Activity
Curated OER

The Old Man and the Sea: Guided Imagery

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What do you imagine when you think of the sea? Put on some ocean sounds, close your eyes, and listen to a guided meditation based on the imagery from The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. After class members listen to...
Activity
Novelinks

Tuck Everlasting: Similes, Metaphors, and Personification in Imagery

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Poetic language is abundant in Natalie Babbitt's beautiful novel, Tuck Everlasting. Learners note the examples of similes, metaphors, and personification they find as they read, and illustrate how the language creates a sensory...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Writing for Publication

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders create an original narrative story in a diary or journal format involving a fictional character with conflict, plot, resolution and falling action within the story line. They follow the steps of the writing process with...
Activity
Curated OER

Things Fall Apart: Research, Writing & Presentation Project

For Teachers 9th - 11th
A great resource for your unit on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Small groups conduct research about related topics (list included), write papers, present PowerPoint slide shows, and take a student-created test. Fill in a few...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Diary Writing

For Students 2nd - 4th
As part of their reading of Michael Morpurgo's novel Kensuke's Kingdom, young castaways create diary entries describing their own time left alone on an island.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of the Dust: Narrative Essay

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
To conclude their study of Out of the Dust, the 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, individuals craft a narrative essay based on one of the themes in Karen Hesse's novel.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching "A Week in the Woods"

For Teachers 4th - 7th
The book, A Week in the Woods is the focus of the very interesting language arts lesson plan presented here. After the book has been read, learners engage in study of certain parts of the book in order to gain a better understanding of...
Study Guide
1
1
PBS

To Kill a Mockingbird Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
If you're planning a unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, don't pass this resource by! It includes thorough discussion questions and vocabulary from the novel, research opportunities, and writing prompts to extend learning...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Character Builder

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Characters in a story are more than a name to remember. Use a character builder worksheet to write out a character's appearance, background, personality, attributes, and story relevance, including whether they are a main or minor...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Scholastic

Reading Characters

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass provides the text for a study of how writers bring characters to life. Using the provided character mapping worksheets, readers respond to questions and then write a short character sketch.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Novelettes

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students practice their writing techniques by creating a novelette.  In this creating writing lesson, students brainstorm and decide on a topic they would like to expand upon in order to create their own novelette.  Students...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Good Earth: Multigenre Writing Strategy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In response to reading Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, individuals are asked to complete a multi-genre writing assignment, crafting eight different pieces including a research paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to Chinua Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his or her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Study Guide for Missing May

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Use this comprehensive packet to accompany a study of Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. Starting out with a brief author biography and background information about the novel, this guide includes materials to use throughout the entire novel....
Unit Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Out of the Dust

For Teachers 6th Standards
The Grapes of Wrath may be the most famous novel set during the Dust Bowl, but what other stories cover the same time? The unit focuses on the Karen Hesse novel Out of the Dust. Learners keep a timeline of the Dust Bowl, maintain a...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Hello Universe: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Every neighborhood has its own unique cast of characters, and the crew in the novel Hello Universe is no exception. The characters in Erin Entrada Kelly's novel take center stage in a study guide based on the text....
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Treasure Island: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 9th Standards
Pirates ahoy! Readers go on an adventure using a novel study for Treasure Island as they research and write about a modern-day pirate story. Additionally, scholars practice writing similes and alliteration before answering comprehension...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

An Educators' Guide to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Books can help teens understand complex global issues. A helpful educator's guide introduces readers to what it's like to be a refugee. Lesson components for the novel Shades of Gray include an anticipation guide and writing and...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

The Princess and The Goblin: Novel Study

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Princess and the Goblin's main character, Irene, has a special bond is with her magic great-great-great grandmother that lives in a mysterious part of the castle. Worksheets focused on George MacDonald's novel offer eight vocabulary...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Stella By Starlight: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Who were the Ku Klux Klan, and what role did they play in the United States during the Great Depression? Using the Stella by Starlight novel study, scholars research the organization and answer questions relating to Sharon M. Draper's...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

The Underneath: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Do you have a place that makes you feel safe and secure? Ranger, a hound in The Underneath, finds his new friend, a calico cat, and her safe place—underneath a porch. Scholars complete sentences using vocabulary from the novel as they...
Unit Plan
McGraw Hill

Study Guide for Tuck Everlasting

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is a classic novel that readers have enjoyed for years. Resources within the study guide such as discussion and guided reading questions, extension activities, and graphic organizers aid...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

No Talking: Novel Study

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Many of the world's most inspirational sayings are attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Using the No Talking novel study, pupils research and write about one of his sayings. Additionally, they practice alliteration and write a quintet that...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Third Grade Angels: Novel Study

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
A million things to do, a ton of homework ... hyperbole sure does help get the point across! With the novel study for Jerry Spinelli's Third Grade Angels, scholars practice writing their own exaggerated sentences. Additionally, they...