Gifts Disrespected

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is the classic example of irony in literature. Teach young writers about the ways irony can engage their readers with an activity in which they write scripts using dramatic irony, situational irony, and...

Use O. Henry's ubiquitous tale of love and poverty to explore irony. After reading the story, middle schoolers identify examples of all three kinds of irony in the story. With partners, they brainstorm original examples of irony. Then...

Young thinkers view two narrative art tapestries and study the images included that tell a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine. As they examine the details of the tapestries, pupils use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and...

Young scholars write and illustrate a story to describe the habitat and life cycle of a selected animal. They write and publish their story, and create a picture of the animal on a wooden board.

Students apply vocabulary activities to two short stories in order to increase their comprehension skills. They complete three lessons in which they examine irony, examine how it is used in text, and design an ironic skit. Also, the look...

Students investigate type of folklore known as folktales, explore their origin and purposes, describe different types of folktales, and make connection between folktales and philanthropy.

Students study folktales and other stories from West Africa. By hearing and reading these stories they explore many new cultural and religious beliefs, such as spirits inhabiting nature and possessing special powers. Once the students...

Roman mythology is full of tragic love stories. A multiple-choice quiz highlights three major partnerships, and explores the problems that led to sad endings. Test your learners with these multiple-choice questions after studying Roman...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this stewardship lesson, students consider human capacity for generosity as they read folktales from different cultures that feature characters giving of themselves.

Students, working in groups, rewrite Asian folktales as Reader's Theater scripts. Depending on grade level, they visit Websites and copy assigned stories. Students then perform their versions for classmates.