Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust
The Lost World
Fans of Sherlock Holmes may be surprised to learn that in addition to stories of the famous deductionist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is also the creator of Professor Challenger. An irascible, unpredictable scientist, Challenger was featured...
Rockefeller Archive Center
Understanding Mass Media News
In an age of fake news and photoshopped images, it is vital that 21st century learners development the skills they need to evaluate mass media and assess its validity. A great way to launch such a study is with a carefully crafted lesson...
Curated OER
A Weave of Woods
Focus on vocabulary, comprehension, and analysis while reading A Weave of Woods, a colorful picture book by Robert D. San Souci. Young learners use worksheets to preview, predict, practice paraphrasing, and make comparisons. The richly...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Wrinkle in Time: The Board Game
Tackle some big questions about A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle with a board game project. As learners brainstorm for and complete their board games, they consider what helps and hinders Meg on her journey and why she succeeds in...
Curated OER
The Dream Getaway
Pupils observe images of amazing places, either real, or imagined by Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, and Ansel Adams. They think about a time when they wanted to escape and where they wanted to go. They draw their getaway and then...
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
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Guide your class on an adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with this Hampton-Brown outline. It provides educators with a guide to increase reading comprehension, critical thinking, literary analysis, and reading strategies. This...
Novelinks
The Dark Is Rising: Problematic Situation Strategy
What items would you need to save the world from an evil wizard? Prior to reading Susan Cooper's young adult contemporary fantasy The Dark is Rising, and to generate interest in the tale, class groups must reach consensus on a list of...
Curated OER
Standing Woman
Students explore a Japanese science fiction story that deals with the dangers of technology, failed attempts at utopia, mind control, and loss of loved ones through the reading of Yasutaka Tsutaka's "Standing Woman."
Curated OER
Someone Like Me
Students investigate what sort of person the author is. They listen as the teacher use her notes to introduce Tom Holt briefly. Students are asked if anyone has read any of his books. They work in pairs to find more about Tom Holt as a...
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...
Curated OER
Magical Creatures Land
The opening of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit provides a model of how to use rich details to create a setting. After reading the description of Bilbo Baggins’ abode, young writers create their own magical home for a fantasy creature. The...
Curated OER
Teaching the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine":A Handout for ESL/EFL Students
Students inspire communication skills thru the lyrics of a song. Students watch and correlate the production of a fantasy film with speaking and listening skills. Students quote the themes from the video.
Curated OER
Amazing Animal Alliteration Book
Students understand the meaning of alliteration. In this alliteration activity, students write sentences using alliteration and recognize how it changes the writing in a story.
Curated OER
Mirrors and How They Reflect
Students experiment with mirrors. In this Mirrors and How They reflect instructional activity, students read how mirrors reflect light. Then students perform over ten experiments and record their conclusions about mirrors and reflection....
Curated OER
No Title
First graders listen as the book, "Tops and Bottoms," by Janet Stevens is read to them and then participate in a discussion about foods and where they grow. They draw a picture of a plant labeling the major parts of it sequential order.
Curated OER
Organisms In Cities
Students explore environments and how organisms adapt to the environment. In this science lesson, students read a story and discuss how animals have adapted to changes in their environment.
Curated OER
Systems Working Together
Third graders listen as the teacher reads the book "Roxaboxen" to them. They discuss the main characters and other aspects of the story. They discuss the characteristics and properties of the soil in Roxaboxen. The discussion is applied...
Curated OER
"The Fog Horn" by Ray Bradbury
Students read Ray Bradbury's "The Fog Horn" and complete reading and vocabulary activities. In this reading and vocabulary lesson, students review the vocabulary for the story and take turns reading the story. Students discuss the story...
Curated OER
Know your Daemons
Students take a closer look at Pullman's The Golden Compass. In this current events lesson, students visit the film's interactive website and participate in a discussion about the nature of religion in the book and the film.
Curated OER
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Students read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." After observing the illustrations and previewing chapter titles, students predict what will happen in the story. They research and contact chocolate companies to gather information on...
Curated OER
What Could Be Better Than This?
Students read the book What Could Be Better Than This and complete a word search, poems, and write an adventure. In this What Could Be Better Than This lesson plan, students read about an even that changes someone's life.
Curated OER
One Ring to Rule Them All
Students continue to read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. In groups, they analyze the different metaphysical aspects of the ring and discuss the characters use of power in the story. As a class, they examine Frodo's reasoning for wanting...
Curated OER
Picturing People
Pupils look at the varied ways the human body is portrayed in contemporary media. They discuss what a character is and how it plays a role in telling stories. Students look at examples of objects like dolls, puppets and toys that stand...