The Chocolate War

Is Luke Skywalker the archetype of a literary hero? Follow the path of the Hero's Journey with an engaging lesson that details the plot structure, applies it to Star Wars: A New Hope, and invites class members to choose their own...

Planning a novel unit on Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel? If so, this comprehensive guided reading activity might appeal to you. Steer readers through the entire novel with a routine of comprehension questions and analysis...

The artistic choices Art Spiegelman made in his graphic novel, Maus, are the focus of an exercise that asks class members to compare classic comic book forms with Spiegelman’s panels and frames. Directed to specific pages and guided by a...

“The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable. . .” After reading “The Aftermath,” the final chapter of Hiroshima, class members use a Question Answer Response (QAR) strategy to reflect on issues raised...

Some words are best left unspoken.  Words matter, according to Benjamin Zander, conductor, teacher, and lecturer. To illustrate his point, Zander recounts a story told to him by a survivor of Auschwitz. As a result of her experience...

This online quiz is really only useful if your class has read several short stories by Hemingway, as it doesn't focus just on one. There are 12 multiple choice questions here, and they almost all relate to a different story. 

Contains plans for six lessons that use Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story" to explore the relationship between war and love. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the...

Students research the major events of the Vietnam War and construct a timeline. They do the same with the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson or the 1960's. They act as an advisor to President Johnson to recommend a course of action...

Students examine world geography by viewing a documentary film in class. In this World War II instructional activity, students discuss the role Hawaii played in the great battle and what type conflicts happened among the island chain....

A biography of Joseph Campbell, a leading academic in the study of myth. Discusses his books and his ideas about myth and folklore. His work was a big influence on filmmaker George Lucas for the screenplay of the first Star Wars movie.