Curated OER
School Newspaper
Fifth graders write a website based school newspaper using a variety of literary forms to present the news of the school.
Curated OER
Mark Twain and the American West
Students analyze Mark Twain's "Western" voice. In this literature instructional activity, students read Roughing It by Twain and watch "The West." Students examine Twain's history and compare it to the history of America's developing...
Curated OER
Iditarod
Fourth graders, after reading "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen, explore/research what an Iditarod is and then create a speech about their selected musher and present their new found information to their classmates. In addition, they...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the Unreliable Biographers
High schoolers research biographical facts about Edgar Allan Poe and Ambrose Bierce and complete literary analysis activities. In this biographical lesson plan, learners research basic biographical facts about Poe and Bierce. High...
Curated OER
"Split" Character Studies in Crime and Punishment
Students write an essay evaluating split character traits on major characters in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. In this lesson students are guided through discussion questions, group assignments, and vocabulary work. The lesson...
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Charlotte's Web
Students complete a variety of activities related to the book "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White.  They create a comic strip based on the characters, setting, and plot of the story, and examine the author's writing process.  In small groups...
Curated OER
Public Policy Analysis
Students read an article about a pressing public policy issue.  Using the text, they identify the themes, facts and ideas presented and develop an argument supporting or disagreeing with the position of the author.  In groups, they...
Curated OER
Conflict
Middle schoolers outline the action in their narrative writing assignments by brainstorming about conflict. In this conflict analysis lesson, students define conflict and discuss the different types of conflict. Middle schoolers...
Curated OER
Slavery Issue And Views North Versus South Around 1850s
Tenth graders compare and contrast the opinions of northerners and southerners about the issue of slavery in the 1850's. They study how the legislation that was enacted by Congress addressed the issues. As they investigate, they create a...
Curated OER
Assessing Presenting the Mask
Eighth graders use a software program to recreate a mask they made in art class. Individually, they write a paper describing their mask with an loose illustration. They combine the pictures of each mask into a class book for others to view.
Curated OER
The Catcher in the Rye Creative Comprehension Projects
This kind of stuff knocks me out, it really does. I mean, five fun project ideas for The Catcher In the Rye? When you're done reading all this stuff you'll wish the author was a terrific friend of yours.
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Clap Your Hands
Read Clap Your Hands to explore new vocabulary with your class. In this three-tiered vocabulary lesson plan, youngsters read the book and identify the plot, setting, and characters. They also define vocabulary terms from the book...
Polk Bros Foundation
Topic Report Learning Organizer
If you'd like to quickly access a simple graphic organizer designed for a class to divide and conquer a larger subject, then check out this resource. Assign class members to study a specific topic within a historical theme or event, and...
Curated OER
Using Southeast Asian Folktales to Teach Reading and Writing
Students use maps to locate the countries of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. In groups, they compare and contrast the three countries in regard to their culture, morals and values. They read various examples of folktales and write their...
Curated OER
Using Literature to Introduce the Five Themes of Geography
Students listen to a read aloud of "If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln". Using the text, they identify examples of the five themes of geography and write them down. Using a map, they plot the places mentioned in the book and sort facts...
Curated OER
Twelfth Night Act 4, Scene 2
Students complete play analysis activities for Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Students read Act 4, Scene 2 for the play and a summary. Students complete close reading activities including discussion points, themes, literary devices....
Curated OER
In A Station Of The Metro And A Pact
Students are exposed to two different works of poetry in order to complete a task of comparing and contrasting them. They analyze the poem and identify the juxtaposition. The analysis is compiled by them to make a class report of it.
Curated OER
Twelfth Night Act 1 Scene 5
Students complete play analysis activities for Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In this play analysis activity, students read a summary of the scene and complete close reading discuss activities. Students analyze the...
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Science: Criminalistics - A New Look at Crime
Pupils examine the world of forensic science, focusing on fingerprint analysis.  In the lesson, they implement a method by which fingerprints of class members are categorized and identified.  Elementary students study classification...
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A Literature of Democracy
Eleventh graders analyze how American literature shows a lot of different genres. In groups, 11th graders create a short report about the passage they have chosen.
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POEtry-A Close Look at Edgar Allen Poe
Students examine the life and works of Edgar Allen Poe. They are to analyze how his life influenced his writing. They create a website of the information they have found. They share their information with the class.
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In Search of Self: Adolescent Themes in the Twentieth Century Short Story
Students read short stories that are related to adolescent issues and behaviors.  In groups, they review the elements of a short story and vocabulary they might need while reading.  To end the lesson, they read "Sir Tatton Sykes"...
Curated OER
A Christmas Project
Seventh graders publish a letter and spreadsheet using the computer. They build a three-dimesnsional object with construction paper and develop a Christmas object using coordinates on a graph. Students compose a response in their journals.