Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

The Sisters Grimm: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Author Michael Buckley's novel The Sisters Grimm features two fairy-tale sleuths who are tasked with stopping a giant from destroying their town. Using the novel study, individuals acquire new vocabulary and answer...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Sounder: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Only one character receives a name in William H. Armstrong's novel, Sounder—the dog! With the novel study, scholars explore the author's purpose in the unusual decision. They also write similes, answer comprehension and analysis...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

James and the Giant Peach: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Everyone wants to feel like they belong. James, in James and the Giant Peach, finds a feeling of belonging in a very odd place—inside a peach! Scholars read the story of James and the Peach and work through vocabulary, language, and...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

How To Train Your Dragon: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Heroes appear in unexpected places. This is true about Hiccup, a character in How to Train Your Dragon. Scholars use a novel study to learn how a useless and weak dragon reveals his brilliance. The resource includes 10 new vocabulary...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Old Wolf: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Do wolves ever attack humans? An informative novel study for Old Wolf helps pupils conduct research to answer the question. They also decode anagrams, learn about onomatopoeia, and write quatrain poems about themes from the novel. 
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Stuart Little: Novel Study

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Author E.B. White once had a dream about a small boy who acted like a rat, and that is how he conceived of his classic children's novel, Stuart Little. Using the novel study, scholars answer some questions based on their reading....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Old Man and the Sea: Anticipation Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Begin your unit on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea with an anticipation guide. As kids read 12 statements that relate to the novel's themes, they decide whether each is true or false in their own opinion.
Handout
Curated OER

The Metamorphosis: Concept/Vocabulary Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Historically, Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis has been difficult for many readers to grasp. From the difficult translation issues to the complex plot and themes, the novel's message and story can be lost when learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Outsiders: The K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What does your class know about the 1960s? Introduce your unit on S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders with a K-W-H-L chart, which encourages kids to list what they already know about the time period, what they would like to know, how they...
Lesson Plan
Brigham Young University

HOOT Directed Reading Thinking Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's helpful to encourage kids to make predictions when beginning a reading unit. Before reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, have kids read Susan Barlow Broggi's Am I Grown Up When I'm Not Afraid of Spiders in My Shoes? to make...
Handout
Curated OER

The Old Man and the Sea: Concept Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Use a helpful concept analysis guide when planning your unit on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The resource covers plot elements, literary themes, and possible issues to address in order to make the work accessible...
Worksheet
Prestwick House

A Christmas Carol

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol may begin with the reminder of Marley's death, but it doesn't have to end with the last page of the book. Extend the reading into a crossword puzzle that includes clues about Jacob's accessories,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban: KWHL Strategy

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
J.K. Rowling's world of wizards and magic focuses on some topics that relate to our own society, especially in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Have kids complete a KWHL chart (what they know, what they want to know, how...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Tempest: QAR

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Asking questions about a text is an effective way to improve reading comprehension. Apply the Question Answer Response strategy to your unit on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. As kids read each passage, they decide if the answer...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Giver: Vocabulary Bingo!

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Bingo! Combine the thrill of bingo with Lois Lowry's The Giver in a fun vocabulary lesson. Kids write selected vocabulary words from the novel onto a bingo chart, and then listen for the correct definitions in order to mark off...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Newspaper

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Get the scoop with a fun, engaging newspaper project. After analyzing the parts of a newspaper, including the headline, subtitles, and pictures or images, young journalists get to work by writing their own stories in a newspaper article...
Unit Plan
ReadWriteThink

Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's time to party like it's 1899! Incorporate a research-based celebration of the Victorian Era into your unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After learners read the novella or view a production of the play, they craft a...
Unit Plan
Tell City Schools

The Cay

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Support your instruction of The Cay by Theodore Taylor with this extensive unit of materials. Provided here are prereading activities, worksheets and discussion questions for the entire book, and reading quizzes that you can use to check...
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s “1984” Commercial

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Known as one of the most iconic advertisements of the 20th century, Macintosh's "1984" commercial has become more of a social statement. Present the ad to a new audience of viewers with a lesson plan focused on identifying dystopian...
Lesson Plan
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MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Unit Plan
University of British Columbia

The Outsiders: Identity, the Individual, and the Group

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders is the anchor text in a unit that asks readers to reflect on their own identity, their place in their family, in groups with which they identify, and in school. 
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Fear, and Conquering Fear

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
The Lord of the Flies and The Kite Runner are the core texts in a unit that asks learners to examine various texts that show how fear can be a destructive force or it can be an agent of change. Individuals they design a project that...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Gone Crazy in Alabama: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Life isn't always sweet in Alabama. A study guide for the novel Gone Crazy in Alabama introduces readers to life in the rural South and explores one character's experiences there. In addition to answering basic reading comprehension...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

A Single Shard: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Fulfilling a dream requires a lot of hard work. A study guide for the novel A Single Shard shares the dream of a young Korean orphan. As readers work through the guide, they answer comprehension questions about Tree-ear and the...