Curated OER
Powerful Poetry Presenting the Writer's Soul
Students research Langston Hughes poetry for his use of figurative language. In this poetry analysis lesson, students research the life and poetry of Langston Hughes and his use of vivid words. Students complete 23 different activities...
Curated OER
Recognizing Similes: Fast as a Whip
Students review basic knowledge of similes and engage with similes on a more abstract level. In this similes lesson, students define similes and identify examples. Students read and analyze the similes used in poetry by Derricotte,...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Reading Literature - My Last Dutchess
Draw back the curtain, add a spot of joy to your class, and let learners be instructional activityed by a close reading exercise that models how to develop an interpretation based on evidence drawn from a text. Robert Browning’s dramatic...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Letting Go
Why would an artist destroy his own work? Kids examine the Malagan practice of creating and then destroying art. They talk about the cultural and spiritual significance of this practice, as well as how it relates to consumerism in...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: Stormy Weather in Art, Writing, and Music
Using personal experience, visual art, and music that evoke natural disasters, your older high schoolers create their own expressions of storms. Learners conduct online research about weather drama. They make their own expressive...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify forms of...
Curated OER
Introduction to Poetry
Students determine the rhyme scheme of a poem and find examples of similes. For this poetry analysis lesson, students review definitions needed for the topic and analyze the rhyme or rhythm for the example poems. Students also find...
Curated OER
American Rhythms
Learners combine elements of music with poetry. In this creative writing lesson, students examine poems from a variety of authors with varying writing styles. Learners explore the different elements of poetry, including tone, rhythm,...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Reading Literature - The Ruin
Cross-comparison, the technique of focusing on two different texts with the same themes, motifs, events, etc., is employed in an exercise that asks groups to examine two different translations of “The Ruin,” a poem, written in Old...
Curated OER
A Mirror into History
Are we really all that different from people in the past? First, learners of all ages write an autobiographical poem. Then, they research the lives of historical figures. They use the same format that they used to write their own poem to...
Curated OER
Writing Organizers
Eight graphic organizers to choose from? That's right! Each of these organizers relates to writing or reading. From narrowing a writing topic, to responding to literature, to planning a writing project, you'll find many purposes for...
Curated OER
English Literature: An Overview
Relate literary works and authors to the major themes of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the 20th century. Working in groups, high schoolers will evaluate period philosophy, religion, and politics that influenced...
Curated OER
Rollin’ on the River: Identifying Jargon
Pupils identify jargon in poetry, prose and fiction. In this literature activity, students will read selections from Mark Twain and identify figurative langauge, focusing on jargon.
Curated OER
Carl Sandburg's "Chicago": Bringing a Great City Alive
Carl Sandburg composed poetry that conveyed a time and place in American Literature and history. Learners identify the literary techniques he uses to describe the historical and cultural context of living in Chicago. They define the...
Curated OER
Hyperbole!
Learn all about hyperbole with this quick PowerShow presentation. The nine slides are packed full with clear examples, and there are opportunities for the audience to create some examples of their own. It's quick and informative!
Curated OER
Persona Poem
Students write a poem from the perspective of the first-person persona. Through the words of the poem, demonstrate a higher level of thinking by providing insight to the personality of the poem's speaker, the "I" who is featured in the...
Curated OER
Bio-Poems and U.S. History
Students explore U.S. History by writing poems. In this United States leader biography lesson plan, students identify elements needed to create a good poem, and write a Bio-Poem about themselves. Students utilize the same form to write a...
Curated OER
A Simile and Metaphor Lesson
Young scholars use their knowledge of similes and metaphors to analyze poetry. In this poetry and language lesson, students read examples of similes and metaphors and write their own examples that describe their city, television, or an...
Curated OER
Journeys to Self Discovery
Students explore both physical and mental journies that result in a change or self-discovery. They write poems that symbolize a personal journey that forever changed them. They understand the importance of a central image or metaphor in...
Curated OER
Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Young scholars evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War lesson, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Young scholars take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their...
Curated OER
Looking at Life through the Creation of Personal Metaphors
Learners focus on the creation of personal metaphors, which are first illustrated in pictures and caricatures and then extended to descriptive/analytical paragraphs. They teach the lesson to others using their own personal metaphors as...
Curated OER
Fall Similes
Students create descriptive autumn similes and write them on fall-themed paper. They first write the autumn simile, and then arrange the plants around the border of the paper. They use natural plants which must be pressed.
Curated OER
Fantasy Allegory of Air
Students analyze the painting Jan Brueghel and design their own book. In this art and book lesson, students discuss the elements of fantasy from the painting and create their own book. Students illustrate the book and create a painting...