Curated OER
Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. For this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
Curated OER
Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
Curated OER
Lu Xun's Preface and "Diary of a Madman"
Twelfth graders examine two pieces by Lu Xun to show his importance as a revolutionary of 20th Century Chinese society and literature. They explain the aspects of Lu Xun's life. They summarize "Diary of a Madman" for form and content....
Curated OER
Truck Writing Paper
In this writing paper template, students can write a short story or facts about themselves on the body of a truck. Students can paste a picture of themselves in the cab of the truck.
Curated OER
Visualizing Jazz Scenes From the Harlem Renaissance
Learners identify themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz and describe the impact of jazz on African-American literature of the Harlem Renaissance
Curated OER
Decisions: Action or Apathy
Students examine the issues of action versus apathy as related to life pressures, values, consequences and career decisions. They read poetry, short stories and plays and respond to issues personally, critically and creatively.
Curated OER
Diego Rivera: Art as the Universal Language
Learners analyze the work of Diego Rivera. They participate in a class discussion, critique various paintings, write a short story based on a Rivera mural, and create a class mural.
Curated OER
The Teller of the Tale, Part 2
Students discuss character types and their qualities. They select two characters and write about their dress, speech, habits, attitudes and beliefs. They write a monologue as the characters presenting a moral theme.
Curated OER
Identifying Science Fiction
Students discuss works of science fiction that they read, highlight aspects that made each a part of science fiction genre, identify formal literary elements, and discuss ways each can be developed through science fiction.
Curated OER
Multimedia Book Reports
Students read a chapter book of 100-200 pages in length. They create a story map and multimedia book report. Pupils review the elements of a story map such as: characters, setting, problem, important events, solution, etc.) Students...
Curated OER
Spring Birds
In this story writing worksheet, students write a story about the picture, which contains a mother bird and three babies in a next. The worksheet contains 10 lines for students to write on.
Curated OER
Hollywood
Pupils listen to a play, or perhaps, take turns reading portions of it aloud. Afterward, they thoughtfully analyze and discuss the components of a well-written play. Next, a theme is assigned, and each person writes a play in conjunction...
Curated OER
Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
Recorded Books
Teacher's Guide: The Pinballs
Dive your class into the novel The Pinballs by Betsy Byars with the support of this reading guide. Including short answer questions, a multiple choice comprehension quiz, and extension activities, a variety of materials are...
Curated OER
Comparing and Analyzing Literary Works
Students read two short stories by the same author. For each story, they identify the main structures and style of the author. They use the text to write a summary about each story and how the author used literary techniques.
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Silly Nilly
Fourth graders create their own stories with a life lesson and illustrate them.
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Creating A Story
Second graders practice the necessary steps that should be taken in order to create a story from scratch. They brainstorm as a class in order to come up with different ideas. Students write a story that includes a plot, characters, and...
Curated OER
Cinderella: A Story Found in Many Cultures
First graders explore, discuss and examine fairy-tale and make-believe stories. They assess two different types of Cinderella stories to surface a broader look at cultural diversity. Students construct a Venn Diagram or a chart of the...
Curated OER
Tales From Around the World
Students read stories. In this culture lesson, students read stories from different regions around the world. Students look for each region on the map and listen for interesting cultural details in the story. Students then discuss the...
Curated OER
Halloween Literature Unit: The Magic Pumpkin
Students are read The Magic Pumpkin. In this reading comprehension lesson, students practice their sequencing skills and listening skills. They participate in various activities after the story to promote their ability to recognize the...
Curated OER
Children's Book Creations
Students create a children's book version of the Japanese folk story "Momotaro Boy of the Peach" and present the story to elementary students. In this children's book lesson, students design their book to explain Japanese culture to...
Curated OER
Rain
First graders practice oral and silent reading using beginning comprehension and decoding strategies. In this guided reading instructional activity, 1st graders take a picture walk and make plot predictions prior to reading the...
Louisiana Department of Education
Fahrenheit 451
In his 2013 introduction to Fahrenheit 451, Neil Gaiman states, “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” In this extraordinary unit plan, readers "explore the power of written language to educate and...
The New York Times
Writing Fiction Based on Real Science - NYTimes.com
Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...