Middle schoolers analyze the origins of jazz music by examining work songs, spirituals, blues, and gospel songs as well as works of poetry from African American artists. They create their own poems from either the narrative, dramatic,...

Students use the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" to identify and analyze drama vocabulary, literary terms and elements of fiction. They write an original version of scenes from the play and develop a character analysis for the lead.

Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...

Students investigate soliloquies. In this performing arts lesson plan, students discuss figurative language within soliloquies and then perform a soliloquy to the rest of the class.

Students explore rhythmic movements. In this performing arts lesson, students create their own movements and then repeat the each others movement. Finally, students create movements to the Haiku generated by the entire class.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Idylls of the King. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Students examine the issues of action versus apathy as related to life pressures, values, consequences and career decisions. They read poetry, short stories and plays and respond to issues personally, critically and creatively.

Ninth graders publish a magazine during a ten week marking period. They make individual contributions to the group project that is based on career choices. They write and publish articles, poems, entertainment pieces, and a play that...

Students identify and name at least six different kinds of transportion, sort and classify different kinds of transport according to similar and/or different characteristics and identify the purpose of different types of transportion.

Students compare and contrast the landscape works of Thomas Cole and Vincent Van Gogh. In this landscapes lesson, students understand vocabulary related to artworks. Students compare and contrast the artists work through a Venn diagram....

Examine the work of contemporary authors who use their writing to express opinions about the struggle against prejudice and oppression in our society. A short lesson on the Harlem Renaissance introduces learners to the most prominent...

Learners examine how how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so. They describe how workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they...

Third graders explore the importance of art in Haitian culture by analyzing the cause and effect within the story, "Allie's Basketball Dream." They examine all the aspects of the story and characters including their goals, dreams,...

Students research alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs using cd-roms, Internet websites, and media center materials. In small groups they write a script and create a computer animated movie using the "Hollywood High" computer software.

What is an analytical essay? Introduce this type of thinking to your young writers. First, discuss what it means to analyze something. Then, identify the different components of an essay and what details are embedded in each component....

Eighth grades can master the ELA Common Core standards! Show your learners the connection between classroom activities and assignments and the standards with this set of "I Can" statement posters. Each standard has been rewritten as an...

Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? That is where Widge, a character of The Shakespeare Stealer, finds himself. Readers find out how Widge handles his situation by answering comprehension questions, completing...

Help your seventh graders relate the ELA Common Core standards to their own learning with these "I Can" statement posters. Each standard has been translated into a statement that pupils can understand and placed on its own page for...

Students discuss the rhyming pattern of various types of poetry. With a focus on limericks, they follow the specific rhyme scheme and create a limerick about Newton. They share their poem with the class and write another one related to...

Tenth graders read and analyze the poem, "The Street," by Hispanic author, Octavio Paz. They research the life of Octavio Paz and identify his literary contributions. They complete an online scavenger hunt and create an author map of...

Students participate in a lesson that covers the genre of narrative poetry. They examine the elements of a narrative poem while focusing upon the characterization. Students compare and contrast the characters while analyzing their...

Students examine four paintings by Robert Harris and identify the season portrayed. Using the characteristics for each season, they write a poem and create a drawing of their own. In groups, they describe the different types of...

Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. In this dramatic performances instructional activity, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.

Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.