Curated OER
Everyone's a Critic: Analyzing Sitcoms as Cultural Texts
Start by defining the word sitcom with the goal of launching a discussion. What exactly is a sitcom? How is a sitcom different from sketch comedy, drama, and reality television? Class members give examples, remember storylines...
Prestwick House
"Because I could not stop for Death" -- Visualizing Meaning and Tone
Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" provides high schoolers with an opportunity to practice their critical thinking skills. They examine the images, diction, rhythm, and rhyme scheme the poet uses and consider how...
Curated OER
Talk To Me About It
Students present an analysis of a short story. Working in small groups, students prepare a presentation of up to 30 minutes analyzing the major elements in a story they have read. Completed presentations are given to the class and...
Wharton County Community College
Byron, Shelley, & Keats (Later Romantics) Presentation
Rock stars are cool, but not as cool as the ones from the nineteenth century Romantic Movement. Present critical biographical information on the big three, Byron, Shelly, and Keats, before you dive into analysis of their major...
Curated OER
The Kite Runner: Anticipation Guide
Introduce Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner with an anticipation guide that asks class members to consider their opinions on a series of statements related to themes presented in the novel.
OCR
A Streetcar Named Desire Delivery Guide
Instructors who want to use A Streetcar Named Desire as a core text need not rely of the kindness of other teachers to find engaging activities to support a study of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize winning drama.
Curated OER
The Language of the Civil Rights Movement
Tenth graders develop a website documenting poetry integral during the civil rights movement in the United States. Working in pairs, 10th graders research the people and poetry of that was prevalent during the civil rights movement. ...
Curated OER
The Concept of the Hero
Students explore the symbolic implications for the concept of the hero with a focus on the Beowulf theme. In this hero concept lesson, students find specific examples of monsters from Beowulf to complete the chart. Students list the...
Curated OER
Maniac Magee: Picture Book Strategy
Who would have thought to explore the concept of race through children's literature? After reading Bell Hooks' picture book, Skin Again, and chapter sixteen of Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee, class members...
Schools Linking Network & Lifeworlds Learning
How Do We All Live Together?
Explore the concepts of community and point of view with these activities complementing the children's book Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne. Following a class reading of the story, ask students to either draw a map of the...
Reed Novel Studies
Beezus and Ramona Novel Study
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of having siblings? Pupils explore this topic with the Beezus and Ramona novel study. Additionally, scholars answer questions about chapter one of the time-honored book by Beverly Cleary...
Minnesota Literacy Council
Grapes of Wrath and Pronouns
Many regard John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as the great American novel. The lesson plan combines a variety of strategies, including partner work, independent practice, creative writing, grammar instruction, and small group...
Curated OER
Food on the Map
Students work together to examine the tastiest towns in the United States. After discovering the names of the equipment, they identify the seven continents. They take a survey and locate the cities and states of the foods mentioned.
Curated OER
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Read biographical information on Arthur Miller, author and notable playwright. Show your class this presentation as you begin reading Death of a Salesman and look into the man who created the work.
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird - Introductory Role Play and Historical Background
Learners participate in role-play activities to explain that emotional and social effects of prejudice discussed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Curated OER
To Walt Whitman
Students examine the poem To Walt Whitman by Angela de Hoyos. They divide into groups. Each group creates a poem written from one of two perspectives: to Walt Whitman or to de Hoyos from Whitman.
Curated OER
Incident
Students gain insight into human behavior from the study of literature. They read a poem and respond by creating a poem of their own. After a lecture/demo, students utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to help them compose an...
Curated OER
The Life and Times of Robert Frost
Students explore the life and times of Robert Frost. Using a fact worksheet imbedded students access websites to gather information about the life and writings of Robert Frost.
Curated OER
Homes Sweet Homes
Students view various examples of homes by Robert Harris. In groups, they describe how houses are different in various climates around the world. Individually, they use one artifact from their own home and research its significance in...
Curated OER
Race & White Privilege
High schoolers read and analyze the Tomas Rivera novel "...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him." In small groups they select three paragraphs from the text that are relevant to the issues of racism or white privelege, conduct Internet...