Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Invention of the Telephone
This primary source set uses physical objects, documents, photographs, and drawings to tell the story of the invention of the telephone and its transformative impact on modern-day communication. Includes a teaching guide.
Yale University
Yale University: Elements of the Short Story
This unit from the Yale University on elements of the short story is designed to develop student comprehension skills, particularly making inferences and generalizing. It also involves students in reading a number of short stories to...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Exploring the World of Cinderella Tales
Students will read three different Cinderella tales, including tales from Africa, China, and America. Upon completion of a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences of these tales, the students will complete and present...
Other
Poe Decoder: The Masque of the Red Death
This site contains links to a summary of "The Masque of the Red Death" and essays about its setting, characters, point of view, style, and theme.
TES Global
Tes: West Side Story (1961) Film Guide
[Free Registration/Login Required] This is a film guide for the film West Side Story (1961), the musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which is set in 1950s New York and incorporates themes around street crime,...
Other
Teachers Network: Writing a Short Story Based on Kindred
In this lesson plan, students will engage in the technology, social studies, and language arts standards as students engage in reading by Octavia Butler's book entitled Kindred. Students will research tslavery. Students will keep a...
Other
History of African Americans of Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore
A site covering the story of African Americans living in Delaware and on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Just click on one of the stories to learn about their triumphs and struggles. Includes a set of lesson plans.
Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
Yad Vashem: A Time to Heal
After the war, many children who survived had no home or family to return to. Children's homes were set up to meet the needs of these children. View one of these homes in Otwock, Poland. Read stories and examine artifacts, pictures, and...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Populist Party
Read about how "the Populists challenged white supremacy by forming coalitions between black and white farmers who shared a common cause." Part of a larger website called "Jim Crow Stories", this brief article paints the Populist Party...
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "A Bivouac of the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce
This is the text of the short story "A Bivouac of the Dead" by Ambrose Bierce, a story with an ironic twist set in the Allegheny mountains, in Pocahontas county, West Virginia.
Other
University of North Carolina: Glossary of Literary Terms
This site is provided for by the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Over forty literary terms defined by college students, each with thorough examples.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Fairy Tales Around the World
This collection of activities gives students a chance to discover and compare fairy tales from around the world. It provides a wealth of links to resources, printable diagrams, discussion questions and the like.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Discussing "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs"
In this lesson, 1st graders will work with "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" Jon Scieszkaby. They will describe the characters, setting, and key details in the story and help the teacher record the details on a circle map.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Earth and Space Science: Every Rock Tells a Story
Explore the different types of rocks on our Earth as you watch a one-hour video, accompanied by learning goals, details on sedimentary rocks, fossils, and supercontinents, and more.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Jason and the Golden Fleece
Explore characterization, plot and setting and compare these elements in mythology and modern works of literature, film and television. Retell myths in modern settings or modern-day stories using a mythological Greek setting. While this...
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: A Tough Tussle
Read the short story "A Tough Tussle" by Ambrose Bierce set during the Civil War. A young officer struggles with his irrational fear of death and dead bodies.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "Bulger's Reputation" by Bret Harte
This is the text of the short story "Bulger's Reputation" by Bret Harte, a classic western set in Rattlesnake Camp.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "Boule De Suif" by Guy De Maupassant
This is the text of the short story "Boule de Suif" by Guy de Maupassant. The story is set in the Franco-Prussian War and follows a group of French residents of Rouen, recently occupied by the Prussian army. The 10 travelers sharing the...
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: With Moore at Corunna by g.a. Henty
Read the full text of the short story "With Moore at Corunna" set in Portugal during the Peninsular War.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: "King Bemba's Point" by J. Landers
Text of a short story set in West Africa called "King Bemba's Point" and written by J. Landers. (Free site registration offers some additional features, e.g., the ability to insert annotations.)
Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
Yad Vashem: Using Testimony in Holocaust Education
When teaching a unit on the Holocaust, the use of eye-witness testimony is crucial. These documents allow students to personalize the stories of those that suffered and enhances the learning process. This article walks you through...
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beloved is a novel inspired by the true story of Margaret Garner, who escaped with her family from slavery in Kentucky to freedom in Ohio in 1856.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Egg Meets Sperm
Although it is happening every hour of every day, all over the world, the story of egg meeting sperm is still a tale worth telling. Millions of candidates set off on a long and perilous journey with a single target at the end, and if the...
TES Global
Tes: Drama Cards Genres
[Free Registration/Login Required] Scenes from stories can be enhanced with this set of drama cards. Students can use a genre card to improvise a scene or use a card with one drama and then shift to another genre with the choosing of...