Curated OER
Plot and Conflict
Young scholars review the literary elements of plot and conflict. In this plot and conflict lesson plan, students read a story and answer questions about the plot and conflict within. Young scholars create a concept map for the novel to...
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Writing to Focus Reading and to Imagine Researching
Students examine several elements that would cue them into a newspaper article about community change without reading the main copy text. They discuss the details and write notes about the article. They first skim and then thoroughly...
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Narrative Structure: Les Miserables
What is the initiating event? What is the protagonist's goal? What attempts are made to achieve this goal? What is the outcome? Model for your class how to map out the structure of any narrative. Readers then search for answers as the...
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Emancipation Proclamation
Students analyze key components of a portrait and relate the elements to the historical context. For this lesson students evaluate the "Emancipation Proclamation" and it's significance.
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One Story, Many Tales
Young scholars compare and contrast various versions of the fairytale Cinderella. In this folktale lesson, students read The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella and analyze the differences between the two stories. Young...
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Taiwan on Shaky Ground
Learners, in groups, examine how various elements of Taiwan's infrastructure were affected in the September 21, 1999 earthquake by analyzing a number of newspaper articles on the quake and its aftermath.
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Reporting Live from the 20th Century!
Students read and write newspaper articles. In this newspaper article writing lesson plan, students collect and share current news articles, examine how they are written, then choose an event from the 20th century and write their own...
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The Roosevelt Presidency
Students explore the history of America from 1900-1912. Students explore how past events and philosophies have affected the management of modern-day conflicts. Through research, students write an essay on the handling of the Panama Canal...
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Octavio Paz
Tenth graders read and analyze the poem, "The Street," by Hispanic author, Octavio Paz. They research the life of Octavio Paz and identify his literary contributions. They complete an online scavenger hunt and create an author map of...
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Revolutionary Boston
High schoolers annotate core maps to explain either the political or the military situation in the British North American colonies, using Boston as a case study. They explain the British military strategy for suppressing the rebellion in...
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Writing a Children's Book -- Young Authors
Students practice their writing skills by creating a children's book. They integrate five elements of short stories into the narrative. They share their stories with their book buddies.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Oral and Literary Strategies
Readers are first introduced to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart by making a map of Africa. They will better understand the novel's historical and literary contexts, European and African literary traditions, and how historical events...
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Holocaust Unit
Learners read a book about World War II and the Holocaust while in small literature circles. They write journal entries and news articles based on the reading.
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Fate vs. Mind: A Macedonian Folk Tale
Students examine the work of Carla Bachechi as a Peace Corp volunteer in Macedonia. Individually, they read various folktales from the country and break into groups to discuss how it is different than a novel. To end the lesson plan,...
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Chinese Folktales
High schoolers examine Chinese folktales. In this literature and philanthropy instructional activity, students read Chinese folktales and analyze their literary elements. High schoolers consider the effects of generosity in the tales and...
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Chronicling the Journey
Students chart the order of events in literature. For this literature lesson, students read The Odyssey and summarize the epic journey in their own words. Students then write about journeys they have taken in their own lives.
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Setting the Story: Techniques for Creating a Realistic Setting
“It was a dark and stormy night.” Thus begins the 1830's novel Paul Clifford and, of course, all of Snoopy’s novels! Encourage young writers to craft settings for their stories that go beyond Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s often-mocked phrase...
Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition
Creative Writing Workshop
Looking for suggestions on how to organize a creating writing workshop? For topic suggestions appropriate for various grade levels? Check out a resource packet, designed for English language arts instructors, that is packed with ideas...
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Interviews with the American People "Days of Infamy"
Students compare and contrast statements made by people in "Man on the Streets." They are interviewing them on the current war in Iraq and how they felt on Sept. 11th. These interviews are tape recorded. To see what kinds of questions to...
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Costco and Zoning
Students research zoning laws in the community. They interview city planners to find out necessary steps for approval. Students collect information about facilities being proposed. They write an article on their findings.
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Planet of the Apes
The "Planet of the Apes" is becoming a staple in many high school classrooms and provides a way to explore a variety of topics.
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Beyond Louisiana
Learners examine the challenges that faced the United States as a new nation, especially those related to exploration, expansion, and international affairs. They study the chronology of events related to the expedition of Lewis and Clark.
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Story Pyramid And Comparison
Students investigate the details of a chosen story of literature. They use a pyramid graphic organizer to record information. The information is used to write a summary of the story. Students use a rubric while writing the summary to...
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Salinger and the Vocabulary of the Vernacular
Students discuss the use of slang expressions in literature. In this literary analysis activity, students examine the use of slang words and expressions in the popular novel Catcher in the Rye. Students research the various slang terms...