Curated OER
Lesson Plan 4: Creating Main Characters
Creating a good main character is a must when writing a creative narrative or novel. Elementary aged writers create main characters for the novel they are writing. They first use themselves as a models, then create a character as a...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 7: The Elements of Story
Budding novelists work on character development by relating to the characters in their stories. They imagine their own hopes and dreams and recall those of characters from books they've read. Learners also consider struggles the...
Curated OER
Write a Story
Here is a great way to explore narrative writing! Learners review a previously constructed story map and identify the characters, setting, and main events in the book Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock retold by Eric A. Kimmel. They...
Curated OER
Dramatic Outlines
Students write about main characters. In this dramatic writing lesson, students brainstorm character ideas. Students create actions and give the character a voice. Students act out the scene in groups and create a final draft.
Curated OER
Because of Winn-Dixie Scrapbook
Here is a fun resource that your kids will love. While reading the book Because of Winn-Dixie, they analyze the story's main characters by creating an online scrapbook. The purpose is to have them identify character traits and use...
Curated OER
What A Pair! A Cross Grade Writing Activity
What a pair! Older pupils interview younger ones and use what they learn to write a short, illustrated storybook that features the youngster as the main character. The youngster responds with a thank-you note in which they identify their...
Curated OER
Counteracting Media Stereotyping
Discuss media stereotypes with your emerging consumers. They view a television program to identify gender bias. After discussing the clip as a class, each learner writes a story showing more equitable roles. Or consider having them...
DePaul University
The Football Team
Playing team sports is about more than just scoring the most goals or winning the most games. Read this passage with your class and learn how athletes build character as members of a team. When finished, individuals identify the main...
Curated OER
The Main Man
Students explore visualizing stories by completing a graphic organizer. In this reading strategy lesson, students read the story Pecos Bill by Steven Kellog and identify the setting, main characters and their interpretations. Students...
Curated OER
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
In this story structure lesson, learners read the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and identify the characters, setting and main themes of the book. They answer a list of study questions about the book.
Curated OER
Pay it Forward
Students explore the basic concept of micro-financing. In this economics/literacy lesson, students listen to One Hen by Katie Smith, in which a small loan changes the life of the main character. Students employ comprehension strategies...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Gulliver's Travels
Students read and analyze the book, Gulliver's Travels. They develop a reading folder, identify the main story elements, compare/contrast Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput and Brobdingnag, and write a paragraph about the main characters.
Curated OER
Let's Retell a Story
For this retelling a story worksheet, students review and discuss all the components involved in retelling a familiar story. Students choose a favorite story/book and fill out a graphic organizer retelling it in their own words. Students...
Curated OER
The English Roses
Students explore psychology by reading a children's book in class. In this bullying lesson, students read the story The English Roses and discuss the main characters, story and setting. Students identify the moments when the main...
McGraw Hill
Study Guide for Island of the Blue Dolphins
Dive your class into a reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins with this in-depth study guide. Breaking the novel into three parts, the resource begins each section with a focus activity that identifies a specific theme or question to be...
Curated OER
Retelling Nursery Rhymes
Fourth graders explore language arts by reciting a famous nursery rhyme to their classroom. In this oral storytelling lesson plan, 4th graders read the story "The Three Little Pigs" and identify the characters, setting and story....
Curated OER
Bug's Eye View
Students explore biology by writing fictitious stories in class. In this insect life instructional activity, students identify many different types of insects in the animal kingdom and the classifications they fall into. Students collect...
Curated OER
Freckle Juice
Students analyze a chapter from the assigned book they are reading. For this reading comprehension lesson, students read chapter four from Freckle Juice by Judy Blume, and discuss the main character, Andrew. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Fairy Tale Press
Young scholars create the front page of a newspaper by writing news stories about the main characters and plots of fairy tales.
Curated OER
Understanding Other People's Decisions
Young scholars analyze people's choices from different points of view. They read different scenarios and explain how they would react personally in that situation. Then they analyze what they would do in another character's position and...
Curated OER
My Book Report
In this literacy/writing worksheet, students compose a book report. Students identify the following literary elements: main characters, setting, beginning, problem and solution. Students then compose paragraphs for each of these story...
Curated OER
King Arthur
Students explore literary classics by reading The Legend of King Arthur. In this legendary story lesson, students read the story The Legend of King Arthur and identify the main characters and how they will reenact the story. Students...
Curated OER
Find an Animal! Find a Book!
Young scholars identify the themes of different books by classifying their genre. In this genre lesson, students examine a specific animal by reading both a nonfiction and fiction book about the species. Young scholars compare the...
Curated OER
What a Character !
Students identify traits associated with a character in a biography. In this character analysis lesson, students select a biography and discuss character traits. Students complete a related worksheets and complete a character description...