Curated OER
The Old Man and the Sea: Anticipation Guide
Begin your unit on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea with an anticipation guide. As kids read 12 statements that relate to the novel's themes, they decide whether each is true or false in their own opinion.
K12 Reader
Customs and Traditions
Here's a two-part reading comprehension worksheet that asks kids to read a short passage about the customs and traditions of Native American tribes and then to answer a series of questions based on the article.
English Worksheets Land
Animals and Earthquakes
Can animals sense an earthquake before the ground starts to shake? Read two short passages that feature stories about animals that acted strangely just before an earthquake. Learners then answer a few reading comprehension questions...
English Worksheets Land
Party!
What could be more fun than two birthday parties in one day? Compare and contrast two parties with a short reading passage and a graphic organizer that focuses on character, setting, and events from the story.
Penguin Books
Wonder in the Classroom
Would you rather be right, or would you rather be kind? A novel unit based on R.J. Palacio's Wonder focuses on the need to be kind to others and to accept their differences. As learners read the book, they discuss the themes of...
K12 Reader
Jo’s Boys
Louisa May Alcott's third novel about Josephine March, spunky-sister-turned-successful-writer, is the focus of a reading comprehension activity. As class members read an excerpt from the third chapter of Jo's Boys, they answer four...
Prestwick House
The Metamorphosis
No matter how your day is going, it probably hasn't started out as badly as Gregor Samsa's day. Explore the essentially—and definitively—Kafkaesque story of a man-turned-vermin with a short and straightforward crossword puzzle on...
Novelinks
Zach’s Lie: Anticipation Guide
The class explores the truths and lies regarding Zach's Lie through a well-written anticipation guide. First in a series of seven resources, the guide addresses themes within the text. The class collaboratively discusses their...
Macmillan Education
Happy 40th Birthday Brown Bear
What do you see? Wish a happy birthday to Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The lesson includes six extension activities for the books and its companion stories, including a maze and...
English Worksheets Land
Charlotte and Cherie
Could you imagine running into a stranger who looked exactly like you? Class members read about identical twins who were separated at birth, and answer three reading comprehension questions to practice comparing and contrasting...
Scholastic
Abe Lincoln Remembers Lesson Plan
Discover the life of Abraham Lincoln with help from the story Abe Lincoln Remembers by Ann Turner. After listening carefully, scholars reflect on what they deem as Lincoln's most influential life event and how it relates...
K12 Reader
Little Women: Helping Father
Jo's decision to sell her hair to bringing her wounded father home is a pivotal and poignant scene from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Class members read the excerpt and answer four questions about the details, vocabulary, and plot...
Teach-nology
The Terrific Taxi
What would you wish for if you were granted one wish? Kids read a story about a taxi that bestows wishes upon its passengers in a short cloze activity. They use ten words at the bottom of the page to fill in the blanks throughout the...
English Worksheets Land
Compare and Contrast
Even though two passages discuss the same topic, they contain different facts and details. Scholars analyze two reading passages about the Gettysburg Address and list the ways they are the same and different.
Wasatch County School District
Context Clues
Using context clues is an effective way to define unfamiliar words. Encourage elementary learners to look at the sentences around the word in question, with a short informative slideshow presentation.
Great Books Foundation
The Road Not Taken
Every time you make a choice, it prevents another option from taking shape. Spend some time analyzing "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost with a reading activity that includes four discussion questions that recall evidence from the text.
Curated OER
Literature and Art Through Our Eyes: African-American Artists
Examine the contributions of African-Americans in the worlds of art and literature. Over the course of a few days, young scholars will read and analyze a poem, a short story, and a piece of art. They complete a range of...
K20 LEARN
Writing An Argumentative Paragraph: Argumentative Writing
Learning how to craft a cogent argument based on a solid claim, supported with evidence and solid reasoning, is an important life skill. Teach middle schoolers about argumentative writing with a lesson asking them to analyze the claims,...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment, Part 1: Text-Dependent Questions and Storyboard Draft: “You Can Do a Graphic Novel” Excerpt
Eyes on the finish line. Serving as the first part of the end of unit assessment, learners answer questions based on a text about how to write a graphic novel. Using what they've learned, they then create a storyboard about the invention...
Curated OER
All About Me!
Students write about themselves. In this descriptive writing lesson, students view a PowerPoint for examples of descriptive writing and then write sentences describing themselves. Students use a computer program to type their sentences...
Student Achievement Partners
Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston's "Farewell to Manzanar"
Passages from Unbroken and Farewell to Manzanar provide the context for a study of the historical themes of experiencing war, resilience during war, and understanding the lasting trauma of war. Appendices include extension...
Curated OER
Alexander Used to Be Rich
Reading Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, launches this lesson appropriate for children who recognize coins and have been introduced to coin values. Using addition and subtraction skills, the class tracks Alexander’s spending...
Curated OER
Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
Curated OER
Creative Outline for Your Short Story or Book
Students discuss the information listed about how to make an outline for a short story or book. They then begin writing their short story and edit it and revise before turning it in to be graded.