Novelinks
Oedipus the King: Biopoem
The biopoem is a great way for instructors to get to know class members, classmates to get to know each other, and readers to flesh out their understanding of a character. Why not create a biopoem for a character from Oedipus the King?
Curated OER
Round-Robin Reading Quiz
Small groups of learners read text round-robin style, and then work individually to answer three questions based on the text. Next, they share their questions and responses and add ideas from the group. The reading strategies detailed...
Curated OER
My Antonia: Body Biography Book Report
Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where students choose to...
Scholastic
Reading Symbols
Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass serves as the anchor text for a lesson on symbolism. Readers use the provided worksheets to examine the symbols in the novel as well as in the world around them.
Curated OER
Style and Voice
Develop the writing skills of your high school class. Writers consider their personal style and voice, read selections by other authors, and then write pieces that challenge them to experiment with their own style.
Curated OER
Biopoem: Bud, Not Buddy
Young poets focus on one character from a story they are reading, collect details, and use a biopoem template to analyze this character. The activity can be used with any text.
Curated OER
Sequencing
High schoolers consider how cause and effect translate into sequencing in literary works. In this sequencing lesson, students read non-fiction passages about Eleanor Roosevelt and Clara Barton. High schoolers complete graphic organizers...
Curated OER
Julius Caesar Act I Pre-Reading Characterization Worksheet
In this Julius Caesar worksheet, students determine character traits of Julius Caesar and Brutus from quotations given. Students are given 13 quotations about or by Julius Caesar and 8 quotations about or by Brutus.
Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Young scholars work in groups to imagine, research and simulate a dinner party involving an author, a fictional character, and a significant historical figure as dinner guests. The activity uses Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and...
Curated OER
Machiavelli's The Prince
Students compare and contrast their concepts of leadership with Machiavelli's, as outlines in The Prince. In this literature lesson, students identify positions that call for leadership and brainstorm qualities necessary for such a...
Curated OER
Twelve Angry Men
High schoolers assess their understanding of Twelve Angry Men. They create flashcards for vocabulary terms, summarize one of the acts, construct a diorama and complete character wheels. They choose from other activities including...
Curated OER
Love Actually Activity Worksheet and Progress Test
In this Love Actually activity and progress test worksheet, students respond to a total of 20 multiple choice, matching and fill in the blank questions pertaining to Love Actually.
Curated OER
Thoreau and those he influenced
Eleventh graders work in groups and research assigned person using the internet and use print resources for DHS media center. They create a poster that shows possible connections to H.D. Thoreau's writings and philosophies, a short...
Curated OER
Acronyms - Characters in Hawthorne's Stories
Students create acronyms for book characters. In this literature study, students learn about and create acronyms for characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories The Minister's Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown. Students' acronyms...
Curated OER
Assessing the Traits: What is Good Writing?
Students assess samples of writing for each trait and discuss the rationale for scoring. They understand that the traits of writing offer a common language for revision. This instructional activity includes a scoring rubric for the...
Curated OER
Shakespear Scavenger Hunt
Pupils use the internet to study basic biographical facts about Shakespeare in the form of an internet scavenger hunt. This activity is a great introduction to a Shakespearean unit of study.