Rather than a whodunit, "The Masque of the Red Death" is the perfect story to analyze how Poe combines literary devices to create the suspense that grips readers. The richly detailed activity is carefully scaffolded, moving from teacher...

Accompany a reading of Madeleine L'Engle's classic tale, A Wrinkle in Time, with a detailed guide equipped with 15 informative and useful chapters. Scholars discover who the author is, why she wrote the book, and crucial story elements...

Immerse yourself in the beautiful, twisted world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. A detailed lesson plan provides important details about the writing, stagecraft, music, and literary elements of the famous musical, as...

A collection of reading passages is packed with various skills to enhance fourth graders reading comprehension. From distinguishing between fact and opinion to describing character's feelings and recognizing elements of plot, the...

If your language arts learners have a hard time determining the universal theme of a written work, use a straightforward worksheet to help them find it. After reviewing a list of common themes, kids note the title, character, plot, point...

Finding a good sample narrative essay can be a challenge. Here's a fine resource that models for young writers how to hook readers' attention and how to use words that show rather than tell. A great addition to your curriculum library.

The metaphor of a pot of soup and a series of colorful templates remind young writers of the elements that make for a rich story. Pepper the plot with carrot/character, potato/point of view, corn/conflict, tomato/theme, and season with...

Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God presents three strong central themes: a woman's voice, race, and religion. After finishing the novel for homework the night before, kids address these themes in a discussion and writing...

Discuss two possible themes from Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club in the ninth of ten lessons in a novel unit. Having finished the book, readers engage in a discussion about the themes of fate, memory, and transformation, and answer questions...

Use a discussion on themes of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines to inspire your class's writing. After addressing the themes of racism, commitment, and manhood, kids use historical references and evidence from the text to answer...

The children's book Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann is a great story for teaching young learners about teamwork and the importance of following rules. In a detailed, read-aloud lesson, children learn to use both the words and...

Your class reaches the end of the novel Eagle Song as young readers focus on determining the theme of this story. Similar to previous lessons in the unit, the teacher begins with a read aloud of the first few pages of chapter 8, before...

"It was my view then, and still is, that you don't make war without knowing why." Remembering Vietnam is a powerful resource. The essential questions, the activities, the readings, the materials examined all seek to provide learners with...

Learning about literature can be so much fun; it can also be made more accessible through projects and dramatic play. As they explore theme, character, and setting, the class gets creative and makes a dramatic recreation of a classic...

“What is the theme of this story?” Now there’s a question all pupils dread. Rather than encountering a sea of faces that look like they were painted by Edward Munch, face a classroom filled with smiles and confidence. Show your readers...

What is theme, and how can you find themes in literary works? These and other questions are answered by a colorful and engaging presentation that not only defines the term but also provides easy to understand examples. The slides...

Give your class a different kind of reading assignment with the text included here. Anne Miller's essay "Learning to Hate Mathematics" details a hatred of math that grew from early childhood and still haunts the author today. After...

So many themes are expertly woven through Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. On the first page, scholars will read five themes, selecting an incident and a quote to highlight that theme. On page two, they use chapters 29-31 to...

Through this three-day lesson plan, learners will develop an understanding of several elements of narration such as plot, characterization, setting, point of view, and theme. Reading several fiction texts and taking notes using...

Henry David Thoreau and Linda Ronstadt? Ann Tyler and Pete Townshend? Joyce Carol Oates and Pearl Jam? This richly detailed plan pairs classic literature with contemporary music and asks learners to analyze how the theme of conformity is...

Everyone loves the tales involving King Arthur and his knights. After reading Knights of the Round Table by Gwen Gross, learners draw inferences and conclusions, analyze story elements, and discuss figurative language, including...

This story is bound to motivate your class. Learners read a story called Elena by Diane Stanley. The story is about a young woman who marries for love but is soon widowed during the Mexican Revolution. She takes her children to...

Introduce various perspectives of the civil rights movement to your middle schoolers by having them take on roles in groups. They read a projected excerpt describing a house (linked) from either the perspective of a real estate agent or...