study the characteristics of an autobiography. They read from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and discuss and write an essay regarding some of his quotes.
Curated OER
Sequencing a Chinese Folktale
Students sequence the events of the popular Chinese folktale "The Terrible Nung Gwama" using a graphic organizer. This lesson plan takes 45-minutes and includes two possible enrichment activities.
Curated OER
Make Way for Ducklings
First graders use skills to collect, organize, and interpret data. They compare and contrast two stories, Make Way for Ducklings and Chibi: A True Story From Japan. Students create a duckling.
Curated OER
The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.
Curated OER
Autobiographical Postage Stamp
Pupils design a postage stamp that communicates to the world who they are, what they hope to be, what they are good at, and factual information. They use, "My Great Aunt Arizona" by Gloria Houston as a model for a biography.
National First Ladies' Library
Pandemics: The Swine Flu of 1918
Students study pandemics through the investigational research of the 1918 swine flu. They apply the information by choosing a current virus and role-playing a member of the Centers of Disease Control (CDC).
Curated OER
Publishing: A Persuasive Essay
Third graders are given an opportunity to create a visual to accompany their presentations of their persuasive essays. They may use the computer or other media as resources.
Curated OER
Electronic Journals about Latin American Folktales
Learners exchange folktales with a key-pal using dialog journal writing. They write out a folktale from their own cultural background and exchange it with students of another. They record their impressions of each other's folktales.
Curated OER
Standing Woman
Students explore a Japanese science fiction story that deals with the dangers of technology, failed attempts at utopia, mind control, and loss of loved ones through the reading of Yasutaka Tsutaka's "Standing Woman."
Curated OER
"The Father of Lavish Advertising": P.T. Barnum
Students examine the life and work of P.T. Barnum. They discover his advertising techniques and business practices. They examine his use of people with disabilities for amusement.
Curated OER
Looking Through Lenses
Students explore the various societal and cultural "lenses" which color their perspectives and life experiences by reading the short story "What Means Switch" by Gish Jen. They discuss how the cultural ideas and beliefs affect the...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Compare/contrast Themes and Genres in Literary Texts
Determining the theme is not easy; you have to use the clues the author leaves to figure it out yourself. The author implies information about the story through plot points, setting, and characters. You infer and draw conclusions based...
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "Two Sides"
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes promoting the love of reading, helping students understand different points of view, different genres in literature, and critical thinking skills....
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Describe Themes in Literary Texts (English 7 Reading)
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson is about themes, the central messages in literature. Whatever their genre might be, writers have some wisdom, some universal truth or insight to share; this...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Discovering Ourselves in Literature and Life
This lesson plan, provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), encourages pupils to evaluate literature in a variety of multimedia formats and answer the question, "Who Am I?," Students are then asked to...
Read Works
Read Works: A Wrinkle in Time 6th Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks Unit engages students in a deep study of Madeleine L'Engle's science fiction work, A Wrinkle in Time. Students will investigate the following topics: the book's theme, the science fiction...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: What's in a Mystery? Exploring and Identifying Mystery Elements
Contains plans for seven lessons that teach students about the plot structure, character, and setting of the mystery genre. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Blending Multiple Genres in Theme Baskets
The theme-basket concept of literature instruction combines several approaches known to work with marginalized readers, students with learning disabilities, and ELLs: 1) a thematic approach to teaching literature, 2) the use of...
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Story, Identity, Unity
Delve into the art of storytelling in this self-guided unit. Multiple topics are covered such as literary genres, the 7 elements of fiction, figurative language, theme, characterization, etc. At the end of the unit, write your own flash...
Other
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature
This is a phenomenal resource. It allows the user to create a reading list of quality children's literature based of choices such as reading level, type of book, genre, ethnicity, gender, etc. In addition, one can determine if a book won...
Other
Personal Site: Travel Literature in the Medieval Period
A nice description of the literary genre known as "travel literature" as it was seen during the Middle Ages in Europe. The author notes that many times, medieval writers would make up exotic creatures to entertain their readers.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Ninth Literature and Composition
This is an introduction to a unit on writing in various genre including Nonfiction, Narrative, Literary Writing, Short Stories, and Poetry. Analysis of "The Odyssey", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Romeo and Juliet". Click on the View links...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Artifacts and Fiction: Workshop in American Literature
This workshop, which is divided into eight segments, teaches how to use primary source artifacts from a variety of genres to support the teaching and learning of specific pieces of literature. The genres include visual arts, political...
Other
Literature Learning Ladders: Literature Based Web Quests
A large compilation of high-quality literature-based WebQuests organized by grade range, K-2, 3-6, middle and high (30-50 quests per range). Most relate to specific books; a few explore general themes or genres, e.g., where authors get...