Curated OER
Encountering Very Different Ways of Life
Young scholars explore the concept of crossing cultures through reading the stories "Help! My Father is Coming!" and "The Visit to Vijay's." In this culture lesson plan, students predict what will happen next in the stories. Young...
Curated OER
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Students discuss character development, literary devices, events, and foreshadowing found in, "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts" by Maxine Hong Kingston. They compare and contrast the main character's actions while...
Curated OER
Writing a Personal Narrative
Students complete a variety of computer file pre-writing activities to help them prepare for writing a personal narrative. They focus on including a beginning, middle and end to their narrative. They make a class book.
Curated OER
Pierre Elliott Trudeau: Memoirs
Learners watch the video "Pierre Elliot Trudeau: Memoirs," complete a vocabulary list, and participate in a discussion of the video. They explore one of Cananda's most charismatic leaders.
Curated OER
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Students read chapter 2 of "White Tigers." They discuss the text in class, and a copy of the translation of the Chinese poem about Mu-Ian. Students read it in class and discuss what goes on in the poem. They complete the worksheet for...
Curated OER
The First World War
Students examine the process and effects of World War I on different segments of the population, beyond the political, diplomatic and military framework of the war. They analyze the memoirs of soldiers, read poetry of the time, and...
Curated OER
Asian Cinderella Tales
Explore the world of fairy tales using this lesson focusing on higher- order thinking skills. Learners compare and contrast an Asian Cinderella story to other versions. It is a great way to review the characteristics of the genre and...
University of Arizona
Fusing Firecrackers with Narrative
Improve your youngsters' descriptive writing. They study an object and write about what they see as a warm-up, then they read an excerpt from Paul Guest's memoir, One More Theory about Happiness. The next part of the activity prompts...
Curated OER
Warm Thoughts About the Cold
“What do you think life is like at the South Pole?” After responding to this journal prompt, class members read and discuss the New York Times article, “At South Pole, New Home for a New Era.” Using resources available from the Times’...
Curated OER
What If: The Seed Of A Story
Learners read and comprehend a piece of fictional writing, analyze how setting, characterization, and plot affect the theme of a story and work in a group to create a new writing assignment. This 5-day plan culminates in students writing...
Curated OER
Introducing Literacy Elements in Nonfiction
Explore nonfiction writing with your class. They will identify elements in nonfiction by reviewing elements of fiction. Then they use biographies, memoirs, menus, Time for Kids, and text books to identify elements of nonfiction. They...
Curated OER
What We Leave Behind
Young scholars analyze primary source documents from the 1830's. They examine how records, memoirs and artifacts preserve history and discuss what should be placed in a time capsule for future generations.
Curated OER
Author's Purpose: Research Process/Narrative Writing Techniques
Determine the author's purpose in writing a memoir. Eighth graders work in groups to elicit author's purpose in memoirs, taking care to note how subtle the message can be hidden throughout the work. This lesson is a good way to...
Curated OER
Varied Beginnings: Research Process / Narrative Writing Techniques
What's the best way to start a story? Learners write a memoir using effective openings. They research the process and work through a list of hooks to use in their writing. They use at least two hooks to begin their personal memoir. A...
Novelinks
Maus: Bingo Vacabulary Strategy
The definitions for unfamiliar words drawn from Art Spiegelman graphic novel memoir, Maus, provide the clues for a vocabulary bingo game.
Curated OER
I Had a Hero Lesson
Students examine what it takes to make a hero. The respond in their journals to the following prompts: What did I learn about friendship and heroism from reading and thinking about "I Had a Hero"? What did this story teach me about the...
Curated OER
On the Oregon Trail
Learners work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. Working in groups, they write a scene for the movie that is historically accurate and based on the kinds of...
Curated OER
Three Part Dialogue
Eighth graders write a three part dialogue as part of an effective memoir. In this three part dialogue lesson plan, 8th graders are given two parts of a dialogue and emotions that accompany the words. Students then create the third...
Curated OER
A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words
Students examine historical photographs and discuss what the photograph reveals and how they can contribute to writing. In this response to literature students choose a photograph and develop a paragraph around it.
Curated OER
That Was Then, This is Now: When I Was Puerto Rican
Students explain how geographic/cultural setting influences identity by comparing/contrasting Esmeralda's Puerto Rican self with her American self. They closely read text to pinpoint when Esmeralda was no longer Puerto Rican. Students...
Curated OER
Kid Lit Crit
Young scholars explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.
Curated OER
The Old Folks Will Bless You and the Girls Kiss You
Fourth graders reflect on the Revolutionary War. In this Colonial America history lesson, 4th graders discuss various battles of the war, specifically the Battle of Cowpens. Students begin by watching a video chronicling that...
Curated OER
Preserving History
Learners discuss how writing is an important historical tool. They read writings from individuals and note how they have preserved history. They describe what those stories say about the communites they came from.
Curated OER
Auschwitz Episode Guide: Factories of Death
High schoolers examine Hitler's "Final Solution." They watch and discuss a PBS documentary, read handouts, conduct Internet research, and read and discuss a personal memoir.