EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 2: Unit 1, Lesson 12
What happens when a tenuous grasp on sanity begins to slip? Compare Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Emily Dickinson's "I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain" with a lesson plan focused on developing a common central idea. High...
EngageNY
Launching the Performance Task: Thematic Statement and Narrative Prompt
Scholars think about what message Laura Hillenbrand tries to convey to readers in Unbroken. They begin by sharing their thoughts as thematic statements. After sharing, learners work on explaining their ideas in an Unbroken Thematic...
Curated OER
Underground Railroad/Quilts
Students explore the Underground Railroad communication system. In this cross curriculum fine arts and United States history Civil War instructional activity, students view several websites that feature quilts constructed by slaves...
EngageNY
Introducing a Thematic Concept in This Unit: The “Invisibility” of Captives during WWII (pages 170-181)
Scholars discuss the phrase identity is erased and how it relates to the theme of invisibility. They use their Understanding Invisibility note catcher to identify how invisibility may occur within a person. They then work on a Gathering...
EngageNY
Analyzing a Thematic Concept: The Invisibility of Captives during WWII (Pages 182-188)
Readers complete a word web-based on the word dignity. They use their Understanding Invisibility note catcher to discuss how dignity relates to the theme of invisibility. After group discussion comparing invisibility and loss of dignity,...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Before and After a Moment in Time
Think about a moment, frozen in time. Now take a critical look at the painting, Better, Homes, Better Gardens. This painting works to provide learners the opportunity to analyze art, critique artist's choices, and write a story inspired...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream
America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches by...
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed Theme Unit: Day 3
Young scholars participate in a variety of activities surrounding a thematic unit on apples and Johnny Appleseed.
Curated OER
From Claws to Jaws: Atlantic Regions of the United States
Students explore New England, Mid-Atlantic, and southeastern regions of the United States. In this social studies thematic unit, students research a state and make a regional quilt. Students wrte a book report and read two novels whose...
EngageNY
Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Becoming Visible Again, Part 2 (354–380)
Scholars take a close look at the life of Louie in Unbroken. They discuss events considered turning points in their life and use several graphic organizers and guides to help direct their thinking. After thinking about their responses,...
EngageNY
Analyzing a Thematic Concept: Becoming Visible after Captivity
Have some dignity. Readers describe the word dignity using a word web and then sort Louie's actions into categories of reconnecting or dignity with a Visibility Double Arrow graphic organizer. They then use all of their ideas and...
EngageNY
Introducing a Thematic Concept: Becoming Visible Again after Captivity
Share your thoughts. Scholars use Think-Pair-Share to answer questions related to Louie in Unbroken. The class completes the Becoming Visible Again anchor chart to understand the text's theme better. They write an example of Louie...
Indiana University
Asian Literature: “The View in Spring” by Du Fu
Over the course of the lesson, your pupils read and analyze a translated eight-line poem from the Tang Dynasty written by Du Fu, a poet caught behind enemy lines during the An Lu-Shan rebellion (755-763). Literary/historical context is...
Curated OER
Nutrition: A Thematic Unit
Young learners explore nutrition and the food groups in these two mini-lesson plan ideas. First, kindergarteners have a discussion about their health and how different foods contribute to it before making their own personal food pyramid....
Novelinks
Zach’s Lie: Anticipation Guide
The class explores the truths and lies regarding Zach's Lie through a well-written anticipation guide. First in a series of seven resources, the guide addresses themes within the text. The class collaboratively discusses their feelings...
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed Theme Unit: Day 2
Students participate in a variety of activities surrounding a thematic unit on apples and Johnny Appleseed.
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed Theme Unit: Day 1
Students participate in a variety of activities surrounding a thematic unit on apples and Johnny Appleseed.
Curated OER
A Plague on Both Your Houses: a Romantic Guide To Transgression
What are the roles within your family, culture and society as well as the personal and societal consequences of transgressing them? To explore this question, class members look at long-held traditions, examples in literature (Romeo and...
Curated OER
World Literature: “The Wounded” By Lu Xinhua
“The Wounded,” the title story from a collection of stories about the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1977-78), is the central text in a World Literature unit examining choices. An anticipation guide, discussion topics, vocabulary list,...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Linked Text Set (Pre-Reading)
Before you begin your unit on William Shakespeare's The Tempest, introduce the themes of the play with a lesson based on the biblical story of Joseph. Taking your high schoolers through selected text from Genesis 17-44, the lesson...
Curated OER
Folk Tales Thematic Unit
Second graders read different folk tales and discuss them. They are given a template of a letter and they are to write a friendly letter. Special education students are paired with advanced students to help them.
Curated OER
Weaving Technology into Thematic Units
Eighth graders are taught to give an understanding of an author's time period and life.
Teachers support the writing process and research techniques with technology and research books. Alternative assessment is used for evaluation.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons: Literacy
Readers decode and deconstruct political cartoons to heighten critical thinking, extra-textual literacy, and making meaning from symbolism and metaphor. A compatible activity to use in English class when your 8th or 11th graders are...