Learners investigate the horrors of World War II by participating in a role-playing activity.  In this holocaust lesson, students read handouts describing the atrocities committed against the Jews in Germany during the mass...

Groups of learners investigate the persuasive genre of writing as they research and present on an issue. They research the Internet (possible websites are included) for a topic and locate information to present to the opposing team. In...

Students identify words that can be used to describe Mark Twain's character Tom Sawyer. Students explore stage production of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by reading and discussing "An Older (and Calmer) Tom Sawyer". They develop their...

Students study philanthropy and point of view while reading the novel Gentle Annie. In this point of view lesson, the learner writes a persuasive letter from a character in the novel. Students work in small groups to act out a skit of...

Sixth graders prepare questions for an Oprah Winfrey talk show featuring the characters from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the amazing novel by Mildred D. Taylor. Selected students role-play the characters and answer questions Oprah...

Students participate in role-play activities to explain that emotional and social effects of prejudice discussed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

High schoolers interpret scenes from a novel they are reading. In this literature lesson, students select scenes from The Stone Cutter to perform for their classmates. High schoolers should attempt to recreate the emotions that...

After reading chapter six of Ordinary People with your class, conduct this activity with your class. Turn the lights down, put on your softest voice, and have them try to imagine that they lost a close friend. Then, encourage them to...

Is your class reading Pride and Prejudice? In order to link scenes to the themes in Austen's novel, pairs take on the confrontation between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth (Chapter XIV). After writing their own version of the...

Third graders write a petition to a school figure, get signatures from other students, share the petition with the appropriate authority, and then work as leaders to carry out the group's solution.

Students research Toni Morrison's life, work as a writer, and major contributions to the field of literature; students choose one of her novels to read, & perform a scene from it; each group member writes an autobiographical essay...

Sixth graders use a variety of resources to research the Middle Ages and Renaissance over a nine-week period. Working in cooperative teams, they become experts on specific topics. Students hold a Renaissance Faire and role-play as...

Students read the novel, Across Five Aprils and investigate the theme of the individual vs, community loyalties. They keep a daily journal, role-play situations, hold a mock debate, and write a research paper on "coming of age."

Ninth graders expand their reading vocabulary in order to increase comprehension. They play a game using vocabulary from a novel.

Students discuss contemporary situations in which governments mistreat people. They examine real-life instances in which people break the law for what they believe is a higher good. They role play a variety of human rights injustices.

Students act out a section of the book Gentle Annie that is depicted in Chapter 4. They discuss the character position taken by each of the characters in the scene. They write a persuasive letter to one of the characters.

Fourth graders act out a mock fairy tale trial. They use a fairy tale like "The Three Little Pigs", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Hansel and Grete"l, and/or "Little Red Riding Hood".

Students identify themes in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet by analyzing the film or text. For this tolerance lesson, students create their own Elizabethan era terms related to interacting with different social groups. In groups,...