Cover the canine characters in The Call of the Wild through discussion and writing. Small groups complete a jigsaw-style activity, with each group focusing on one dog and using textual evidence to back up their ideas. Next, individuals...

Explore the literary elements of Mildred Taylor's Song of the Trees with this beautiful Prezi presentation. Focusing on the story's characters, setting, and major plot points, young readers are provided with a complete summary of this...

Wrap up a study of Seedfolks with a final essay. Writers can draft their essays by following the steps and filling in the organizer provided here. The packet begins with a prompt, includes a few basic requirements, and provides an...

There are quite a few characters in Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks, so why not help your class keep track of them? Learners can mark up this chart to show the traits that apply to each character. Along the left, each character is listed,...

Hand out these project ideas when working with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Pupils can choose from six different options or propose their own. The idea is that they will complete more than one project to meet the point requirement. The...

Dig into any piece of fiction with a series of analysis questions. There are two levels of questions provided: basic and in-depth. The basic questions can be copied double-sided onto a single piece of paper, while the in-depth questions...

The short story "The Inn of Lost Time" includes stories within a story, a concept clearly illustrated on this graphic organizer. The frame story quite literally surrounds the other stories on the page. Pupils fill in information from the...

After reading each chunk of two chapters of Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, ask learners to respond to related study questions. The instructions at the top of the questions suggest that individuals should read the questions first, read the...

Your classroom won't be complete without a set of posters that can help learners hone in on the parts of a narrative story. Each of the six printable images is in full color and come with a definition and images that learners can use to...

How do events, characters, setting, and tone work together to create an engaging short story? Would the impact or theme of a story be different if one of these elements were changed? After reading Mark Twain's slightly screwy "A Ghost...

Readers of To Kill A Mockingbird are asked to match characters from Harper Lee's novel that closely resemble one another. In addition, they identify the traits the two characters have in common. A great way to chart mirror characters....

Tenth graders explore narrative poetry. They analyze sections of a poem and present to groups. They compose their own narrative poems using pictures as prompts. They exchange their poems and analyze their classmate's poem.

Seven of the characters in Homer's the Odyssey are introduced in this very basic presentation. Viewers meet Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena (among others). Strengthen this presentation by adding pictures or attempting to see what information...

Students pretend to be statues to show story characters and setting. In this story character and setting instructional activity, students act as statues that depict the characters and setting in the story they are listening to. They...

After your class finishes reading Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, they use the Venn diagram here to compare two characters from the novel, in this case Bud and his grandfather Herman E. Calloway. Examples of qualities on which...

Reinforce the actions, emotions, and characteristics that determine what a character is like by having your middle schoolers create a biopoem using the model presented here. You could engage them first by having them write a poem about...

Individuals examine a book's components, including key events, characters, and vocabulary and develop "chain book reports" with their peers. Strips of paper containing the book's important events are staples together and hung.

Students compare aspects of children's books that teach diversity and respect. They examine universal values such as courage and bravery, respect and apathy. They create a final project based on their ability to recognize the values in...

Play a classroom version of the classic game show Jeopardy, to review and discuss the novel your class has been reading. Questions about plot and other story elements are written on cards and given point values. Divide the class into...

If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...

Young scholars explore the elements of fictional text. In this story elements lesson plan, students read Chicken Said "Cluck" and create a pyramid of story elements identified in class. Young scholars then read a nonfiction text about...

Young readers use graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams and story maps, to analyze a variety of folktales and the elements of a story. They use writing, sequencing activities, and creative art to identify the morals learned from a...

Explore gender stereotypes by analyzing how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using the provided Comic Book Analysis sheet, students record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. Then the whole...

High schoolers, in groups, research the setting, food, and entertainment of a selection of literature. They design costumes, menus, and theme parks from the piece of literature as well. Then they present their projects to the class after...