Curated OER
Declaration of Independence
Students analyze a copy of the Declaration of Independence to discover how it was adopted, approved, and signed. The tone and style of the document are analyzed for intention through an exploration its the language and vocabulary.
Curated OER
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous
In this online interactive reading comprehension learning exercise, students respond to 3 short answer and essay questions based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Students may also access an online quiz on the selection using the link...
Chandler Unified School District
Frankly Speaking: Exploring Benjamin Franklin's Aphorisms
Benjamin Franklin famously had an aphorism for every situation—most of which we still use in modern vernacular. Introduce class members to Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack with a presentation that details the characteristics of aphorisms.
The New York Times
Teaching Orwell and '1984’ with the New York Times
Doublethink and alternate facts? Big Brother and Facebook? 1984 and 2019? Sales of 1984 have surged and so has the use of George Orwell's dystopian classic in classrooms. Whether new to teaching the novel or a seasoned veteran you'll...
Penguin Books
A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Mary Shelley ’s Frankenstein
Contrary to popular belief, the monster's name in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is not Frankenstein. A teacher's guide for the novel helps readers make sense of key details in the text, define vocabulary words, and discuss prominent...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Form of a Funeral
Learners read and analyze William Faulkner's novel, 'As I Lay Dying.' They define Faulkner's place in American literary history, describe Faulkner's "South" in the context of the historical South and examine the Bundren family through...
Curated OER
Dark Name-Play in Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book
Explore the symbolism of characters' names in The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This fantasy children's novel lends itself to symbolism and many parallels with other works of literature and time periods. Names of the ghosts and...
Echoes & Reflections
Nazi Germany
The Holocaust was an evolution of anti-Semitism, scapegoating, and targeted violence against Jews with Nazi policies. A resource unpacks the escalation in violence, along with the erosion of democratic institutions, during the 1930s....
Curated OER
When Things Fall Apart
Students examine the impact of colonialism on African nations, researching and analyzing post-colonial literature from those countries. They develop and present a creative display of their novel and its historic parallels.
Curated OER
To Honor All Children from Prejudice to Discrimination to Hatred....to Holocaust, Part 1
Learners analyze different perspectives of the history of the Holocaust. They experience primary and secondary sources along with pieces from literature, documentaries, songs and letters. A commitment of honor and dedication is expressed...
Curated OER
The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore
Students determine that all families create and pass on folklore. They research stories of their own names and draw parallels between their own and others' naming traditions. They infer characteristics of their communities' history...
Curated OER
What Is the True Story of the Three Little Pigs?
Cozy up and listen to a recording of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Three Little Javelinas. Then, lead your class in a compare and contrast of the two stories by creating a Venn diagram.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Ethic in Text and Film
Young scholars research the social context of Elizabethan England for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". They identify cultural influences on the play focusing on the theme of revenge and then analyze and compare film interpretations of the play.
Curated OER
Final Crucible Project Options
Finding and/or designing a menu of equally weighted synthesizing projects to end a unit can be a challenge. Simplify the task with this menu of individual and group projects meant to accompany a study of The Crucible. Presentations,...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Walt Whitman: From Song of Myself
Looking for a resource that models how to read and analyze a poem? Check out this packet that uses sections of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" to demonstrate how to paraphrase, note literary elements, and identify the poet's inferences.
Curated OER
Living Thoreau As A Means Of Approaching Walden
Students investigate the essays and life of Thoreau in order to appreciate his point of view and understand his way of thinking. They participate in various activities and writing assignments to gain a similar perspective. Students write...
PBS
Frankenstein: The Consequence of Creation
Famous as a horror story, as the first science fiction novel, Frankenstein is also a tale of ambition, a warning about unbridled science, and responsibility for actions. Readers consider what the tale says of the consequences of creation...
Curated OER
Literature: The Russian Cinderella
Fifth graders compare and contrast the Russian fairytale, Wee Little Havroshechka" with the Anglo-Saxon "Cinderella." In groups the discuss and then write their own versions of the Cinderella story. Students write about the differences...
Curated OER
Visual Arts:Literature and World Civilization
Fourth graders examine the art of the Middle Ages or Medieval time period through the activities in this unit.
Curated OER
Defining American Culture Photographic Parallels
Pupils assess the diversity of the photographs taken by a Czech photographer, that illustrate how existed in 1920's Texas. Then students compare and contrast these photographs with more current photographs of Texans and evaluate in what...
Curated OER
So You Think You Got A Problem
Students find alternatives to conflicts that they, may confront in their everyday lives Through the use of literature, students are given opportunities to use parallel tasks that will instruct them on how to identify and correct their...
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie and The Grapes of Wrath
Students examine American idealism. In this literature and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of Woody Guthrie songs as well as the themes of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Students examine parallels between the characters in the...
Curated OER
Multi-sensory Writing
Students use their senses to help describe special place they have been. They write short sensory-image essay that incorporate all five of their senses, and identify sensory language while reading different pieces of literature.
Curated OER
Get Thee To Wife!
High schoolers read and analyze a piece of literature from 1591 to investigate whether Elizabethan fathers were patriarchal dicatators. Students read the passage and answer questions to determine what fathers were like during the late...