Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
Curated OER
World Literature: “The Wounded” By Lu Xinhua
“The Wounded,” the title story from a collection of stories about the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1977-78), is the central text in a World Literature unit examining choices. An anticipation guide, discussion topics, vocabulary list,...
Curated OER
Exploring Russian Folktales
Students examine Russian Folktales. In this folklore lesson, students discuss the attributes of common folktales they know and then discover details regarding Russian folktales. Students read 3 folktales and then complete the provided...
Curated OER
"Ivan the Fool" Lesson 1
Students in an ESL class read "Ivan the Fool", a folktale from Russia. In groups, they work with their partner to read the material and discuss what they have read. They write down any vocabulary they are unfamiliar with and write a...
Curated OER
Literature: Watching Anna
Students view the PBS presentation of Leo Tolstoy's, "Anna Karenina." Prior and after each episode, they discuss plot and characterization and in one lesson, use adjectives to describe each of the main characters. Then, students create...
University of Pennsylvania
Decoding Propaganda: J’Accuse…! vs. J’Accuse…!
Reading snail mail is a great way to go back into history and to understand others' points of view. The resource, the second in a five-part unit, covers the Dreyfus Affair. Scholars, working in two different groups, read one letter and...
Penguin Books
Folklore and Fairytales: A Guide to Using Traditional Tales and Reimagined Classics
Every culture has its own stories to tell. An interesting educator's guide shares a large collection of fairytales and folktales, some from different cultures and some re-creations of classics. A summary and brief teaching ideas...
Curated OER
Capturing the Reader With Vivid Images
Learners examine how the author tries to capture the reader's imagination immediately, through imagery--and hold on to it. They locate Ukraine on a world map and understand Lenin's role in the establishment of Russian communism and the...
Curated OER
Nureyev: The Unconquerable Will
Students consider the development of dance across cultures. In this dance genre lesson, students study the history of Russia and the Mongol Tatars. Students research how classical ballet made its way to Russia and create collaborative...
Curated OER
Ivan the Fool Lesson 3
Learners determine that a quest is central to many folk stories. They name stories from their own literary traditions that involve quests and write their own, incorporating a quest. They design a board game that illustrates the czar's...
Curated OER
Capturing the Reader With Vivid Images
Students examine the use of imagery to hold a reader's attention in an excerpt from John Deever's memoir "Mr. John and the Day of Knowledge". They are introduced to background information about the Ukraine and create original imagery.
Peace Corps
Starting Off the Day (and School Year) in Ukraine
Learners compare the first day of school in Ukraine with the first day of school in the United States, including the challenges students and teachers both face in each country. They respond in class, in their journals, to the following...
Curated OER
"Split" Character Studies in Crime and Punishment
Students write an essay evaluating split character traits on major characters in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. In this lesson students are guided through discussion questions, group assignments, and vocabulary work. The lesson...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Jesse's Star Teaching Guide [Pdf]
Jesse's Star, a novel by Ellen Schwartz, is about a young boy who develops an appreciation and understanding of his Russian Jewish heritage. This teacher's guide includes a book summary, teaching ideas and the author's reflections on...
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Students and teachers will enjoy exploring the world of Fyodor Dostoevsky's life and work when they visit this site. This website features links to lesson plans, activities and more.
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Ayn Rand
Discover Ayn Rand's world of writing when you check out the links found within this informative site. This site also provides links to lesson plans and activities for the book "Anthem."
Teachers.net
Teachers.net.: Animal Farm
This site features a complete project guide for George Orwell's book "Animal Farm."
Teachers.net
Teachers.net: Bring Your Character in a Bag Animal Farm
The main objective is for students to be able to interpret a chosen character from the novel Animal Farm. Students will then have an opportunity to represent that character in original symbolic form and present it orally to the class.
Utah State University
Teacher Link: Letters From Rifka
This site features an interdisciplinary lesson plan for the book "Letters from Rifka" by Karen Hesse. Discover how this twelve year old girl's struggle to get to America from Russia.