"What is the theme of this story?" The very question can spark fear in the minds of readers and incinerate confidence. Here you will discover an exercise that shows how writers use the tools of setting, plot, conflict, and...

Get ready to read The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 with a lesson about historical fiction. Spanning several centuries, the resource prompts learners to guess the historical era of a story based on a word or phrase...

Challenge groups to create a recommended reading list of contemporary young adult fiction that explores the same themes found in Ernest Hemingway's short stories and novels. After examining a list Hemingway created and a list put...

For thousands of years people recognized the symptoms of diabetes, but it wasn't until the early twentieth century that a treatment was finally discovered. This video explores the Nobel Prize winning scientists' whose work with...

Explore the world of copyright law with a variety of activities to instill the importance of respecting creative property. Scholars watch an animated tale then take part in a grand conversation detailing the video's main idea, details,...

Sea otters, an important species in the Pacific coast kelp ecosystem, are the focus of a short video that observes sea otters in captivity. One of the few animals that use tools to help them eat, viewers see how females in captivity will...

Teach your young readers how to summarize a text using a strategy called Somebody Wanted But So. Kids identify the character (Somebody), the motivation (Wanted), the conflict (But), and the resolution (So). The resource comes with...

The antihero, the flawed protagonist of so much of contemporary literature such as Fahrenheit 451, is the subject of a short video that traces the fall from grace of the divine heroes of classical literature to the flawed, far more human...

Shiver me timbers, this here resource is a great way to teach young landlubbers to speak the language of the briny deep. Including over 30 different words and phrases, complete with definitions and guide words, this dictionary will...

As a young boy, William Bradford was drawn to the Separatist idea that Christ could be with a person through prayer and worship. But soon after the Separatists arrived to Plymouth, the experiment in the New England had failed. Watch a...

Bloom's Taxonomy is a great way to address the many levels of comprehension. With explanations and examples of each level, you can create questions that focus on knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Prepare first-time readers of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God with a short video that provides information about how Hurston came to write the novel and how her use of free indirect discourse enriches the story and...

Impart the value of kindness and reinforce rhyming CVC words with a short video about a bug who offers help to another bug in need.

Irony, the discrepancy between what is expected and what occurs, is the focus of a reference sheet that provides young writers with models of this literary device.

Shakespeare did not go to university, and that may have been the best decision he ever made. A video, part of the Shakespeare English exercises series, describes the famous playwright's early years in Stratford-Upon-Avon, sharing details...

Shakespeare's timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet has many lessons to teach youth today. As part of the Shakespeare English Exercises series, a video and set of activities help English learners connect with the popular play....

A dynamic, three-part feature explores what caused mass extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. Computer animations, interviews, and on-site footage from around the world divulge evidence that it was the K-T...

Got milk? Only two cultures have had it long enough to develop the tolerance of lactose as an adult. Learn how the responsible genes evolved along with the cultures that have been consuming milk. This rich film is supplied with a few...

Learn about the rise of mass media and the popularity of the short story in this video [4:07] from the American Masters film Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive. Poe wrote more than seventy short stories and created his own set of rules for...

Explore Edgar Allan Poe's famous short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," in this video [3:05] from the American Masters film Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive. Discussion questions, teaching tips, and a student handout ask students to analyze...

This is a collection of six video lessons about Edgar Allan Poe and his works from the PBS American Masters Collection. Teaching materials are included.

Explore the terror of gothic tales in this video from the American Masters film, Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive. Poe's legacy centers on his horror stories and his ability to tap into the fears of his readers, like the fear of being...

Jenny's Story is a hard hitting film for secondary pupils based on the true story of a young teenager who chats to a stranger online using Instant Messenger. The film shows how through online chatting, Jenny reveals personal information...

Created to teach students of the 21st century, SOPHIA is bringing lesson plans straight to your fingertips. Become the commander of your own teaching experiences as teach this lesson regarding Tim O'Brien's short story "On the Rainy River."