Students in an ESL class read "Ivan the Fool", a folktale from Russia. In groups, they work with their partner to read the material and discuss what they have read. They write down any vocabulary they are unfamiliar with and write a...

Students explore plot development and how conflicts are resolved. In this plot development and conflict lesson plan, students discuss antonyms and list the ones they find in their story. Students complete online activities and write a...

Eighth graders read the Diary of Anne Frank. For this novel reading lesson, 8th graders read and analyze the story. Students do online activities and create a newspaper giving a summary of three major events in the story. Students answer...

Students recognize various differences between their lives and the lives of people living in the 19th century Chicago area. They hear stories from people living in four different historical time periods and match the stories to their...

Students read a book and understand the cumulative events of the story through sequencing. For this lesson about cumulative texts, students are able to read the story and understand the sequence of the events. Students listen to the...

Students create stories using only pictures.  In this visual storytelling instructional activity, students read Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola and analyze the wordless story.  Students create new text for the book by...

High schoolers write original plays based on supernatural explanations of existence. In this cultural creation myths lesson, students listen to five different stories about supernatural creation. High schoolers record similarities and...

Students look at three different versions of the Cinderella story. In this comparative literature lesson, students read the Chinese version "Yeh-Shen", the Egyptian version "Rhodopis," and the Native American version "The Hidden One" of...

Students look at the role of characters in a story. In this character lesson, students discuss how different types of characters change the plot of the story. They see how storytellers use their body, face, and voice to tell stories. 

Students describe key events in the life of Gandhi. They determine why knowledge of geography is necessary to understand the history of the people in a place or region. They write a summary of how the events in Gandhi's life,...

Learners listen to a lecture about the tradition of story telling and oral history. They research three examples of African American and/or Negro Leagues oral tradition. they work in groups of four, and decide on one example from their...

Students read slave narratives and retell the stories to the class, identifying sensory details. In this slavery lesson, students discuss the importance of sensory details, then read the slave narratives looking for specific examples. ...

Seventh graders explore the goals of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.  In this US History instructional activity, 7th graders read a newspaper article that reported a significant event during this era. ...

Students summarize a story, identify the plot structure, and create a symbol that represents the essence of the story.

Fourth graders read classic stories including "The Magic Brocade" and "St. George and the Dragon". They complete a series of lessons in which they compare stories and produce original narrative legends.

Students identify the different ways in which different countries celebrate and why, including story, dance, music, and exchanging gifts. Then they develop a basic standard of non-verbal communication through either dance, mime,...

Students are introduced to Nadine Gordimer's Town and Country Lovers in the context of the acts of apartheid. They analyze Gordimer's depiction of racist legislation at its most intimate levels. Students assess how to weave a political...

Young scholars explore the themes of the book Swimmy by Leo Lionni. In this literacy lesson, students dramatize a character from Swimmy and identify common themes such as cooperation and caring. Young scholars create a new ending to the...

Students analyze the plot, problem, and resolution of a story. In this story analysis lesson, students read stories and fill out graphic organizers about the plot, story problems, and resolution.

Students understand the process of recycling. They investigate how it improves the environment. They read the story "Don't Pollute" by Stan and Jan Berenstein. They analyze trash and sort it into bins.

Students discover scientific facts about the Moon and how some American Indian Tribes used the moon to measure time. They accomplish this by listening to stories and poetry, writing stories, communicating with an astronaut,...

Third graders read and discuss math story problems and analyze if the story is using equal groups or unequal groups. They listen to the book "12 Ways To Get to 11," and simulate the story using beads on a pipe cleaner. Students then...

Sixth graders explore culture by reading a book with classmates. In this Hispanic history lesson, 6th graders read the story First Day in Grapes, and discuss the tough lives of migrant workers. Students answer study questions after the...

First graders discuss and touch stuffed animals and a real rabbit. They complete a KWL chart about rabbits. They listen to the story The Velveteen Rabbit and discuss it. They research rabbits in the library and make a book.