Introduce language learners to William Shakespeare's Hamlet with an interactive that presents a short, animated version of key scenes from the tragedy. Also included is a game where pupils match the image of a character with their name,...

Follow Alice as she travels through Wonderland with a set of lessons based on the first chapter of the book. Learners discuss key moments and ideas from chapter 1 before answering a series of comprehension questions about what they have...

Is Phoebe a good friend to Sal or not? After reading chapters twenty-five and twenty-six of Walk Two Moons, class members use the provided graphic organizer to develop an argumentative piece. Writers must decide if the two...

Looking to set up literature circles in your class? Use these materials to support pupils when they meet in groups. Pupils take on various roles over the course of reading and meet with their groups to share the work they have done on...

Create a picture dictionary for one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. After readers finish The Tempest, they assign each letter of the alphabet to a concept or character, and add a description and evidence from...

Discussion doesn't always need to be spoken. Before you begin The Tempest by William Shakespeare, have kids connect their ideas and experiences to central questions of the play with a silent discussion activity. Once they have...

Encourage narrative writing with a clever exercise. Class members watch episodes from movies and describe what happened to a character, including details about the setting, plot, and characters. Writers then craft a narrative about a...

Imagine a project that informs and entertains. Replace book reports with a bulletin board that highlights all the important elements of a novel. Readers research the author, create a timeline of events in the story, write a...

Anansi is a tricky character, but can he realize he's wrong and write an apology letter? Learners use Anansi and the Pot of Beans to practice writing, art, and figurative language. A series of activities are engaging for both...

Use a worksheet about Officer Buckle and Gloria to show learners how listeners feel about each character. Though the resource itself only includes a summary of the story, the worksheet would be a good addition to a lesson about the...

Cinderella is a classic love story when Cinderella is the protagonist—but what happens if a stepsister tells the story? Focus on point of view with a instructional activity about fairy tales and story elements. After reading a few...

A good prompt is hard to find, especially ones that encourage application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of a text. Help is here in the form of a prompt list for George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four that offers essay topics that...

Students identify those freedoms most important to them and identify characteristics of a "good" rule. They then develop "good" rules for the world and identify how decisions or rules made today might affect the future.

How would you feel if you were on trial for murder—and you were only 16 years old? Put yourself in Steve Harmon's shoes before reading Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Kids listen to music that fits the theme of the book before...

Students analyze and define the word perseverance as it applies to Martin Luther King, Jr. In this Martin Luther King, Jr. lesson, students discuss the book 'I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King.' Students analyze the meaning...

Students create a bookmark with reminders of simple acts of kindness. For this character education lesson, students participate in a mini-lesson that serves as a great introduction to a service project. Students first brainstorm ways to...

Students discuss what respect means. In this character education lesson, students read the book Cynthia Ann Parker and discuss the philanthropic acts in the book. Students answer questions about the text on the provided worksheet.

Paul Langan's novel The Bully is the core text in a six-session unit plan that engages high schoolers in an in-depth examination of bullying and its effects on bullies, victims, and bystanders. The richly textured and carefully...

The world is a stage, and so is your classroom! Hone the skills of the next generation of Tony® award winners with a set of exercises, reference pages, writing prompts, and excerpts from famous plays.

Rudyard Kipling's advice to his son in the poem "If" is a resounding message that echoes through generations. After reading the famous poem, middle schoolers work on analyzing specific lines, completing activities based on...

Students explore, explain and experience the importance of good character traits in everyday life by assessing the challenging journeys traveled on the Oregon Trail. They study the daily accounts of perseverance and courage along the trail.

Learners discuss whether honesty really is the best policy with a lesson on "The Empty Pot," a Chinese fable about integrity. After reading the story, class members answer several comprehension and reflection questions about what...

Students practice conversation skills while also focusing on improving their command of refined character description. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan that has them select adjectives that describe their best friend.

A lesson showcases the character trait of integrity. Scholars define the term, discuss how having integrity means being trustworthy, that one can choose to have integrity, and the significance of looking at situations from other...