This slideshow introduces the genre of science fiction. It presents background information, common elements, common themes, pop movies (from books) showing diverse examples, and three specific examples: "Time Machine," "I, Robot," and...

In this lesson plan, 5th graders will compare and contrast different versions of the fairy tale "Cinderella." Students will use a compare and contrast chart chart. After the shared readings, students will use all the elements of a fairy...

Analyzing a book takes the form of creating their own when students complete this activity. The stated goal is to help students "Read like writers." Includes link to a template for student use.

This slideshow lesson features the genre of historical fiction. It provides background information, common elements, literary examples, and practice. The practice consists of viewing pictures of Stonehenge and the Pyramids and thinking...

This Holt Literature guide in .pdf format, offers some background on the novel, a chapter-by-chapter summary, and some post-reading suggestions.

This site offers a basic understanding of the elements of a story. It clearly defines each literary term.

An interesting article concerning the importance of setting to any piece of fiction. Gives good information about how setting affects characters and "world-building."

In this lesson, students will review two elements of fiction, setting and plot, and learn how the setting influences the plot in stories.

This brief article explains perspective, types of narrators, and the elements of fiction.

In this lesson, students will learn some ways that writers reveal the complexity of their characters. By closely analyzing one author's characters, they will come to see how their words, actions, and interactions with one another can...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] Often characters are a driving force behind the plot. In this lesson, students will learn how complex, multilayered characters contribute to the development of a story's plot...

OnTRACK English II Reading, Module 3, Lessons 1-12, and Practice Lessons 1-3. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry, drama, fiction, and literary non-fiction, and provide...

This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.

Analyze literature through the study of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Made specifically for students preparing to take the GCSE test, this site is beneficial to all students learning about Stevenson or the elements...

This lesson provides and introduction to a short story unit. It focuses the lessons and morals taught by short stories and the use of literary elements in fiction. I provides a list of essential questions.

This is the thirteenth article in a series that was developed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how good descriptions aren't necessarily connected with a lot of words, good descriptions are clean and to the point.

Twenty-six half hour videos on literary analysis for high school students that feature authors, scholars, actors and noted critics. Topics include The Art of the Essay, Setting and Character in Short Fiction, Responding to Literature and...

This slideshow focuses on the genre of mystery; it provides background, compares and contrasts mystery and crime fiction, lists the common elements of mystery, and provides literary examples with Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie novels.

This slideshow focuses on the genre thriller by providing background information, listing key elements, and providing two examples: "The Riddle of the Sands" by Erskine Childers and "The Bourne Identity" by Robert Ludlum.

Do your students' minds go blank when they confront a blank piece of paper? Speedwriting can help them get started with writing as well as come up with topics to write about. They can then incorporate their key ideas and phrases into a...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will learn how to use the elements of linear plot development to determine whether and how conflicts are resolved.

"My Side of the Mountain", is a Newbery Honor, by Jean Craighead George. This book is about Sam Gribley's adventure in the Catskill Mountains. The novel's themes are nature, independence, survival, and adventure. Make the smart choice by...

Some excellent guidelines to consider when evaluating your setting in a short story or novel. Discusses the importance of setting, some examples, as well as practical advice in setting your story. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives

This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?