National Endowment for the Humanities
Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Learners define folklore, folk groups, tradition, and oral narrative. They identify traditional elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God Analyze and understand the role of traditional folkways and folk speech in the overall literary...
Curated OER
Changes In Our Community
Ninth graders explore how change and growth affect communities. In this community awareness instructional activity, 9th graders interview a senior adult. Students research economics and trends in their community.
Curated OER
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer
Students explore how F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. In novels such as Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, and The Great Gatsby, he captured the mood and manners of his time.
Curated OER
Leapin' Landmarks: Locating 10 Man-made Landmarks Around the World
Third graders label continents, oceans, and major mountain ranges on maps and use the maps to write an informational report about landmarks. In this landmarks lesson plan, 3rd graders write about 1 major landmark.
Curated OER
Kid Maps: Reading and Creating Maps with Human Characteristics
Students look at maps. In this map lesson, students listen to the book My Map Book by Sara Fanelli and they see the difference between human characteristics (buildings, etc.) and natural characteristics (rivers, etc.). They...
Curated OER
Nina Bonita: Culture and Beauty
Pupils read Nina Bonita by Ana Maria Machado. In this reading comprehension/ geography lesson, students recall various parts of the story and create a map of where the rabbit traveled throughout the story. They participate in group...
Curated OER
George Orwell's Essay on his Life in Burma: "Shooting an Elephant"
Students read George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" as an analysis for the historical context. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze the main points in the essay to identify its cultural and historical context....
Curated OER
Africa and Us
Students read a story about a boy in South Africa. They identify places in South Africa they might want to visit. They compare and contrast life in South Africa with their life in the United States.
Curated OER
Civil War Research
Eighth graders research different aspects of the Civil War using various multi-media techniques. Students create a report based on their research that includes views of the war from the point of view of the North, South and slaves.
Curated OER
Visual Art: Romare Bearden and Group 306
Students examine the life and art of Romare Bearden. Using his "Mill Hand's Lunch Bucket" for inspiration, they write a first chapter for a book. Students observe numerous other works of his art and discuss them from artistic and...
Curated OER
Anansi: A Language Arts Twist to the Trickster
Students read African folk tales to learn about story elements and writing techniques. In this writing and reading skills lesson, students listen and retell African folk tales about Anansi the spider. Students complete four lessons to...
Curated OER
Travel to Mesoamerica
Students research books, watch movies, and look on the internet to find information on ancient America, Mexico, and Central America. In this Mesoamerica lesson plan, students participate in a social studies unit on North America of the...
Curated OER
What Type of Snow Makes a Good Snowman
Students attempt to build a snowman. For this comparison lesson, students divide into groups, are given different types of snow (dry and wet) and try to make a snowman. Students discuss and record the characteristics of the snow and...
Curated OER
Sequencing a Chinese Folktale
Students sequence the events of the popular Chinese folktale "The Terrible Nung Gwama" using a graphic organizer. This lesson plan takes 45-minutes and includes two possible enrichment activities.
Curated OER
Africa and Us
Students identify places that a child living in South Africa and they themselves might want to visit.
Curated OER
Zhuang: China's Largest Minority
Students, in groups, research Chinese ethnic minorities such as the Zhuang population. They identify the characteristics of different ethnic groups and consider the lives of ethnic groups worldwide.
Curated OER
Geography Overview
Second graders look at the United States often over the next few months. Help them to see how the United States has changed as territories have become states. They may be surprised to know the areas of our country that were territories...
Curated OER
Civil War in Lebanon
Students explain how civil war impacts the common person. They analyze the effects of conflict on identity. They synthesize the impact of the civil war on the common person. They view a PowerPoint on Lebanese Conflict.
Curated OER
Hyper for Expository Writing!
Fifth graders use the internet to research a plant or animal they read about in "The Talking Earth". Using notes, they develop a graphic organizer and use the main topics to create a HyperStudio stack. Using all of this information,...
Curated OER
William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury": Narrating the Compson Family Decline and the Changing South
Students read "The Sound and the Fury" and consider the changing narrative structure and voice throughout the novel. They trace the decline of the Compson family.
Curated OER
Forest Management
Young scholars explore the changes in the Sequoia forest ecosystem. They evaluate reasons for the changes and discuss opposing views of human activity, logging and fire management practices. Students observe a video, describe the...
University of North Carolina
Unc: Literature in the American South: Regionalism
This University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill site provides a wonderful explanation of regionalism and local color as it applies to literature. There is a lot of other good information about Southern Literature at this site!
University of North Carolina
Documenting the American South: Library of Southern Literature: Humor in Lit.
Learn about the type and place of humor in Southern authors through information and links to several authors including Mark Twain, Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, George Washington Harris, Joel Chandler Harris, and more.
Other
University of Southern Mississippi: De Grummond Children's Literature
The de Grummond Children's Literature Digital Collection contains a selection of items from the manuscript collection located at the University of Southern Mississippi. Includes illustrations, manuscripts, letters, photographs,...