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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Anatomy Of A Story: Story Structure

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Somebody. Wanted. But. Then. Introduce your classes to the structure that supports stories with a instructional activity that teaches readers how to identify the four basic components writers use to craft their tales. After identifying...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The History of Spoken Word Poetry: Historical and Cultural Perspectives In Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Spoken word poetry, more than almost any other form, reveals the historical and cultural perspective of the poet. High schoolers listen to various spoken word poems, select one to research in-depth, and then apply what they have learned...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Mood and Tone at Owl Creek Bridge: Mood and Tone

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Two versions of movie trailers for the film Mary Poppins launch a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious lesson about how mood and tone impact a reader's experience of work. Using the provided list, readers identify the words that create the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Memory Haiku: The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Smell

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Scholars learn how smells evoke early childhood memories and apply that knowledge to a character from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. After finding a passage from the novel that references smells, they craft a haiku and a...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

It Wasn't Me: "The Crucible"

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Scholars complete their study of the collective fear in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" by conducting a mock trial to determine how many witches are in the class. Groups then analyze sections of the play for the literary devices used and...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

It’s My Party and I’ll Hear What I Want To: Gatsby’s Party Playlists, The Great Gatsby and the Sense of Sound

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Young scholars consider how film soundtracks can help support not only the mood but also the tone of a scene. After viewing two very different trailers for the same film, class members create their own soundtracks for two party scenes...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Motivations In "The Gift Of The Magi": Motivation In Characters

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
O. Henry's short story, "The Give of the Magi," launches a study of what motivates people to act as they do. Class members identify what they believe are the motivations of the characters in O. Henry's tale and then craft a one-page...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Locating Archetypes in Pop Culture, Literature, and Life

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Archetypes help readers connect literature to the world around them. A lesson plan uses elements of pop culture to teach about archetypal traits of common characters  and discuss issues of perception and other literary devices. At the...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

That Which We Call a Rose: Connotation and Denotation in Romeo and Juliet

For Teachers 9th Standards
Words carry weight. And some words carry baggage. Scholars learn the difference in a study of connotation and denotation. Individuals sort the cards into three groupings using words from Shakespeare's play. After sharing within groups,...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Consequences of Time Travel: Analyzing Short Stories

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder" is the anchor text in a instructional activity that asks high schoolers to find examples of cause, effect, and foreshadowing in the tale. They then create a brochure advertising trips with...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Taking a Bite! Exploring Cultural Identity Through Food

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
High schoolers are asked to consider the connections between food, culture, and identity. They read articles and share what they learned in a jigsaw activity, read a short story, and make a claim about the story's theme, backing up their...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

You Think You Have Problems: Perspective in Multi-Genre Literature

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Young scholars are asked to reflect on how personal experiences might influence points of view and perspectives. They read poems and biographies of the poets and then match the poem to the poet. To justify their matches, learners...
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Activity
Curated OER

Changemakers Lesson Plans

For Students 6th - 12th
An astronaut, a fashion designer, a Secretary of the Interior, an actor, and an Olympic Gold Medal winner! Teens and tweens have an opportunity to be changemakers as they research modern Native Americans and their many accomplishments...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Worcester v. Georgia: Cherokee Sovereignty and Actions of the U.S. Government

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Young historians study the Supreme Court case "Worcester v. Georgia"  and note instances where the Justices defended the sovereign rights of the Cherokee. They also examine the actions of President Andrew Jackson and the provisions of...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Conflict at the Washita River: The Indian Wars in Indian Territory

For Teachers 9th
"Battle" or "Massacre"? Words matter, especially when labeling historical events. That's the big idea in a lesson about the 1868 conflict at the Washita River. After examining two images of the event, groups read and discuss articles...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Reconstruction Treaties Of 1866: The Reconstruction In Indian Territory

For Teachers 9th
The Reconstruction Treaties of 1866 and their impact on the Five Tribes in the United States Civil War are the focus of a lesson that asks young historians to consider how these treaties affected tribal sovereignty. Class members do a...