After searching Google for YouTube videos, pupils will create a Google Search Story. The process of creating these stories will provide practice using narrative elements such as, plot, characters, setting, and conflict. Note: Resource...

Young writers generate descriptive words. They use pictures of various landscapes (from books, magazines, or the Internet) and complete a story pyramid. The pyramid (included here) asks to describe the main character, the setting, and...

Fourth and fifth graders make predictions using data. In this analyzing data lesson, pupils use experimental data, frequency tables, and line plots to look for patterns in the data in order to determine chance. You will need to make a...

Kate Chopin's short story, "The Story of an Hour" and John H. Young's "Our Deportment, or the Manners, Conduct, and Dress of Refined Society" offer high school juniors an opportunity to compare the role of women in the 19th century with...

Continue working through Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, by looking into language choices and discussing text-dependent questions. Pupils converse in small groups and as a class about plot, setting, and figurative language. Using...

Introduce young writers to the process of writing a book. Start by reading a book of your choice and discussing the essential elements of any book such as the cover, story, and illustrations as well as who is responsible for each...

Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...

Fourth graders see how the setting affects the plot. In this setting lesson, 4th graders listen to The Three Brothers : A German Folktale by Carolyn Croll and see how the setting affects the outcome of the story. They read a new...

Students practice the story element of setting. In this setting lesson plan, students listen to the story Tulip Sees America by Cynthia Rylant. They discuss and describe the places that Tulip saw in the story.  

In this plot structure graphic organizer worksheet, young scholars record the plot structure of a story. They record the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution.

In this plot summary worksheet, students are given several prompts to assist in developing a summary of the first chapter of The Outsiders.

Sixth graders identify plot conflicts and how they are resolved. In this plot conflict lesson, 6th graders read the book A Wrinkle in Time written by Madeleine L'Engle and identify the conflicts. There are 4 different conflicts to choose...

In this literary elements worksheet, learners read selected short stories and then respond to 5 short answer questions based on the stories.

How does setting affect a story? Designed for story writers, this presentation encourages the viewer to consider the functions of the setting and how the characters can help build the setting. Show this PowerPoint and then give your...

A creative spin occurs when one pupil acts as author Ann M. Martin. Using a Q & A at the back of her book A Dog's Life, other classmates ask the "author" questions. They discuss the reasons why they know the book is from a...

A comprehensive and immersive series of lessons that examines various aspects of story development leads learners into writing a narrative of their own. Writers develop an understanding of the writing process as they use the learning...

Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...

This literary terms handout defines introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

Seventh graders view a PowerPoint presentation about short story elements. They complete a plot diagram using a previously read short story. Students brainstorm events in the story. They discuss the difference between major and less...

How random is random? Demonstrate the different random sampling methods using a hands-on activity. Pupils use various sampling techniques to choose a random sample of elements from the periodic table. They use the different samples to...

Encourage your learners to examine the setting in Theodore Taylor's The Cay. Pupils work in small groups to put together a description of the setting before reading two more chapters of the book. They use their double-entry journals to...

The world may indeed be a stage, and players certainly need to know drama vocabulary. This list of 16 terms (and their definitions) often found in scripts will prompt actors to perform their role.

West Side Story, the modern retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, won ten Academy Awards for its rousing depiction of the tale of star-crossed lovers. But how closely does the plot align to its source material? Compare and...