Escapes

Sometimes it takes a work of fiction to demonstrate nonfictional tragedies and events. George, an escaped slave, describes to Mr. Wilson the hardships of his life in a short passage from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Imagine being trapped in a junkyard on Halloween by a drunken gunman! The main characters in Robert Jennings’ short story “Junkyard Jaunt,” have very different responses to this dilemma and readers will enjoy examining the personalities...

Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials about...

Through this question and answer worksheet high schoolers compare and contrast the book and film versions of Jurassic Park. After answering all of the questions they write a paragraph documenting the significant changes between the book...

Make a study of satire with an article from the well-known humorous publication "The Onion." Learners read the article, which is about natural selection, and respond to text-based questions as well as discussion questions that delve...

Explore the complex themes of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo with a concept and vocabulary analysis lesson plan. Lead your class in a discussion about the underlying social and historical issues surrounding the novel, as well...

Class members compare the final 30 minutes of Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope with Act V of Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope and consider how the choice of media influences viewers' impression of the...

The Fugitive Slave Law is the focus of an activity that asks participants to examine primary source documents before assuming the role of historic figures, members of a mediation panel, or newspaper reporters. Clearly defined...

Using the article "Escaping Afghanistan: Children Pay Price," discuss the lives of Afghan refugees and the impact of Taliban rule. A detailed list of questions is provided, but you will have to search for the article. Extension...

Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...