Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The field mouse, also known as the meadow vole, is most active at night, so hide the cheese! Scholars research these interesting rodents and record three fascinating facts using the novel study for Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. They...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

One-Eyed Cat: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The Great Depression was a devastating period in American history that lasted for an entire decade. Using an enlightening novel study, scholars uncover additional facts about the era. They also write quatrain poems focusing on themes...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

There's a Boy In The Girls' Bathroom: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
People travel to Washington, DC from all over the world to take a tour of the White House or catch a glimpse of the Washington Monument. Using the novel study for There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar, scholars research an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shange's Novel Betsey Brown & Jazz

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read a work of fiction and investigate literary values and structure of the work. They demonstrate understanding of the family values, cultural and historical context of the novel;
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphic Novel/Comics with Josh Elder

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students read about graphic novels and complete related activities. In this graphic novels lesson, students read about the genre and author Josh Elder. Students complete novel analysis activities for the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

Core Curriculum Lesson Plans for The Lions of Little Rock

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Schools in the 1950s and 60s looked very different from the schools we know today. An educator's guide explores the civil rights movement and, specifically, the process of integrating schools. Questions cover key themes in the novel and...
Activity
Prestwick House

Wuthering Heights

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How many ways can you break down a classic novel? Based on the acclaimed Romantic-period novel by Emily Bronte, the Wuthering Heights activity pack includes a pre-reading exercise. Next, learners create a resume for one of the...
Lesson Plan
Captioned Media

Creating Dramatic Monologues from The Grapes of Wrath

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Set in Oklahoma in the 1930s, The Grapes of Wrath presents a powerful view of life during the Great Depression. An insightful lesson plan takes a closer look at the characters in John Steinbeck's classic novel, combining the...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter: Anticipation Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Get readers thinking about issues raised by Chapter 5 of Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter with an anticipation guide. Individuals decide whether they agree or disagree with a series of statements and discuss their...
Activity
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The Hobbit

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
From dragons to dwarves, from riddles to rings, the great adventure story of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has captivated generations of readers of all ages. An educator's guide explores the novel's literary elements,...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Change the Point of View: Third Person to First Person

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Use Jack London's The Call of the Wild to help young writers learn the difference between first and third person points of view. After they read a passage from the novel, they rewrite it in the first person point of view.
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Point of View: Who Is Telling the Story?

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
See how famous books of literature have different perspectives with a short worksheet. After reviewing the difference between first and third person points of view, learners look over six passages from various novels and decide...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Jo’s Boys

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Louisa May Alcott's third novel about Josephine March, spunky-sister-turned-successful-writer, is the focus of a reading comprehension activity. As class members read an excerpt from the third chapter of Jo's Boys, they answer four...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

The Hobbit: Novel Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
All it takes is a little adventure to interrupt a quiet, simple life. A study guide for The Hobbit explores the adventures that disrupt Bilbo Baggins' quiet life. Questions discuss key events found within J.R.R....
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A primary source set of photographs, videos, newspaper articles, and FBI reports provides insight into race relations during the 1960s, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, and the murder of Emmitt Till. Designed to be used to...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Devil’s Arithmetic: Concept Analysis

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
A helpful guide to Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic for your literature unit. Use the sections on point-of-view, dramatic irony, and background knowledge, among others, to frame your lessons in an engaging and educational way.
Unit Plan
National Library of Medicine

Electricity, Frankenstein, and the Spark of Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regarding the Fountain: Questioning Strategy—Cubing

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Look deeper into the text with a reading strategy based on asking critical thinking questions. While reading Reading the Fountain by Kate Klise, learners think of questions that help them describe, compare, associate, analyze,...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their eyes Were Watching God has been highly praised and severely criticized for its depiction of African American folk culture. A set of primary source materials, including photographs, articles, essays, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comprehension

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study comprehension. In this writing lesson, 5th graders remember what they read and write an introduction for a character from a novel just read including a good description of that character.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voices of Tragedy and Horror: Remembering the Holocaust

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider the implications of the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read the graphic novel Maus at the end of a unit on World War II. Students discuss the impact of reading about the Holocaust as well as theme of...
Lesson Plan
University of California

Artificially Selecting Dogs

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Selective breeding has resulted in some novel and beautiful or useful dogs over the years. Using the American Foxhound as an example, genetics learners find out how and why they came about. Then, in small groups, they select breeds to...
Writing
Curated OER

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Packet

For Students 9th - 12th
Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are directed to complete two projects as a part of their study of Mark Twain’s novel.  Individuals craft an organized notebook containing all their work during the study, and they...
Worksheet
Pearson

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Activity Worksheets

For Students 9th - 12th
Designed to accompany a reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this packet includes before, during, and after reading activities. Individuals respond to questions about events in the story, match characters with quotes, and draft...