Curated OER
"The Possibility of Evil" Vocabulary
Read Shirley Jackson's "The Possibility of Evil" and complete this word study. You may choose to introduce these seven words before reading the text to front-load the new words. Words include indulgently, rapt, unchecked, degraded,...
Media Literacy
Good Versus Evil: Exploring Popular Children's Animation
Dora, Buzz Lightyear, Mufasa. Swiper, Dr. Porkchop, Scar. The six lessons in this unit packet focus on how good and evil, and violence, are portrayed in children's animation. The lessons encourage kids to consider how violence is...
Curated OER
Literary Analysis of Theme
Remember reading "The Lottery" and "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson? Learners can experience and analyze the tension, themes, and human experience found in these pieces through reading and class discussion. They use...
Education World
Human Nature- Good or Evil?
Students explore the philosophical nature of good vs. evil. In this literacy/philosophy instructional activity, students read and discuss media articles that illustrate human nature as inherently "good" or "evil." Students practice...
Great Books Foundation
State of Affairs
Good verses evil. Scholars make inferences after taking a close look at the short story, State of Affairs, in which Daniel Defoe goes back and forth comparing good and evil thoughts through his writing. After reading the text, there are...
Curated OER
New World, Old Evils: Latin America and the Holocaust
Young scholars examine how Latin America was affected by the Holocaust in Europe. In groups, they research topics related to Latin America and World War II. They interview survivors if possible and discover how entire nations were...
Novelinks
The Dark Is Rising: Problematic Situation Strategy
What items would you need to save the world from an evil wizard? Prior to reading Susan Cooper's young adult contemporary fantasy The Dark is Rising, and to generate interest in the tale, class groups must reach consensus on a list of...
Curated OER
Where No Student Has Gone Before
Young scholars create a story about an unknown planet invaded by humans as a pre-reading activity for the novel, A Wrinkle In Time. They discuss good versus evil, and identify examples of the theme good vs. evil in books, film, and their...
Novelinks
Oedipus the King: Anticipation Guide
Is it possible to escape fate? Are all types of pride evil? Are family secrets best kept secret? Before reading Oedipus the King, class members respond to a series of statements on an anticipation guide that introduces some of the basic...
Curated OER
SPEAK NO EVIL
Pupils explore different means of communication by looking at magazines, newspapers, formal and informal language.
Curated OER
Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit
Learners examine the possible advantages of mortality over immortality. They explain how or why change can be a powerful and positive force and that sometimes the beauty of a country, or of a culture, is not always obvious to the people...
Curated OER
Pronouns
Students play a game. In this pronouns instructional activity, students watch a video and read a book about pronouns. Students review types of pronouns, fill in missing pronouns in sentences, read a newspaper article and find as many...
Writing Educators Symposium
Asking the Right Questions
It can be difficult to find the theme of a book or story if you don't know the questions to ask. Teach your kids to discern the universal theme in works of literature with a set of activities that promote critical thinking and active...
Curated OER
Enter the Evil Stepmother
High schoolers realize that what the characters say may be very different from what they are thinking. They analyze a script that deals with intrigue, lies and manipulation. Students comprehend the different performance choices inherent...
Read Theory
Analogies 3 (Level 7)
Master word analogies with a straightforward exercise. Pupils match word pairs to one another based on the relationships represented in each pair. The activity provides bridge sentences that learners fill out as they determine the...
Prestwick House
Introducing Literary Theory – A Unit Wrap-Up
Literary theories are lenses through which a text may be analyzed. The question in this lesson plan is how a particular literary lens can influence the reader's view of the text.
Curated OER
Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit
Read your class a folk tale from Romania then discuss it. As they listen they discover how the author sets the mood using English conventions such as foreshadowing, magical elements, and they look for descriptive language while looking...
Curated OER
Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit
Students explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. In this literature and cultural lesson, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Students identify the ways the...
Curated OER
"A Sound of Thunder" Vocabulary in Context
Ray Bradbury does it again, providing a story full of symbolism and interest. After your class reads "A Sound of Thunder" and studies the difficult vocabulary, quiz them with this sheet. Example words include aurora, expendable, and...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Semantic Feature Analysis
Racist, independent, conflicted? Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn brainstorm words that describe the traits of characters in Twain’s novel and then rate these qualities in several of their favorite characters. Individuals...
Curated OER
George Lucas and the Power of Myth
Students examine the contributions of George Lucas to society. They analyze the concept of a hero, conduct Internet research on the life of George Lucas, develop a Hero Attribute Chart, and create an artistic rendering representing the...
Curated OER
Let's Be Friends -- North Korea
In this English worksheet, students discuss North Korea. Students brainstorm, debate, and practice their listening skills with this worksheet.
Curated OER
Doctor Faustus - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 16 short answer and essay questions about Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
"Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters"
Fifth graders read and analyze the books "Snow White in New York" and "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughter." They analyze the characteristics of the characters in each story, write thoughts of characters in speech bubbles, and write a letter to...