Students are introduced to the Renaissance by viewing a PowerPoint presentation. In this Renaissance lesson plan, students locate the important countries and cities of the Renaissance. Students compare how it was in England from the rest...

Prepare your seventh through ninth graders for their first Shakespearean experience. This slide show provides a series of vocabulary words in context and a brief history of one of the world's most prolific playwrites, William...

Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.

Students study the Renaissance and the important art from the period. In this Renaissance lesson, students discuss the black plague and religion during the Renaissance. Students read the Renaissance worksheet and learn vocabulary words...

Students compose couplets, quatrains, and sonnets after learning about Italian and English sonnets. In this sonnets lesson plan, students read sonnets, analyze them, connect them to the Renaissance and present times, and then write their...

Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...

Students recognize the characteristics of an extended definition.  In this Renaissance person lesson, students read a collection of short stories.  Students research the definitions of Renaissance and Renaissance person. ...

Students explore several themes relevant to the life of Paul Robeson and the social, artistic, & political realities of the first half of the 20th century, identify and interview heroes in their communities, and publish profiles on...

Students study the Italian Renaissance, its impact, and origin. In this Italian Renaissance lesson, students study the Renaissance via the ancient civilizations and political geography of various countries. Students study the art prior...

Students view a documentary on Thomas Jefferson. Statesman, scientist, architect, president-he was America's dashing Renaissance man. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then write their own version of a biography of Thomas...

The four major trends of the 18th century (The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, British global ambitions, and economic disagreements) are the focus of a PowerPoint that places in context such influences as deism, mercantilism,...

Eleventh graders discover the poetry of Langston Hughes. In this social issues lesson plan, 11th graders experience the views of Langston Hughes. Students read Hughes' poetry and discuss the basic theme. Students evaluate the political,...

Sixth graders investigate the ideas, literature, music, and art of the Romantic Movement. They apply romantic ideals to their original writing and art, analyze poetry, discuss key vocabulary, and analyze artwork from this era.

Pupils investigate the use of the Phoenix in Japanese and Chinese art while making connections to the use of the Phoenix in the book Fahrenheit 451. This activity can be adapted for grades 8 through 11 but was originally for 8th grade...

This lesson focuses on the Harlem Renaissance poet Jean Toomer and his poem "Reapers." It features a short bio, a link to his poem, and lists of leveled questions to help analyze poetry: Surface level, Deeper level, Application level,...

Read the biography of the Jamaican writer Joel Augustus Rogers.

Bio of Shakespeare which discusses the mystery of his life: the authorship of his works and lack of records for him. Other biographical links contained as well as page on his works.

Author Richard Wright is presented in this biography which draws upon his brutal honesty in describing life in the racially segregated south. See "Richard Wright Activities" for related artifacts and activities.

Eudora Welty is identified in this brief biography as one of America's greatest southern writers. See "Eudora Welty Activities" for related artifacts and activities.

Fordham University offers Sir Walter Raleigh's text entitled "The Discovery of Guiana." It is very specific and descriptive.

A murdered king, a homeless ruler, a man who sells his soul to the Devil: discover how Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers represented power and powerlessness.