Curated OER
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
High schoolers read and analyze the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. They take notes while reading the story, select an element to analyze, and write an essay about the characters, theme, or the setting.
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Exploring & Creating Mythology
Young scholars read and compare mythological stories from ancient cultures from around the world. In small groups they read a myth and present the storyline and themes to the class, and write an original mythological story of their own...
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Who Do You Want For Your Friend?
Second graders create a t-chart about the healthy and unhealthy characteristics in relationships. They discuss elements they should look for in a friend. They are read books to identify these elements.
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Fairy Tales, Past and Present
Students examine the different elements of a fairy tale. They discover why setting, characters, problems and solutions are important in a fairy tale. They recreate the fairy tale in modern times and create a storybook to accompany their...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Third graders examine a reading selection. In this fairy tale lesson, 3rd graders read Jack and the Beanstalk. Students are divided into groups and each group lists the elements of a fairy tale and writes a script for a puppet play of...
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Persuasion
Middle schoolers read various stories and write reflections in their journals. Using the text, they identify the techniques the characters used in persuading the reader or other characters in the story.They rewrite a fairy tale from the...
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Open Your Eyes Wide-Shut
Students improve their language skills through 11 activities. In this language skills lesson, students listen to picture books, answer questions about elements of a story, enhance their vocabulary and grammar skills, use 5 W questions,...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and "Thank You, M'am"
Ninth graders explore the definition of integrity through a class discussion. They provide positive/negative examples from the story and their own experiences. Students determine character traits by analyzing the dialogue in a short...
Orange County Department of Education
Nights of the Pufflings
Third graders read the story to identify the problem and solution that occurs in Night of the Pufflings. They identify problems within the story that are solved through the characters' responsible actions. Students describe in their...
Curated OER
Enrichment Activities - "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book. They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...
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W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw" Theme
Pupils identify the theme of "The Monkey's Paw" and relate it to prior knowledge. In this "The Monkey's Paw" lesson, students discuss fate and coincidence and debate which one controls destiny. A test is chosen as the winner...
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Being in the Noh: An Introduction to Japanese Noh Plays
Students analyze the conventions used in Noh plays and write an introduction to a Noh play of their own. In this Noh play lesson, students identify the conventions of the Noh form and analyze the realizations the main character achieves....
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Fractured Fairy Tales
Learners use familiar characters, plots, and settings from traditional fairy tales to create "fractured" versions, while experimenting with satire, irony and parody. A fractured fairy tale is designed to be humorous by changing the story...
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American Folktales and Tall Tales
Young scholars explore the elements of American folktales. They discuss how they are passed on from generation to generation, how they use exaggeration, and how they convey a message or make a point. Students identify common elements...
Curated OER
Comprehension
Fifth graders take part in a panel discussion. In this character lesson students show their understanding of the connection between events in a story and the development of characters. Students provide evidence from the story to support...
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Friendship and Death
Fourth graders share their thoughts and feelings about friendship and death and connect them with those of the characters in the book, The Bridge to Teribithia. They complete a friendship picture book and write a letter as one of the...
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Pre Writing Strategies
Second graders review story mapping along with characters, setting, problem, events, and solution. They view pictures and tell the story of their picture orally then they write rough drafts and final copies of their stories in the...
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Writing Application: The Canterbury Tales
Students read stories from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and create their own tale. In this writing applications instructional activity, students read the tales and analyze the specific details that Chaucer use. Students work...
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Making Photo Essays Easy
Young scholars generate ideas about what makes a good story and a good photograph then place them together to create a photo essay. In this photo essay activity, young scholars assemble random photos into a story, select the best photos,...
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A Fish Skit
Students work together to create and perform a skit with a fish theme. After viewing a performance of another children's play, they discuss the basic elements to be found within a play. They perform their play in front of the class and...
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Book Letters
Young scholars study language. In this writing lesson, students listen to a story and then compose a friendly letter, about the book, to a friend. They work independently to compose their letter depicting what happened in the...
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Gingerbread Baby v. Gingerbread Boy #7
Students compare and contrast the gingerbread baby in their story to the original gingerbread boy. They use a Venn diagram to easily see the similarities and differences.
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Gingerbread Baby Board Game #10
Learners are read the book "Gingerbread Baby". They examine the journey the baby traveled in the story and in turn create a game board. They draw pictures along the board to show different parts of the story.
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Shadow Puppetry in South India
Students read a variety of literature from India, including folktales and fables. They then select a scene or story to script, work together to design and craft shadow puppets of characters and scenery, narrate a story, manipulate the...