Students explain the differences between protagonists and antagonists and recognize the fundamental purpose of an antagonist or villain in storytelling. They also explain conflict as used in literature.

Students compare what they learned though literature to the school forest. In this environment lesson, students visit the forest surrounding their school to listen to literature and identify objects in nature.  Students create a...

Learners explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...

Students read "The Winter's Tale" in Foole Upon Foole to determine the qualities the author used for a fool. Students role play the character to determine how volume affects the way a character is perceived. Students determine the...

Students simulate an agriculture project. In this sequencing instructional activity, students observe their classroom pumpkin patch, make journal entries, and predict how the pumpkins will grow. They discuss as a class how to keep their...

Learners examine quotes and text passages related to the Holocaust. They generate a list of questions about the Holocaust and analyze a piece of writing based on the authorship of the work. They infer the meaning of a poem and determine...

Students demonstrate responsible consumer choices. In this social studies lesson, students read The Lorax and discuss wants and needs. Students discuss how to save natural resources by making informed consumer choices.

Students use stream trays covered in different types of rocks or soil to investigate infiltrates and runoff. In this water pollution lesson, students work in groups with stream trays that have different substrates. They write a paragraph...

In this literature learning exercise, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about Richter's A Light in the Forest. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Covers basic plot points from Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet. The simplistic nature of this quiz may make it useful as a check for understanding or completion of reading. Moreover, the online and interactive nature of this...

Fifty eye-catching pages contain six lessons about Roald Dahl's novel, Matilda. Each lesson has a theme and covers a different subject—literacy, social-emotional learning, science, and geography. Scholars analyze characters, examine...

Students read texts, view film and video and conduct research in an analysis and comparison of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Kabuki piece "Chushingura". They focus their analysis on the theme of revenge.

Have learners choose activities to complete based on the books by Laura Joffe Numeroff. They are introduced to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the other books in this series through prereading activities. They then construct a portfolio...

How does a society influence and shape individuals? Class members ponder this essential question as they read Lord of the Flies, as well as primary source materials about the historical background of the novel. As a...

Here is an activity used originally to finish off a unit on country life and nature. It requires learners to have a basic understanding of harvest, rural life, and autumn. They'll use what they know to construct dance movements showing...

Help develop an awareness of the natural and manufactured environment and relate the subject matter to young learners' lives. The interpretation of the meaning of art is reinforced and its application to self and other audiences is...

Students create an art project to be made into a laminated placemat to use during a classroom Thanksgiving feast. The lesson involves choosing at least three cutouts of elements of nature to glue onto a background page, drawing one...

Eighth graders are introduced to authors in the conservation community. As a class, they describe a personal experience they have had with nature. They identify examples of an author's descriptive writing techniques and answer questions...

Students discuss the differences between a storybook and an information book. Students use various materials found in nature to make a nature collage. Students make a nature dictionary using pictures and their own definitions from the...

Learners read a Natural Inquirer article and present the findings and implications to the class. They discuss if the findings match the implications and whether they think they are important.

Third graders explore the sources of the various foods they eat. They examine how everyone is intricately connected to the ecosystems in which natural resources are produced. Students observe how the lives of people living in those...

Students investigate the history of America with the help of children's literature. The story is structured as a timeline that begins at the time of Columbus and progresses to the present. The teacher reads the story with the class and...

Young scholars write about a time when they were in a situation where nature frightened them. They write about how Brian solved the problem of how to start a fire in the story. Students complete a short research paper on one of the...